Summer residents for the manufacture of greenhouses on their sites mainly use different materials today, it can be wood, metal and other solutions. Home craftsmen did not ignore the PVC pipes, from which you can build a frame. Such popularity of this technology is due to the low cost of the material, lightness, ease of processing and high elasticity. In addition, the choice of covering materials for pipes is quite wide.
Greenhouse structural elements
If you decide to build a greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands, then you will not have to put too much effort, and the set of tools in this case is very limited. As a covering material, polycarbonate or a plastic film can be used. However, it is important to remember that PVC pipes usually have small dimensions, which means they are not intended for use throughout the year. It will be possible to create a greenhouse based on this material for growing early seedlings. But the greenhouse should have important elements, among which:
- foundation;
- coating;
- frame.
Shape selection
When deciding to create a greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands, you must remember that the material in advance dictates the future shape of the structure. It will be possible to create such a system with minimal costs in one weekend. But before starting work, it is necessary to consider several options for the device. In this case, we are talking about the issue of fixing the frame and the coating device.
Before you begin work, you should consider that the greenhouse can only have an arched shape. Using a piece of pipe with a length of 1000 mm, it should be laid on 2 supports so that the ends of the product are fixed, while the central part remains free. By acting on the center of the pipe, you will realize that it will sag. Therefore, you should not make a design with straight walls, because in this case additional stops and stiffeners will be needed, which is undesirable for greenhouses made of PVC profile. If you bend the product so that an arc forms, then the pipe will show elasticity, and this determines the future shape of the greenhouse.
Is it possible to abandon the foundation
Before making a greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands, you must decide whether he needs a foundation. For the reason that the structure will not be used all year, and the base will act as a quick shelter for plants, you can abandon the foundation. A base will still be required, and its dimensions will depend on the parameters of the polycarbonate sheet bent into an arc. You can buy a canvas of such covering material in the store, its standard dimensions are 2100x6000 mm.
Greenhouse Dimensions
If you also decided to make a greenhouse of PVC pipes with your own hands, then you can use a plastic film for coating, in which case the dimensions of the structure will be arbitrary. But in the example, parameters equal to 3820x6300 mm will be considered. This size should be followed for the reason that when bending the pipe, you get the right arc.
With a width of 3821 mm, it will be possible to get half a circle whose radius is 1910 mm. In other words, it is half the width and full height of the greenhouse. With a decrease in width, the height will also decrease. Now you should deal with the length. The pitch of the frame is 900 mm. If there are 8 sections, then you will be able to get 7 spans. This value is multiplied by 900, which allows you to get 6300. You can use a different size, but it is important to understand the principle.
Preparation of materials
Before starting work, it is recommended to consider a photo of greenhouses made of PVC pipes. With your own hands, you can perform such a design with ease, if you decide on the design features and sizes. At the next stage, you can begin to prepare materials, among them:
- trumpet;
- tees;
- crosspiece;
- self-tapping screws;
- oblique tees;
- fittings;
- metal strip;
- board;
- nails.
For work, you can use a 25 mm pipe, the cross must have the same parameters as the tees. The fittings can be replaced with a steel bar. When preparing the board, you should choose the one whose cross section is 50x100 mm.
Tool preparation
You can make a greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands only by preparing a certain set of tools, among them:
- screwdriver;
- apparatus for welding pipes;
- building level;
- hammer;
- hacksaw for metal;
- building tape measure.
The screwdriver can be replaced with a screwdriver for screwing in screws. A hacksaw for metal is often replaced by a cutting machine, which will be more convenient.
Foundation device
Do-it-yourself greenhouse of PVC pipes (the dimensions were mentioned above) should begin to build from the base. The frame is assembled from the board. Wood is treated with a mixture of mold and dampness. The frame should be installed on the site of the greenhouse, and then check the diagonals. From the reinforcement, 4 segments are prepared, the length of each of which will be 500 mm. These elements are driven into the corners of the frame from the inside.
Arc Mount
If you are thinking about how to make a greenhouse from PVC pipes, then at the next stage you need to prepare another 14 pieces of reinforcement, the length of each of them can be equal to the limit of 65 to 70 mm. On the prepared frame, markings should be made along the length. The first mark is set on the edge, further ones should have an interval of 900 mm.
Outside, according to the marking, pieces of reinforcement are driven in so that they rise 300 mm above the surface. They must be installed right next to the frame. Now you can do the marking in width, for this it needs to be divided in half and backtrack 400 mm in both directions. The reinforcement is clogged here according to the same principle as in the first case.
Now you can start making arcs. Segments of 3000 mm are welded together so that the cross is located in the center. Internal arcs are made a little differently. The connection of pipes in the central part in this case is carried out by straight tees. You can start installing the arcs, they are inserted into the reinforcement along the length and bend to install pipes on the reinforcement from the other side. This will allow you to get the basis of the future greenhouse over the wooden frame.
Base, windows and doors
The greenhouse for seedlings from PVC pipes in the next step requires the installation of stiffeners. For this, segments are prepared with dimensions of 850 mm. They are welded between the crosses and the central tees, which will make the frame more reliable. It should be additionally fixed on a wooden frame.
Clamps from a metal strip are made in the shape of the letter Ω. The frame of the pipes is attached with screws to a wooden base. When the arches for the greenhouse made of PVC pipes are installed, you can think about the presence of windows and doors. The first of them will be needed for ventilation. Rebar sections were installed across the width that will allow the installation of doors and windows. From the reinforcement in width to the top, draw a line and make a mark on the arc from the pipe. You can use a wooden rail, level and marker for this. Slanting tees cut into this, for this, from the bottom of the reinforcement, measure the distance to the mark made. It will allow you to understand what size a piece of PVC pipe should have. A tee is welded to it to make an element with a tee on top.
Now you can dock the bevels with the pipe. The arc in the elevation is cut, it must be done carefully, because it is under load. Then you can weld the tee into the formed space, you can not do without outside help. The frame at this stage is ready, now you can proceed with the installation of the covering material. For example, a plastic film is nailed to a frame using rails and nails. Windows and doors are made from pieces of PVC pipe, after which they can be covered with polyethylene and installed in place.
Specialist advice
If you want to make a gable greenhouse from PVC pipes with your own hands, then you must act on the above technology with the only difference being that instead of tees, connecting elements with two branches will be used. Experts do not advise producing such a design, because there will be more connections, they will need to be installed also in the place where the roof will pass into vertical walls. The consumption of materials and time increases, in addition, snow will begin to accumulate on the roof surface if you plan to leave such a structure for the winter. This is especially true when polycarbonate is used as a covering material.
Polycarbonate coating
If you plan to sheathe a greenhouse with polycarbonate, then on a wooden frame you should fill the wooden bars located between the ribs. This will allow you to get a flat solid surface with ribs recessed inward.
Fixation of polycarbonate is carried out by self-tapping screws, it is important to remember the need to install thermowells. The diameter of the hole in the covering material should be 3 mm larger compared to the diameter of the screws. This gap will serve as a compensator when changing the size of the covering material under the influence of climatic factors.
Conclusion
If you decide to use a wooden frame as the base, then the greenhouse is unlikely to last a long time. When summer residents want to build a long-term structure, they use a concrete foundation. It should be deepened into the ground, which will make it possible to obtain a strong base with the absence of wooden elements. If you want to give the greenhouse a certain shape, then you can apply a PVC profile. The design in this case has higher strength, and even glass can be used as a coating.
The PVC profile has the same appearance as in the case of windows, so the use of glass in this design is justified. The greenhouse will stand perfectly for a whole year for several seasons. The main advantage of this solution is the tightness and ability of the greenhouse to effectively retain heat.