What is the difference between standard polycarbonate and lightweight polycarbonate? Do we want to install it on a pitched roof?
The thickness of the ribs of the lightweight sheet is smaller and the load-bearing capacity is lower. On roofing structures exposed snow loads, it is necessary to reduce the sheathing pitch.
How can you remove scratches from polycarbonate?
Minor scratches can be removed or made less noticeable by polishing or a special polishing paste.
Which is the best polycarbonate to choose for a greenhouse? Do you need UV protection? What sheet thickness should I use?
Co-extrusion protection from UV radiation is necessary to ensure that polycarbonate retains its transparency and strength over a long period of time. Without such protection, the sheets are destroyed, as a rule, within 1-2 years. As for the thickness of the sheet, it all depends on the shape and size. Usually polycarbonate with a thickness of 4mm to 8mm is used.
How to properly store cellular polycarbonate
It is advisable to store inside indoors . When storing outdoors, care should be taken to cover impermeable to sunlight(cardboard, wooden box and so on.). To prevent the top slabs from being blown away by the wind, load is placed on top, for example, heavy boards. Do not cover the slabs with PVC coating. The slabs should be stored on a pallet (slabs must not touch the ground).
Explain about thermal expansion of polycarbonate.
The coefficient of linear thermal expansion for polycarbonate is 7.10-5 K-1 = 0.00007 m/m.°C = 0.07 mm/m.°C, that is, with a temperature change of 1ºC, each linear meter of the sheet decreases or increases in all directions by 0.07 mm.
Calculation example: when installing a sheet of cellular polycarbonate into a rigid structure 10 meters long and with a temperature difference throughout the year of middle lane Russia 70°C (from -30°C to +40°C) the gap between the sheet and the structure is 49 mm (0.07x10x70 = 49 mm). The minimum tolerance recommended for cellular polycarbonate sheets is 3.5 mm for each meter of length or width - the calculation is based on a temperature difference of 50ºC. The diameter of the holes for mounting bolts or screws should be 1.5 times larger than the diameter of the bolt.
I want to mount the sheets horizontally.
Mount slabs cellular polycarbonate follows in the direction of the longitudinal stiffeners, either vertically or along the slope of the coating, but not horizontal.
Do I need to remove the top film from polycarbonate sheets?
Plates cellular polycarbonate covered with polyethylene film to protect against contamination and mechanical damage that may occur during shipment, transportation and assembly. The film should be left on the stove until the end of assembly and be sure to remove upon completion of work.
What and how to cut cellular polycarbonate?
Cutting is done using a circular saw or electric jigsaw with teeth at an angle close to 30°. Sawdust that is formed during cutting with a saw should be thoroughly cleaned with a jet of air under pressure or any other available method. During cutting, the cellular polycarbonate plate should be pressed firmly against the table surface to prevent it from vibrating or shifting. If you need to cut slabs of small thickness (10 mm and below), you can use a construction knife.
Please advise what sealants to use?
100% silicone sealant. Important! sealant without acrylic, ammonia, antifungal or other additives that can damage polycarbonate. Do not use polyurethane foam. This leads to deformation of the coating.
How do different thicknesses of cellular polycarbonate bend?
Minimum bending radii of slabs.
How to clean polycarbonate after winter?
Polycarbonate is a hard, colorless polymer plastic, which is used in the form of granules. Due to its heat-insulating properties and impact resistance, this material has found wide application in construction. If you decide to use it, you should first find out whether you need to remove it protective film from polycarbonate.
This material has already become quite widespread and popular not only in construction market, but also in other areas of human activity. But, before we begin to describe the advantages of the material, it is worth noting that, unfortunately, it is not without its disadvantages. And although there are many more of the former, the latter are also worth considering when choosing a material.
Not without its shortcomings. These include:
Service life depends on many factors. Most often, manufacturers provide a ten-year guarantee, which applies to primary material made from high-quality raw materials. But with proper use, this period can be significantly increased. This material is not cheap, but you can choose more cheap option, when polycarbonate is obtained by mixing primary raw materials and secondary ones obtained by processing deteriorated sheets, as shown in the photo. Cheap varieties do not guarantee you a long service life, so when choosing, you need to decide what comes first for you - price or quality, especially if you are going to build a greenhouse.
During installation, bending of sheets of any type of polycarbonate should be avoided. The only thing that can be allowed in case of emergency is to bend strictly along the line of channels, that is, along the long side of the sheet.
All sheets are protected special film, which protects the material from scratches during loading and unloading, transportation and installation. It is recommended to remove it immediately after installation to prevent it from sticking tightly to the material, which in the future will make the process of removing it quite problematic.
It is important to determine the faces of the polycarbonate in advance. This is not difficult to do, since it is on them that the protective film is located, as can be seen in the photo. There are several options for fastening the material:
Let's sum it up
To appreciate all the advantages of polycarbonate, it must be purchased and used for construction work. By listening to our advice, you can be sure that the material will last a long time and will be worth every penny spent on it.
When purchasing polycarbonate, the buyer often asks the question: is it necessary to remove the film from polycarbonate?
Sometimes we see on summer cottages or even on construction sites in the city, how there is such colorful polycarbonate, covered with a film with drawings of such cute tomatoes. And a person who encounters this plastic for the first time begins to doubt - should he get rid of the film or leave it all, so beautiful with inscriptions, because with it the design seems to be more pleasing to the eye?
The correct answer is that you need to remove the film, otherwise there will be problems.
This is just a shipping film that protects the sheets during transport and storage, so it is worth removing it when you no longer plan to move the sheets. Some summer residents confuse the shipping film with a protective UV layer, which protects the sheet from ultraviolet radiation. The UV layer is invisible and does not come off, you won’t accidentally remove it, so don’t worry about it.
The film coating must be removed from both sides and done immediately before installation. It is important for you to remember or even mark with a marker on which side of the sheet the UV protection is located (this information is on the shipping film you remove) and lay this side outwards, towards the sun.
In fact, this is the most important thing - not to confuse the side with UV protection. In a hurry and in the bustle of the dacha, you just need to get a little distracted and mix up the sides, then you can forget about the long service life of polycarbonate and its warranty.
What happens if you don’t remove the film from polycarbonate? Nothing good will happen, we’ll talk about it below.
On outside The sheet on the film coating indicates the brand, manufacturer, warranty, as well as information about UV protection. That is, it is colored, or even with drawings.
If you do not remove the film from the outer side of the polycarbonate, then it will literally stick to the polycarbonate sheet with dark areas of the pattern and it will be difficult to remove it later, which has already become ugly and in tatters. And, moreover, by leaving the outer film on the sheet, you jeopardize the safety of the layer of protection from UV rays - it will stick to it and then come off only with it.
In winter, the film left behind will retain the snow, but without it it would slide off the polycarbonate sheet much more easily.
WITH inside The sheet film is usually completely transparent. It should also be removed to increase the light transmittance of the sheet. Well, if you don’t remove it, then in two years it may ruin appearance your wet nurse or shed.
In general, don't arrange it for yourself unnecessary hassle, feel free to remove the shipping film from the polycarbonate.
Do I need to remove the film from polycarbonate?
When installing polycarbonate we usually deal with with three types of designs:
Arched structures require particularly careful and careful installation. Each sheet thickness has its own minimum bending radius, which should not be exceeded in any case, otherwise when the linear dimensions change under the influence of temperature, the sheet may crack at the fastening points, or burst at the bend.
Horizontal and vertical (as well as inclined) installation is carried out taking into account:
Wherever it is necessary to drill a hole for fastener, the area without a protective film (if any) should remain minimal. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that when installing UV protection on one side, the film is located on outer surface leaf.
Polycarbonate sheets are attached to the frame using ordinary self-tapping screws, which are complemented important element– a thermal washer, the inner diameter of which is larger than the outer diameter of the screw or other fastening element. The washer allows you to compensate for the thermal expansion of the material: by contracting and expanding, it remains securely fixed.
Taking into account the gap between the edges of the sheet and the frame elements limiting it from the sides (if any) is also very important - the gap is left again so that the polycarbonate has room to expand when heated.
Bending of cellular polycarbonate panels is allowed only along the channel line, i.e. along the long side of the leaf. The bending radius should be 175 times the thickness of the sheet being bent.
In order for your polycarbonate to remain clean and transparent, you need to cover the ends of the sheets. The ends are closed as follows: the upper open ends - with a sealing tape and an end profile to prevent the ingress of water, dust and snow, the lower ends - with a special perforated tape that does not interfere with air circulation and an end profile.
You remove the protective film from the surface of the sheet after installation is completed.
It is necessary to protect sheets during loading and unloading, transportation and installation. If you leave it, then under the influence of the sun after some time it may stick to the leaf, and tearing it off in the future will be problematic.
The front side of polycarbonate is determined by the factory protective film on a sheet.
There are several options:
When a greenhouse is made from it.
Yes, you need to take it off. This protective film protects polycarbonate from mechanical damage during installation. But we must not forget that cellular polycarbonate has one side protected from ultraviolet radiation, and the sheets must be mounted with this side facing outwards, otherwise the polycarbonate will be destroyed over time by ultraviolet radiation. Typically, the side with UV protection is covered with a blue film, and the side without protection is covered with white film.
The installation protective film must be removed, otherwise it will be very, very difficult to remove it later, but this should only be done after delivery and installation, there is no need to remove it before.
Initially, this protective film was applied only to protect against scratches during loading and transportation.
The protective film on cellular polycarbonate is designed to protect it during transportation. After installation this film will need to be removed.
Otherwise, it may simply “solder” to the surface in the sun and then it will become more difficult to remove.
There is no need to worry about the polycarbonate itself, of course, if you bought a good one of high quality. Because good cellular polycarbonate has a protective layer against UV radiation ( front side), which protects the polycarbonate itself from fading, drying out, yellowing and cracking.
Is it necessary to remove the protective film from cellular polycarbonate?
Sheet polymer plastic, known as polycarbonate, is lightweight, very durable and transmits light well. Cellular polycarbonate is most widely used in home construction. It is widely used in the manufacture of canopies and greenhouses. Knowing some basic installation rules, including which side to lay polycarbonate on, will help avoid unforeseen complications and make the structure reliable and durable.
The chemical production product received its name from its external resemblance, in cross section, to the cellular structure of a honeycomb. Cellular polycarbonate slabs consist of several polymer sheets; they are connected to each other by longitudinal bridges, which give strength to the slab, acting as stiffening ribs. The number of layers can be from two to four. This structure gives polycarbonate good thermal insulation properties.
Transmitting more than 90% of the light flux, polycarbonate is a hundred times stronger than glass, and at the same time has good flexibility. This quality makes it convenient to use in manufacturing arched canopies. An important thing for canopies is the good resistance of polycarbonate to mechanical damage. After impacts, no cracks appear on it, so polycarbonate will withstand hail of any size.
All types of polycarbonate are covered with a film that prevents the destructive effects of ultraviolet radiation. In addition, the front side of the sheet has a special coating (selective), capable of transmitting a certain part of the light flux spectrum.
In order not to make a mistake during installation, which side to lay the polycarbonate on, the sheets are produced with a protective film of various colors. The underside of the sheet is always covered with film white or transparent. There is a film on the top side of blue color, may have a drawing or marking. In any case, the top side is significantly different from the bottom. It is advisable to remove the protective film immediately before installing the panels or upon completion of installation.
There is polycarbonate that has the same protective film on both sides. These sheets have a protective layer on both sides. During installation, it does not matter which side up it will be laid.
At correct installation and compliance with installation techniques, the erected structure (shed or greenhouse) with a roof made of cellular polycarbonate will stand for many years.
Do you like juicy peppers? Then find out how to build effortlessly for growing peppers, recommendations experienced summer residents will help you.
If you want to glue polycarbonate sheets together, then read this article - , we will help you choose the right and high-quality glue.
Lesnik 61 28-06-2010 12:56
I came across such garbage, covered a greenhouse with it the year before last, now a valuable fur-bearing animal has come to polycarbonate, it crumbles right in my hands, thanks to the recent hurricane, dismantling the dead covering was not necessary.
People here said that you only need to shoot painted film, but with reverse side No, no, this film is placed outside, supposedly protecting against UV radiation.
Anyone in the know, please provide an explanation on this issue, otherwise if you buy coverage every two years, then with that money it’s easier to buy food than to bother for six months.
Ann 28-06-2010 13:07
I put it on the wrong side. It is necessary to face out with the side on which there was a film with the inscriptions UV-protect and all that.
Lesnik 61 28-06-2010 13:38
TAURUS 28-06-2010 13:51
Ann 28-06-2010 14:03
One side is covered in pictures, the other is blank film.
and without protective coating
Yep 28-06-2010 14:50
quote: Originally posted by TAURUS:
There is cellular polycarbonate with protection from ultraviolet rays and without a protective coating, which affects the service life of the plastic.
koti4 28-06-2010 19:32
what brand is it? WAS)
koti4 28-06-2010 19:33
it was necessary to jam the ends
ZiminVlVl 28-06-2010 23:37
yes, you just bought bullshit, any polycarbonate is designed for the sun, and for a greenhouse you need it without a protective coating, but the fact that you have it is polyethylene, which really crumbles from the sun within a year
Lesnik 61 29-06-2010 05:15
quote: yes you just bought bullshit
-Bryansk- 29-06-2010 08:45
Indeed, we bought crap. It’s simple - you came across a low-quality product (slipped in), or you took it deliberately, being fooled by a freebie.
Normal, usable polycarbonate will last for decades in severe heat and cold.
Lesnik 61 29-06-2010 09:02
quote: Indeed, we bought crap. Simply - a low-quality product was caught (slipped)
Yep 29-06-2010 09:13
UV protection, Films... Which side to lay it on, caroling around it with a tambourine and organizing other shamanic orgies in the form of plugging the ends - this is heresy and nonsense.
"Signs of poor quality material:
lack of data on mass, bearing capacity, UV protection. UV protection is visible to the naked eye - the side facing the sun has a slight bluish glow on the cut. If this effect is not observed, the presence of co-extrusion UV protection is doubtful; deviations in linear dimensions and sheet thickness;
increased waviness of sheets, longitudinal or transverse grooves visible to the naked eye on the surface of the sheet. They indicate deviations in the extrusion process, which may affect the load-bearing capacity of the sheets;
foreign inclusions, black spots, bubbles, roughness. These signs indicate that the material used a large number of recycled materials, which reduces the strength and durability of sheets;
yellowish or bluish tint to transparent panels. This sign indicates that this material belongs to the economy class. (with UV protection in the thickness of the sheet, which is worse than co-extrusion external protection, or with reduced weight) You need to check with the seller for specifics. of this material and the scope of its application.
You should approach the selection of components no less responsibly. Seals must be made of EPDM (not rubber or PVC), washers must be made of metal or PVC (not polyethylene). Profiles must have sufficient width, wall thickness and strength, polycarbonate ones must also have UV protection. Self-tapping screws must be made of high-quality steel, have an anti-corrosion coating and sufficient thickness.
Reducing the number of components (increasing pitch connecting profile and other fasteners) will also negatively affect operational characteristics coverings. Data on the load-bearing capacity of panels reported by the manufacturer are valid only if the recommended support and fastening schemes for polycarbonate are followed."
http://www.krovlirussia.ru/index.php?page=cls&hid=737&pid=43
Yep 29-06-2010 09:32
quote: Originally posted by -Bryansk-:
There was no trace of UV protection
alpar 29-06-2010 09:33
Yep 29-06-2010 09:35
Can polycarbonate withstand a stone throw?
alpar 29-06-2010 09:39
Well, they hardly put thick ones on greenhouses.
Lesnik 61 29-06-2010 09:48
quote: Well, they hardly put thick ones on greenhouses.
quote: holds up if not too thin. and a thick brick can withstand
Yep 29-06-2010 09:55
quote: Originally posted by Forester 61:
replaced it with polycarbonate, the problem went away
Bryansk 29-06-2010 10:12
quote: Originally posted by Yep:
Yes, EVERYTHING was there, they just forgot to tell you.or the Chinese, and some of them began to skimp on additives and sell cheap bullshit.
But this is really and easily.
That is, in general, it all comes down to the fact that if you buy a good and high-quality one, then whichever side you screw it on, hammer the ends in, don’t hammer it in, it will still last a long time. And a worthless one will fall apart quickly, despite right sides, films and other kosher screws.
Yep 29-06-2010 10:23
quote: Originally posted by Bryansk:
then which side don’t screw it on
I don’t take it off for the winter and I don’t even cover the roof with anything; the snow lies right on the film. Polycarbonate goes through the woods.
Integrator 02-07-2010 18:28
quote: Originally posted by alpar:And on my greenhouses I have ordinary reinforced polyethylene film. The side frames are put away in the shed for the winter, and the film on the roof has not been removed for four years. One problem is the crows. They love to peck insects on the roof through the film. But after shooting one or two, they don’t arrive for a long time.
What is polycarbonate? This is a colorless solid polymer plastic that is used in production in the form of granules. It is strong, lightweight, optically transparent, plastic, frost-resistant, a good dielectric, durable and environmentally friendly. Cellular (otherwise known as cellular) polycarbonate is produced by extrusion; it consists of hollow panels with different structures and thicknesses. These panels are connected to each other by special jumpers, also called stiffeners. Polycarbonate belongs to the class of synthetic polymers; it is a complex linear polyester of phenols and carbonic acid.
To work with polycarbonate, you will need ordinary cutting tools.
Despite all its strength, cellular polycarbonate is destroyed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Most manufacturers place UV protection in the “mass”. But there is also a protective UV layer, which is applied by coextrusion. This layer ensures the integrity of the sheet under the influence sunlight. The layer is applied either on both sides or only on one. Without this protective measure, the actual service life of cellular polycarbonate will not exceed a couple of years.
Before using polycarbonate, you need to unpack it, remove the film and all paper wrappers, and treat the edges of the tiles with end tape intended for this purpose. Using perforated tape, protect the end facing down. And the end facing upward is treated with an end profile and sealing tape. You can also apply wide tape place of expensive tape, if in the future the upper end of the polycarbonate plate is not expected to come into contact with environment. If the upper end is covered with a monolith, then you can completely abandon the use of tape. If it has already been applied, you can safely remove the film. It is not recommended to cover the lower end with anything. Since it must be installed openly so that condensation can drain freely. Attached additional protection perforated tape using P- or L-shaped profile. It must be mounted in such a way that the condensate can escape freely. In this case, it is recommended to use a U-shaped profile with holes with a diameter of 1.5 - 3 mm, which are located 40-60 cm from each other.
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It is recommended to remove the protective film coating from the polycarbonate sheet after all work on its installation, since the purpose of such a film is to protect the surface polycarbonate sheet during loading and unloading, during transportation and installation. If you do not remove the film and leave it, then over time, under the influence of solar heat, it will melt and “stick” to the polycarbonate surface of the sheet, removing it will be quite problematic. This situation is especially common when it is done in summer time and the protective film layer was not removed immediately.
What can you do if the film coating is welded to the polycarbonate? There are several options for resolving this issue. Which one to use, choose yourself, based on the current situation:
There is a special marking on the outside of the sheet
Violation of the integrity of the UV protective layer can negatively affect the light transmission of the sheet. And subsequently this will lead to the surface becoming cloudy and beginning to crack;
By the way, it is quite simple to determine which side the UV protective layer is located on: packaging with cellular polycarbonate on the UV protection side always contains inscriptions or service pictograms. There is no need to heat the film coating with anything (for example, some try to heat the film with a hairdryer), it will stick even stronger;
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Reliable tightness of joints is created by profiles over 10 mm. This will avoid the need to use other fasteners.
The connecting profiles are mounted with support on the arcs and secured with self-tapping screws.
