Building Your Own Solar Greenhouse
A solar greenhouse can be a great natural way to use solar energy to heat up our living room in during winter time. If you were to build the solar greenhouse via Do It Yourself (DIY) approach, what type of building material should you use?
The type of building material suitable for a greenhouse should be low maintenance, non-heat conducting, strong and durable. Here’s some suggestion.
1) Aluminum
Aluminum is a popular material used for structural frame of solar greenhouses because it is relatively lightweight, rust resistance, affordable and easy to assemble.
However, there is a downside to using aluminum. It is not a good insulating material in very cold weather. Aluminum frames has a tendency to lose heat which will affect the performance of the greenhouse.
2) Wood
Wooden structural framing is used because of its aesthetic value. It has a natural feel and can blend it very well with your existing house.
Wood is also a good insulating material because it does not allow heat loss in cold weather. But wood does have its downside. Being a natural material, it tends to develop mildew or disease and is susceptible to termites.
3) PVC pipes
If you are building a relatively small solar greenhouse, you can consider using PVC pipes as the structural frame. Because of its light weight, you may have to use additional support to withstand strong winds.
PVC pipes are flexible hence it can be used for hoop greenhouses. Since PVC pipes are chemically manufactured, it is susceptible to UV light. If exposed to direct sun light for a long period of time, it will become faded, brittle and ultimately cracks will develop.
4) Solexx
Another type of building material you can consider for solar greenhouses is Solexx. These greenhouse frames have excellent structural strength being made of a combination of composite tubing, steel and PVC.
The advantage of using these is that while composite tubing and steel provide amazing strength, PVC provides insulation and minimizes condensation on the frame.
A greenhouse frame made from Solexx has no trouble with harsh winds or weather.
Choosing the right building material for your DIY solar greenhouse is an important matter because it will determine the lifespan of the structure. If you have to budget, go for the type of material which is strong and durable.
To construct your own solar greenhouse is not a difficult endeavor. What you’ll need is a good set of construction plans and step-by-step instruction. To find an easy to follow blueprint, check out Bill Keene’s “Building a Greenhouse Plans” e-book. The manual has a comprehensive write ups on what is the best building material to use.
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