Spring is an important time for you to prepare for greenhouse gardening. In addition to making a list of plants for the New Year, you'll need to check and clean your greenhouse kit.
After the winter, your greenhouse may be damaged by rain and snow, such as small tears in the greenhouse covering, not strong enough greenhouse structure, rusty parts, etc. This blog contains some details and considerations for greenhouse repair, come to know.
Greenhouse problems you could encounter
Torn greenhouse plastic
Many novice gardeners like to start their greenhouse gardening with a portable greenhouse. Portable greenhouses do offer many advantages, such as easy setup, easy cleaning, and cheap price. While most portable greenhouses are of excellent quality and rarely have major problems, they can still tear.
(greenhouse plastic set-up)
A torn greenhouse can affect the gardener's next planting plans. But, fortunately, most tears are easy to repair.
The solution
- Use patches
First, use a tape measure and other tools to determine the area of the tear and record it.
Second, find suitable polyethylene sheeting as a patch at a garden center, supermarket hardware section, or convenience store.
Third, cut a suitable patch from under the fabric and cover the tear. Remember to use good -quality tape or glue to avoid movement.
- Ask the seller for help
Some greenhouse stores offer after-sales service with a limited number of years of service. If you experience a torn greenhouse covering during this period, you should consult and seek help from the seller immediately.
Greenhouse Glass Replacement
One concern for gardeners using glass greenhouses is that the greenhouse glass breaks or collapses during high winds or snow days. If your greenhouse glass, unfortunately, broke or collapsed during the previous winter, replace it with new glass as soon as possible.
(glass greenhouse)
You can have a glazier cut a new pane of glass to replace the broken one.
For gardeners who use aluminum greenhouse frames, it is easier to replace greenhouse glass. You can get the glass replaced quickly. If you use a wood greenhouse frame, replacement may be a little more tricky. You will need to use a sealant to hold the panes in place.
Please note, do not neglect this step of fixing the pane. To make your greenhouse glass last longer, you can use sealant, tape, and more tools to make sure the frame is strong enough.
Damaged greenhouse parts
Greenhouse suites contain various types of parts. You need these parts to build a greenhouse. Over time, these parts can deteriorate, rust, or even fall off. During the winter months, greenhouse kits can face many challenges due to the weather elements.
(greenhouse part)
Parts are more prone to deterioration and damage. Therefore, early spring is the best time to address these failures.
Check
Carefully inspect your greenhouse, including metal joints, leg posts, connectors, stakes, bases, and other easily overlooked areas. Record these faults and note the exact location for easy repair and maintenance afterward.
Repair
If the parts are not badly deteriorated, you can maintain them with tools such as lubricants to make the parts last. Rusty parts will have to be replaced to avoid further problems.
Some greenhouse businesses offer parts replacement services. If you are experiencing greenhouse parts that are deteriorating, rusting, or otherwise malfunctioning, you should promptly seek help from the merchant. They will provide you with tools or replacements.
Quictent offers a lifetime replacement service for some greenhouse parts for every greenhouse owner.
Greenhouse Base Failure
As a general rule, if you follow all the specifications and requirements for building a greenhouse and are risk-averse, there should be no problems with the greenhouse foundation.
But, in reality, all accidents can happen. If you are using concrete foundations, brick or slate foundations, and soil foundations, you don't need to be constantly concerned about foundation damage.
(greenhouse base)
However, the easy decay and cracking characteristics of wood slab foundations mean that a new one will need to be replaced regularly to ensure that the greenhouse foundation works properly.
Although wood plank foundations can be used for a while before they are replaced, weather changes may cause problems with your wood plank greenhouse foundation.
For example, your boards may break after a certain rain or snowfall and then you have to take emergency measures to fix the failure. All operations need to be carried out carefully to avoid larger cracks.
So, in addition to maintaining your greenhouse, you also need to maintain your greenhouse foundation regularly to ensure that everything is in order.
How much does it cost to repair a greenhouse?
The cost of repairing a greenhouse is related to the material used to build the greenhouse. The cost of materials is always proportional to the cost of greenhouse repair. Polyethylene is cheaper than glass, wood, and polycarbonate glass panels.
However, polyethylene only lasts for a few years before it has to be replaced, so it is not cost- effective. If you are a portable polyethylene greenhouse user, you can use acrylic resin to replace the damaged polyethylene.
Estimated repair costs for other types of greenhouses
Hoop greenhouse repair costs
The round arch greenhouse is one of the most common greenhouses and the most popular type of hobby greenhouse. This type of greenhouse is moderately priced and will last. The cost per square foot is between $10 and $15. Any plastic panels on a round arch greenhouse are easy and inexpensive to replace.
Geothermal Greenhouse Repair Repair Costs
The cost per square foot for this type of greenhouse is between $8 and $16, but can sometimes be outside of this range, depending on the specific details of the build. There are many details that you need to take care of to repair this type of greenhouse and it will also cost more.
Heated Greenhouse Repair Costs
Heated greenhouses also cost more to install and repair because they have more features than other greenhouses. If you need to repair or replace a heater, expect to spend between $70 and $3,000. The higher quality and larger the heater, the more it will cost. Of course, if you can replace damaged heater parts and repair them yourself, the repair costs will be much lower.
If you are unable to fix the problem, you will need to seek help from a nearby professional. This will incur additional labor costs.
Tools needed to repair a greenhouse
You won't always be able to catch every glitch in your greenhouse in time. If a fault is delayed, a major fault may arise. When a major problem arises, you need to repair the greenhouse urgently to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. To deal with this type of situation, you need to have the usual repair tool kit at home.
Ladders. You will need to use a ladder to view the problem at the top of the greenhouse.
Spare motor. In winter, if your heated greenhouse suddenly loses power, you need to provide emergency electrical equipment to the greenhouse to assist in avoiding crop freezing.
Polyethylene repair tape. For users of portable polyethylene greenhouses, this tape can assist in the event of a tear.
Polyethylene support sheet. This material will take up space in your storage room, but it's totally worth it. Polyethylene support sheets can save the top and side walls of your greenhouse in the event of an unexpected situation.
Screws. If greenhouse parts come loose, you will need tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, and screws to fix the problem.
