Any little wind and the roof panels blow out. How do I prevent this from happening? It’s not super hard to reinstall, BUT it’s not some super durable plastic I’m working with here. I’m worried it will damage the panel long term. Is there a tape and technique for applying that I need to know?
Amazon special with concrete footer to give firm base and added height.
by Deepmagic81
11 Comments
I think people use silicone caulk.
I plan to.
Unfortunately it seems like it’s just a flimsy design. I would run a small bead of 100% clear silicone caulk over each edge to secure it in place.
As others have said, many use silicone caulk or another sealant. I currently use aluminum tape because I like cleaning out my panels once a year, but we don’t live in the windiest climate necessarily.
I guess I could draw that. It’s either all or nothing. I feel like if it did blow out later, it would be a huge PITA to put back in.
It looks like double-walled polycarbonate, so the panels themselves might be stronger than you realize, but as everyone said, the proper sealant is silicone caulking.
E: You may want to seal the bottom ends of each panel with vent tape ( [https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/products/vent-tape?_pos=6&_sid=8317a7aba&_ss=r](https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/products/vent-tape?_pos=6&_sid=8317a7aba&_ss=r) ) and the top ends with aluminum tape, to prevent dust/bugs from getting in to your panels’ channels.
Since silicon caulk has already been mentioned, also use self tapping screws and attach your panels directly into the metal parts of the greenhouse.
I’d also recommend outdoor clear Gorilla tape on the panels themselves. I put a strip down the sides and on the top and bottom of the panels. Wrap it from one side to the other. Adds a tiny bit of width to keep it more snug and also keeps moisture from getting inside and starting algae.
Run some additional horizontal purlins with 1″ flat stock aluminum. Could paint to match if you want.
Then use the proper hardware to fasten it with a rubber washer on the outside to seal it. Very clean job, and very easy to swap out the panels down the road if/when they need replaced.
I actually gorilla glued the panels in. And silicone caulked. Because I’m a crazy over achiever and we get really high winds.
I used duct tape to all the way
https://preview.redd.it/jvleexa303ye1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f6357320601fdfacb42337e033e8f8485f994ce
Caulk. And the manufacturer instructions on mine (a very similar but bit bigger design) recommends a thin metal bar about halfway up on the outside of the panels to help keep the bowing down to a min.