"None!" - knowledgeable people, happy owners will prove to you with foam at the mouth polycarbonate greenhouses. But they are wrong, and let's see why. The fact is that for 20 years, if not more, there really is an alternative, and it is worth knowing about it, because some people prefer it to transparent plastic.
Read in the article
- 1 How the multi-year film differs from the rest
- 2 Perennial Film Properties: What Will Make Your Yield Record
- 3 What skeptics blame
- 4 In order for the Svetlitsa to last longer, it must be installed correctly
- 5 Where else is perennial film used?
How the multi-year film differs from the rest
So, we are really talking about a special multi-year film, which is a domestic development. Its appearance is the result of scientific research of the St. Petersburg enterprise, which specializes in ultra-modern composite materials. This film is called "Svetlitsa", and the manufacturers give it a 7-year warranty, and users who actually used it for their own purposes claim that 10 years is not the limit for it.
This material does not just serve for several seasons, it can not be removed for the winter, and this is very important, because the covered ground warms up faster by spring and keeps it warm longer in autumn.
What makes this film so strong and durable? In addition to the reinforcing inner layer and light-stabilizing components, the film contains several types of polymers, which make it especially elastic and vapor-permeable. Tearing such material is quite problematic.
Perennial Film Properties: What Will Make Your Yield Record
The main enemy of the greenhouse film is the wind. A long-term film according to domestic technology is able to withstand winds up to 18 m / s without consequences, and this is almost a hurricane. She does not sail like ordinary polyethylene, and she is not afraid of hail.
Manufacturers guarantee the preservation of material properties at temperatures not lower than -80 ° C. The light transmittance of the film is an order of magnitude higher than that of ordinary polyethylene. There are also matte films on sale, which are often used in the southern regions to protect plants from the scorching sun. And it retains heat much better than polyethylene.
What skeptics blame
There are several complaints about this material. The first is its cost. Indeed, a multi-year film is more expensive than a conventional polyethylene film.
Let's recalculate to 1 m2 - and it turns out that this is only 49 rubles. An ordinary plastic film of the same density (150 microns) will cost about 30 rubles. So the difference is not that significant. The price of polycarbonate is about 120 rubles. for the same square meter. So the price claims are not justified.
The second drawback, which is noted, is that over time, the film becomes cloudy and no longer allows light to pass through, as before. But it should be noted that the same thing happens with polycarbonate.
Finally, the film lasts only 7 years (or more), and polycarbonate almost forever. Well, just with the "eternity" of polycarbonate, not everything goes well.
In order for the Svetlitsa to last longer, it must be installed correctly
For maximum service life, it is important to correctly stretch the multi-year film over the frame.
What mistakes lead to premature damage to the material, and how to install it correctly:
- during installation, you need to be very careful, not to allow scratching or tearing of the material;
- all sharp edges of the frame must be hidden under protection;
- the metal frame, which will be very hot in the sun, must be painted white or silver so that the metal heated in the sun does not affect the film;
- "Svetlitsa" should be well stretched over the frame so that there are no bubbles and windage;
- you need to be especially careful during installation with the ridge of the greenhouse.
Related article:
Greenhouses and greenhouses made of polycarbonate: sizes and prices, varieties in shape, type of structure, period of operation, the main criteria for choosing a suitable model, an overview of leading manufacturers and the cost of greenhouses - in our publication.
Where else is perennial film used?
Durable long-term material is useful not only for arranging a greenhouse. Practitioners who used "Svetlitsa" write that even after replacing the used film with a new film the material is excellent as a covering for the winter or can be useful in construction for waterproofing designs.
More information about such a long-term film is in this video:
What is the end result? There is an alternative to polycarbonate, and if properly installed, the multi-year film will last for many years. Have you used one on your site? Share your opinion and impressions!
