Building a greenhouse in Montana, 6,600 hundred feet elevation, for use March thru summer. Attached to back of garage. Sixteen foot roof length.
Big boxes carry single layer polycarbonate panels.
Green house specialty stores carry twin or triple layer polycarbonate. At three or four times the money.
Lowe’s reviews: several complaints about breakage and leaks in single layer. Manufacturers warranty against beakage for 10 years.
Which to choose? Any advice. Thanks.
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Replies
What are your requirements?
I bet the layered stuff is made of layers of different types of plastic.
Acrylic - Plexiglass - resists sunlight but scratches rather easily.
Lexan resists scratches, but sunlight quickly makes it brittle and yellow.
A 6600 ft., you're receiving more than double the UV that you would get a sea level. I'd go with the proven, specialty product.
One thing you definitely don't want is polystyrene -- it turns yellow in an instant and brittle at the same time.
The bigbox store products are mostly meant to substitute for glass in traditional, vertical installations.
Since your intended use is a dedicated greenhouse, a made-to-purpose product likely will offer better value for your investment $.
The double- or triple-wall stuff is engineered for the demands of greenhouse glazing and will have UV-resistant coating(s) on the outside-facing surface. Too, it's going to be more energy-efficient with proper installation details.
Whichever product you eventually choose, be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations about fasteners, suitable caulking compounds (if any) and installation details so you can expect a good lifespan for the product as well as warranty support should you need it someday.
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