Polycarbonate is taking the Greenhouse market by storm in recent years, but why has it become the covering of choice and what are the main reasons for its surge in popularity?
- Thermal insulation ~ Multiwall polycarbonate offers better thermal insulation properties over traditional polythene tunnels, this can be very beneficial in the winter months when frost becomes the biggest danger to your over wintering vegetables. It achieves this with the same principal of a traditional cavity wall structure, where you have an outer layer, a void and an inner layer, with reduced heat loss compared to single layer polythene.
- Light Dispersion ~ Polycarbonate is thicker than tradition polythene covers and when sunlight passes through it diffuses the light spreading it in all directions offering optimal conditions and reducing scorching of plants from direct sunlight.
- Strength ~ When installed correctly Polycarbonate Greenhouses are incredibly strong and should see a very long service life with a minimum of 10 years on the polycarbonate and up to as many as 20 years. When a polythene tunnel cover develops a tear, nature can quickly take hold of the structure and turn what may have been initially minor damage into a catastrophic failure of the cover and an expensive repair. Polycarbonate due to its rigid structure does not have this problem and what may be initially a slightly higher install cost very quickly turns into a money saving investment. If the polycarbonate sheet is somehow damaged then a panel can be individually replaced without re-covering the entire structure.
- Appearance ~ Polycarbonate greenhouses not only have advantages of strength, insulation and light dispersion properties but are also quite attractive looking structures, and as a permanent garden structure this is something that should not be overlooked when taking up a large space in your beloved garden and most probably beside your home, we all put so much effort and pride into maintaining our homes and gardens, why should your Polycarbonate Greenhouse be any different?