Whether you are building your first greenhouse from the ground up, or need to replace some glass that has been damaged, you will no doubt find yourself considered the benefits of different glass types. There has been some recent debate about the comparisons between polycarbonate and glass, but glass proves that it is the better option. Talk to your local glass replacement team in Adelaide about the features that will help to improve your greenhouse’s function.
There are several things you will want ideally in greenhouse glass. You will want it to let in plenty of sunlight while also hopefully helping to maintain a constant temperature. You will want it to be very strong, as the structure is made almost entirely out of glass. There are different glasses for walls and roofs, as these components are under different amounts of stress. Finally, in the event that something does shatter, you will want a glass that keeps you safe from severe injuries.
So firstly, we need to find a glass that allows optimum temperature and light. The point of a greenhouse is to enhance the natural amount of light that plants receive, thus making them thrive. The medium of glass magnifies the effect of entering light, and then traps it inside. Annealed glass, which is the everyday glass we are all familiar with, should be avoided. This very thin, and is prone to shattering when the temperature changes rapidly, something which is a common condition in a greenhouse. When it does shatter, it is into dangerous shards. Tempered glass is a far better choice. This type of glass is made via a specific cooling process so that there is a tension between the surface and internal stress. The result is a very strong glass, almost six times more so than annealed glass in fact. Tempered glass is suitable for roofs and walls.
There is one small downside with tempered glass, which is that it can still break. It is a lot safer than annealed glass, as it shatters into little cubes rather than the razor sharp shards, but breaking at all is not ideal. Laminated glass is actually two panels fused together and then covered with a layer PVB. This double layer combined with the plastic coating means that it is great at increasing heat and light inside the greenhouse, as well as insulting it to prevent heat loss. The plastic coating serves to keep the pieces in place, should your glass be struck with something. Car windscreens and windows are typically made from laminated glass for safety reasons.
The choice is up to you, but it is really between tempered glass and laminated glass. There is a slight downside to laminated glass which is that the seals can perish after only five years or so in extreme heat conditions and will require replacement. To minimise this, you will want to apply coating which minimises condensation moisture. It should be said that you can install double pane or single pane tempered glass. Double pane obviously improves the insulation significantly, and so it is a wise choice for larger scale projects which are concerned with keeping heating and cooling bills low. Smaller, amateur, or greenhouses with less fussy plants can get away with the cheaper option of single pane glass for both walls and roof.
If installed correctly, glass greenhouse materials will outlast any other. Glass also looks far more striking compared to polycarbonates, and makes the greenery the hero. Get in touch with the Famous Glass Masters in Adelaide at Q Glass and Glazing.
There are several things you will want ideally in greenhouse glass. You will want it to let in plenty of sunlight while also hopefully helping to maintain a constant temperature. You will want it to be very strong, as the structure is made almost entirely out of glass. There are different glasses for walls and roofs, as these components are under different amounts of stress. Finally, in the event that something does shatter, you will want a glass that keeps you safe from severe injuries.
So firstly, we need to find a glass that allows optimum temperature and light. The point of a greenhouse is to enhance the natural amount of light that plants receive, thus making them thrive. The medium of glass magnifies the effect of entering light, and then traps it inside. Annealed glass, which is the everyday glass we are all familiar with, should be avoided. This very thin, and is prone to shattering when the temperature changes rapidly, something which is a common condition in a greenhouse. When it does shatter, it is into dangerous shards. Tempered glass is a far better choice. This type of glass is made via a specific cooling process so that there is a tension between the surface and internal stress. The result is a very strong glass, almost six times more so than annealed glass in fact. Tempered glass is suitable for roofs and walls.
There is one small downside with tempered glass, which is that it can still break. It is a lot safer than annealed glass, as it shatters into little cubes rather than the razor sharp shards, but breaking at all is not ideal. Laminated glass is actually two panels fused together and then covered with a layer PVB. This double layer combined with the plastic coating means that it is great at increasing heat and light inside the greenhouse, as well as insulting it to prevent heat loss. The plastic coating serves to keep the pieces in place, should your glass be struck with something. Car windscreens and windows are typically made from laminated glass for safety reasons.
The choice is up to you, but it is really between tempered glass and laminated glass. There is a slight downside to laminated glass which is that the seals can perish after only five years or so in extreme heat conditions and will require replacement. To minimise this, you will want to apply coating which minimises condensation moisture. It should be said that you can install double pane or single pane tempered glass. Double pane obviously improves the insulation significantly, and so it is a wise choice for larger scale projects which are concerned with keeping heating and cooling bills low. Smaller, amateur, or greenhouses with less fussy plants can get away with the cheaper option of single pane glass for both walls and roof.
If installed correctly, glass greenhouse materials will outlast any other. Glass also looks far more striking compared to polycarbonates, and makes the greenery the hero. Get in touch with the Famous Glass Masters in Adelaide at Q Glass and Glazing.
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