To make films last for a long time
4 June 2019 17:09
// Useful information about our products
What affects the service life of films and how to increase it?
TO MAKE THE FILMS LAST FOR A LONG TIME.
Innovation Director of SPF "Shar," candidate of technical sciences V.S. Bugorkova
Published in the newspaper "Ogorod Severo-Zapad," No. 3 (82), 2003, pp. 2-3, St. Petersburg.
Most people can't imagine life at the cottage without growing their vegetables and other crops. But in our harsh climate, you can't do without a greenhouse. It grows both seedlings and cucumbers, and someone cherishes the elite early strawberries or rare plants.
Greenhouses usually have a wooden, metal, or polymer frame, traditionally covered with polymer films. Abroad, the range of different films for use in horticulture and crop production is enormous, with only greenhouse films more than a dozen names. Now our gardeners also use greenhouse films that last more than a year. Such long-lasting films are gaining more and more sympathy and having bought, though the more expensive, film, the gardener is spared many problems. First of all, it is economically justified because the film will serve more than one year. Besides, you don't need to pull the film under the rain and wind every spring, which can tear before the fall. And another plus - you do not need to solve what to do with the worn film every year. Without a doubt, long-lasting films are eco-friendly films!
The range of commercially available films serving more than one season is quite extensive. Gardeners are faced with a choice, which is a subject for separate consideration and discussion. And when you have bought a film that will serve more than one season, the gardener himself must know what to do for the film's long life. Perennial films, regardless of their type and formulation, also require more careful handling. This can be compared to our attitude toward disposable dishes and porcelain dishes. We all know that with a cautious owner, things last a long time. Most people don't have enough knowledge about what to do when they buy a film. However, experts, who have been studying the properties of different films for many years, have accumulated a lot of experience.
What affects the service life (durability) of films, and how to increase it?
Aging factors include elevated temperatures, contact with oxidizing agents (oxygen, etc.), prolonged alternating mechanical loads, exposure to the atmosphere (sun, moisture, etc.).
The suitability of the film is determined primarily by changes in its elasticity and strength during use.
For greenhouse films (regardless of the type of plastic film), the aging factors are primarily:
• Elevated temperatures
• Solar radiation
• Wind loads
• Mechanical impact
Much of the longevity of polymer film will depend on how you prepare your greenhouse.
The film ages faster at the points of contact with the frame due to the high temperatures developing on the supporting elements of the frame. The darker the edge, the higher the frame's temperature and film, and the faster the film deteriorates. The film temperature on a warm sunny day on a dark structure can rise to 70 degrees.
The main way to reduce the temperature of the frame is to paint it white. The temperature of the film on the white coating is almost two times lower than on the dark! Thus, the film on the frame of galvanized iron can heat up to 59 degrees, on the rusted iron - up to 62 degrees, while on the frame, painted with white water emulsion paint, film temperature will not exceed 36 degrees. So the aging process of the polymer is much slower, and the film lasts longer. The film loses elasticity faster on the old and rusty frame, becomes brittle and fragile, and breaks down. Years of testing have shown that virtually all exterior paints and formulations that keep the frame white are suitable for painting. You can wrap the frame with a white film. The main thing is to make sure that the paint or other coating adheres to the frame for a long time. The film should be laid on a well-dried surface so that solvents and oils in paints will not affect the film. In addition, a greenhouse with a white frame has 5-10% more light, which contributes to higher yields.
Make sure that the surfaces of the frame are smoother. If the surface of the frame is smooth, the film will not warp or rub off on it. The painting will smooth out the surface and reduce abrasion.
For those installing the greenhouse again, we advise orienting it so that the sun and wind affect the end of the greenhouse. The distance between the frame elements for a 120 micron film thickness should be about 1-1.2 meters.
When stretching the greenhouse, the optimum temperature is between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius. It is better if the film is stretched without sagging, then the wind will not rub it, and the rain will not accumulate in the sagging places. At the same time, it is not recommended to stretch the foil too much either.
Films for sale come in the form of a sleeve or sheet. Films produced in the form of a sleeve have a "weak" place - the place of film folding. This is due to the peculiarities of manufacturing technology sleeve films. Therefore, if you want to lay the film fold on the "ridge" of the greenhouse, reinforce this place.
If you leave the film on for the winter, your greenhouse must be strong and able to withstand the snow load. Otherwise, the greenhouse may collapse, but the film remains intact. Some skilled gardeners design their greenhouse so that the film is rolled up onto the ridge for the winter and reinforced there.
SO, TO MAKE THE FILM LAST FOR A LONG TIME, WE ADVISE YOU:
1. Protect the film from scratches and tears during stretching and use.
2. Make the frame as smooth as possible.
3. Paint the greenhouse frame white or wrap it in a white film (fabric, spun-bond).
4. Properly stretch the film on the frame.
5. Stretch the film at air temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius.
6. It is better not to lay the fold of the film on the "ridge" of the greenhouse or reinforce this place.
Innovation Director of SPF "Shar," candidate of technical sciences V.S. Bugorkova
Published in the newspaper "Ogorod Severo-Zapad," No. 3 (82), 2003, pp. 2-3, St. Petersburg.
Most people can't imagine life at the cottage without growing their vegetables and other crops. But in our harsh climate, you can't do without a greenhouse. It grows both seedlings and cucumbers, and someone cherishes the elite early strawberries or rare plants.
Greenhouses usually have a wooden, metal, or polymer frame, traditionally covered with polymer films. Abroad, the range of different films for use in horticulture and crop production is enormous, with only greenhouse films more than a dozen names. Now our gardeners also use greenhouse films that last more than a year. Such long-lasting films are gaining more and more sympathy and having bought, though the more expensive, film, the gardener is spared many problems. First of all, it is economically justified because the film will serve more than one year. Besides, you don't need to pull the film under the rain and wind every spring, which can tear before the fall. And another plus - you do not need to solve what to do with the worn film every year. Without a doubt, long-lasting films are eco-friendly films!
The range of commercially available films serving more than one season is quite extensive. Gardeners are faced with a choice, which is a subject for separate consideration and discussion. And when you have bought a film that will serve more than one season, the gardener himself must know what to do for the film's long life. Perennial films, regardless of their type and formulation, also require more careful handling. This can be compared to our attitude toward disposable dishes and porcelain dishes. We all know that with a cautious owner, things last a long time. Most people don't have enough knowledge about what to do when they buy a film. However, experts, who have been studying the properties of different films for many years, have accumulated a lot of experience.
What affects the service life (durability) of films, and how to increase it?
Aging factors include elevated temperatures, contact with oxidizing agents (oxygen, etc.), prolonged alternating mechanical loads, exposure to the atmosphere (sun, moisture, etc.).
The suitability of the film is determined primarily by changes in its elasticity and strength during use.
For greenhouse films (regardless of the type of plastic film), the aging factors are primarily:
• Elevated temperatures
• Solar radiation
• Wind loads
• Mechanical impact
Much of the longevity of polymer film will depend on how you prepare your greenhouse.
The film ages faster at the points of contact with the frame due to the high temperatures developing on the supporting elements of the frame. The darker the edge, the higher the frame's temperature and film, and the faster the film deteriorates. The film temperature on a warm sunny day on a dark structure can rise to 70 degrees.
The main way to reduce the temperature of the frame is to paint it white. The temperature of the film on the white coating is almost two times lower than on the dark! Thus, the film on the frame of galvanized iron can heat up to 59 degrees, on the rusted iron - up to 62 degrees, while on the frame, painted with white water emulsion paint, film temperature will not exceed 36 degrees. So the aging process of the polymer is much slower, and the film lasts longer. The film loses elasticity faster on the old and rusty frame, becomes brittle and fragile, and breaks down. Years of testing have shown that virtually all exterior paints and formulations that keep the frame white are suitable for painting. You can wrap the frame with a white film. The main thing is to make sure that the paint or other coating adheres to the frame for a long time. The film should be laid on a well-dried surface so that solvents and oils in paints will not affect the film. In addition, a greenhouse with a white frame has 5-10% more light, which contributes to higher yields.
Make sure that the surfaces of the frame are smoother. If the surface of the frame is smooth, the film will not warp or rub off on it. The painting will smooth out the surface and reduce abrasion.
For those installing the greenhouse again, we advise orienting it so that the sun and wind affect the end of the greenhouse. The distance between the frame elements for a 120 micron film thickness should be about 1-1.2 meters.
When stretching the greenhouse, the optimum temperature is between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius. It is better if the film is stretched without sagging, then the wind will not rub it, and the rain will not accumulate in the sagging places. At the same time, it is not recommended to stretch the foil too much either.
Films for sale come in the form of a sleeve or sheet. Films produced in the form of a sleeve have a "weak" place - the place of film folding. This is due to the peculiarities of manufacturing technology sleeve films. Therefore, if you want to lay the film fold on the "ridge" of the greenhouse, reinforce this place.
If you leave the film on for the winter, your greenhouse must be strong and able to withstand the snow load. Otherwise, the greenhouse may collapse, but the film remains intact. Some skilled gardeners design their greenhouse so that the film is rolled up onto the ridge for the winter and reinforced there.
SO, TO MAKE THE FILM LAST FOR A LONG TIME, WE ADVISE YOU:
1. Protect the film from scratches and tears during stretching and use.
2. Make the frame as smooth as possible.
3. Paint the greenhouse frame white or wrap it in a white film (fabric, spun-bond).
4. Properly stretch the film on the frame.
5. Stretch the film at air temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius.
6. It is better not to lay the fold of the film on the "ridge" of the greenhouse or reinforce this place.
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