Comparing Greenhouse Panels.
When you’re shopping for greenhouse panels, you need to take into account some significant factors. Some of these factors are heat transfer, durability and cost of maintaining a good temperature for your plants during the winter season.
There are so many greenhouse materials out there that it can be tough to choose. Are you going to use glass, fiberglass or maybe polythene plastic? All these materials work well for building a greenhouse but like everything in life, they have their ups and downs. When you are going to decide on the type of greenhouse panels then this is a list you can use to make your decision.
• How much light can it transmit?
• What type of climate do you live in (Is it windy or is it dry)?
• Is it easy to install?
• Is it easy to maintain?
• The amount of heat it can store.
• What is its estimated lifetime?
• Does it fit your budget?
• How tough is the material? Can it stand strong winds and rain?
• How much does it weigh?
• Is it flammable?
Glass, polycarbonates and fiberglass are great choices for people who have greenhouses as a hobbyist. The commercial farmers are commonly using plastic panels even though they need regular replacements.
Glass is a traditional material for greenhouse paneling and it looks great. It is very easy to maintain and glass has a high level of permanency. If you are concerned about how your greenhouse will look in your garden, then glass greenhouse panels are the way to go.
Among all greenhouse panels, glass is the material that permits a large amount of light to pass through. It is also the most effective material to transmit light. The downside of glass is that it is fragile and it breaks very easily. When you do choose to have glass greenhouse panels, make sure that you have a strong foundation because glass can be heavy. An aluminum frame will work as it is strong enough but there is another downside to it and that is that aluminum absorbs the cold in the winter and it can be expensive to keep the greenhouse at a constant temperature.
If you don’t want to use glass then maybe Polycarbonate is a option for you. It isn’t as pretty as glass, but it is more durable. The downside of Polycarbonate is that it doesn’t transfer light and energy the way glass does and sunlight is less concentrated. You can reduce the cost of heating by using 2 Polycarbonate panels and this works very well for retaining heat.
Fiberglas is lightweight, strong and a heavy weather-proof paneling material, but you need to use good (more expensive) quality fiberglass, because the poor quality panels will let less sunlight through and low quality fiberglass panels have a tendency to discolor fast. If you invest in clear, transparent fiberglass panels like Tedlar-coated greenhouse panels, you will be good for up to 20 years.
You have to keep in mind that the best greenhouse panel material is the one that fits your needs, your greenhouse style and your wallet.
