Glass greenhouses continue to be relevant. Their main advantages are durability, high light transmission and environmental friendliness. In addition, glass looks more aesthetically pleasing and allows the use of various design solutions. Modern technologies have taken this material to a new level, making it even more heat-saving and solving the problem of its fragility.

What is a double-glazed window?

Double-glazed windows are great for creating a greenhouse. Glass well transmits the sun's rays, which are necessary for the development of plant crops. The glass surface, passing solar heat into the structure, creates a greenhouse effect. In this case, the sun's rays almost completely delay the reverse radiation, therefore, they are the most conserving thermal energy indoors.

Double-glazed windows produce the following types:

1. Single chamber. They have 2 glasses that are hermetically aligned with each other and have a layer of air or inert gas. In double-glazed windows moisture absorber is provided. It allows you to avoid fogging and freezing in winter of glass inside the package.
2. Two-chamber. Contain 3 glass surfaces with two air spaces. They better keep heat inside the structure. They are used for year-round plant growth. The disadvantage is the decent weight of such a package.
3. Three-chamber. Contain 4 glasses and 3 layers.
4. Five-chamber. Virtually not used for greenhouses.

Important! Glass under the influence of temperature can change dimensions, so you need to provide for the edges of the rubber gasket.

Double-glazed windows according to new developments contain a vacuum between the glasses, and the glass surfaces themselves are not inserted into the frame, but are connected by soldering. Such developments allow the greenhouse to be airtight for up to 50 years. Properties to keep warm, in comparison with ordinary packages, are 10 times higher.

This allows you to save up to 80–90% on space heating. Moreover, the thickness of the glass unit reaches only 4–5 mm, but the ability to keep heat is equivalent to a brick wall 0.5–1 m wide. But the cost of such structures is quite high and not everyone can afford it.

Double-glazed windows are made from various building materials, giving them various properties:

1. Heat saving. There is a special film on the glass surface that reduces heat radiation inside the greenhouse.
2. Energy saving. In this case, there is a metal oxide layer on the glass. Due to this, the surface absorbs the energy of the sun and heats up. In this case, heat is transferred to the inside of the building.
3. Hardened. Such a glass surface is resistant to mechanical influences.

Did you know? Glass, which does not break under mechanical influence, was invented by a scientist from France, Eduard Benedictus. He accidentally dropped a flask with nitrocellulose and noticed that the glass did not shatter from the impact, but only a small crack appeared.

What are greenhouses from double-glazed windows?

Double-glazed greenhouses by location method can be:

1. Independent. They are a separate building. Its advantage is that you can install this design in the most convenient place.
2. Adjacent. This structure is adjacent to the wall of the building. The advantage of such a greenhouse is material saving and greater heat conservation. The downside is that not every building can be made such an extension. It is recommended to do it on the south side of the buildings, as otherwise there may be a lack of lighting. From the adjacent greenhouse structures, you can make beautiful greenhouses and winter gardens, which you can enter from home. In this case, it is better to do panoramic glazing.

By design, such greenhouses are more often:

1. Slippery. Suitable for adjacent options and more easily mounted. Not suitable for large areas.
2. Gable. Looks like a house. This is the best option, allowing you to organize airing and take up more space. The downside is a more complicated installation. An interesting option for such a greenhouse is the Mitlider project, which provides for a difference between the slopes, in which vents are installed for ventilation.
3. Polygonal. Double-glazed greenhouses can be made with a large number of corners (for example, 6 or 8). Such a greenhouse will look aesthetically pleasing, but the place in it will be used irrationally. Her installation is complicated.
4. Dutch. Differ from gable somewhat sloping walls. This design is more stable.

Did you know? The first to learn the secrets of glass production in Egypt and Mesopotamia more than 6 thousand years ago.

Preparatory work and installation of the structure

A greenhouse from a double-glazed window will be a stationary building on the foundation, which you can’t move to the side and do not alter it, so you need to choose a place, determine the size and make drawings. Based on them, consumables should be calculated.

Drawings and Dimensions

When drawing up the drawings, the following should be considered:

1. Summer or winter greenhouse. Winter construction should be done with heating and lighting. For such a building, it is also reasonable to make a high base (0.9–1.2 m) or to deepen the building. Summer construction is done at ground level, and single-chamber double-glazed windows are enough for it. For growing vegetables in winter, double-glazed windows with 2-3 cameras are needed.
2. The desired dimensions of the greenhouse should be proportionate to the glass units available to you. If double-glazed windows will be ordered from the manufacturer or seller, then you should phone in advance and find out the available sizes. If you have double-glazed windows of different sizes, then they should be measured and numbered - this will help you in drawing up the drawing.
3. Provide an entrance and ventilation windows.
4. If you settled on a gable roof option, then the best lighting in such a structure is when moving from south to north.
5. Height. It is better to stop at a building in which it will be convenient for you to work, where you can go in whole and move freely. Such structures have an average height of 1.8–2 m.
6. Minimum roof slope 15 °.

Foundation

For the greenhouse, you can make a strip foundation. Under it, markup is first made according to the drawing. Then remove the top layer and dig a hole with a depth of 50 cm and a width of 40 cm along the intended perimeter. Then you need to pour 5 cm of rubble into it and compact everything well. Next, you need to make the formwork from wooden boards and pour concrete mixture. Such a mixture is made of 1 part cement, 5 parts gravel and 3 parts sand.Strip foundation made of cast concrete: 1 - strip foundation made of cast concrete of grade 100 (width - 40 cm, height - 75 cm, the depth of the foundation into the ground - 50 cm); 2 - wall; 3 - insulation (bulk); 4 - waterproofing (roofing, roofing material); 5 - base; 6 - blind area; 7 - floor covering; 8 - base soil

Frame preparation

For different types of frames, you can make different types of frames (from a wooden beam or aluminum profile). They do not always make sense, since windows themselves can carry a considerable load. But for large greenhouses, a frame is needed. Frames before installation must be prepared and numbered, as in the drawing.

Did you know? For the first time glass was used for glazing the opening by the ancient Romans. They glazed the window of the Greek bath in Pompeii. It was square in shape with a side of 1.5 m. At the same time as the glazing, a window frame was made for the first time.

From aluminum profile

The frames from the aluminum profile have thermally insulating plastic inserts, so do not worry about the fact that this metal does not retain heat. Aluminum itself is wear-resistant, frost-resistant and fireproof, it is resistant to microorganisms, corrosion and moisture. The main preparation of the aluminum frame with double-glazed windows is that they remove the sash with glazing. They are put back only at the very end of the work.

From a wooden profile

Wood has the best heat-insulating properties than other materials for the manufacture of profiles. And at the same time it “breathes”. Now it can be protected from rotting and environmental influences by special compounds (from rotting, insects, for fire resistance). On the foundation, a perimeter of timber is installed around the perimeter. For the frame under the wooden profile, a wooden beam with a cross section of 50 × 50 mm to 100 × 100 mm is used.The finished frame is already covered with the necessary means, so you should only remove the sash with double-glazed windows from it. Another thing is the use of old window frames. They remove the glazing beads and take out the glass. Wooden parts are cleaned from old paint. It can be removed with a special wash, grinder and sandpaper. Then the frames are primed and putty, leveling the surface, treated with an antiseptic and painted with oil paint. Everything is put in place after mounting the frames.

Important! Too cheap types of plastic often change color during operation and can become deformed, so buy products from a manufacturer with a good reputation.

From a plastic profile

The thermal conductivity of plastic is higher than that of wood, but lower than that of metals. It does not need to be painted, it is resistant to microorganisms, moisture, temperature extremes. Before installation, sash with double-glazed windows is removed from the plastic frames.

DIY construction technology

Direct assembly of the greenhouse after preparatory work is done as follows:

1. Assemble the frame. If it is aluminum, use welding and metal cutting. The elements of the wooden frame are cut from the timber according to the drawing and connected to each other. The racks and the lower harness are fixed with corners and screws. First, the side and end walls are assembled. At the same time, it is recommended to immediately attach frames from double-glazed windows to them to avoid gaps.
2. The lower harness is covered with boards. This is done to give the structure greater reliability and close all the cracks.
3. Then collect the elements of the roof. Structures made of timber are connected by corners and self-tapping screws. Skates can be assembled on the ground, and then set up. For such greenhouses, the roof is often made of polycarbonate. The gable roof joint is covered with a corner.
4. Close up all the cracks with mounting foam. If, as a result of the design imperfection, an excessively large gap is obtained, then it should be repaired with plywood.
5. Casement windows and doors are mounted last.
6. A wooden frame is recommended to be treated with an antiseptic.

Video: glass greenhouse

Greenhouse Operating Rules

In the early spring, before planting crops and in late autumn, after collecting the entire crop, the greenhouse must be washed and disinfected well. Constantly, it is necessary to remove old leaves from such a structure during operation, remove soil and fertilizer residues from the roof. If there is a heating and irrigation system, it is necessary to clean and maintain these devices, carry out preventive maintenance of heating and irrigation pipes. It is better to do such work after harvesting.

Important! Shelter is carried out during intense heat, and then it is removed, since sunlight is very necessary for plant crops for growth and development.

In the summer, it is necessary to shelter the greenhouse from sunlight. For this purpose, use a solution of chalk or any covering material. The procedure will protect the planting from overheating. In the cold period, the temperature should be at least + 15 ° C. During snowfalls it is necessary to clear the structure of snow. Ice must be removed from the glass so as not to damage it.Soil heating can be provided with the help of heating elements, which are placed in a soil layer to a depth of about 0.4 m. You can adjust the temperature regime using a special controller. To heat the greenhouse from double-glazed windows, you can install a system of "warm floor"

Double-glazed windows should also be looked after:

• if necessary, clean the glass surface with cleaning agents;
• in the corners where condensate accumulates, treat with antiseptic drugs;
• if the frames are made of wood, they need to be painted in a timely manner, as well as to eliminate cracks and scratches;
• monitor the tightness of the joints.

Today there is a choice of various double-glazed windows that can be used for greenhouses. Such materials have weight, so stationary greenhouses are built from them on the foundation of various configurations. The most popular option is with a gable roof. You can build it yourself from double-glazed windows with any profile, but first you need to determine the size and make a drawing.