Topic: Rion greenhouse?

[grannyjanny]

My neighbour has just bought a Rion polycarbonate greenhouse & I wondered if anyone has any experience of them please.

[Woodpecker]

Don't know the Rion but have had 3 polycarbonate greenhouses.

First was 4*6 with lightweight alloy frame and snap on beading which held glazing sheets in place. It lasted 6 years before the wind picked it up and moved it onto the next lotty along with 4 of the 36"*6"*1.5" concrete slabs it was bolted to.

It has now been replaced with one from Homebase which has a better frame and is now bolted to 12 * 12Kg dense concrete blocks half buried in the ground - let the wind try moving that!

Third is a standard Halls 8*6 alloy frame glazed with normal polycarbonate sheets from Wickes and is the warmest and does not need shading - I like it better than my glass houses.

Lessons:
1. The snap on glazing bar system is good if it is never removed but it deteriorates over time becoming brittle. After about 2 years any attempt to remove the glazing strip will probably cause it to crack and become useless - then try finding replacements? Make sure any greenhouse frame can take glass panels also then the normal W type glazings clips can be used after the sanp on ones break.
2. Poycarbonate is light so make sure it is well ancored to the ground.
3. Lightweight greenhouses are best reinforced with extra internal bracing bars to improve strength. My new greenhouse cannot bend or flex even when my meager 15st self tries to push it!
4. Personally I would never have a resin frame after I have seen how plastic is affected by sunlight.
4. Make sure the glazing is put in with the UV protected side on the outside - most panels only have one side protected from the suns UV and this is marked.
5. They are great on a lotty and repell kids stones with ease unlike neighbours who regularly spend hours picking up broken glass after a nights attack.

Mel

[GrannieAnnie]

A couple years ago when I was contemplating buying a greenhouse I read folks' internet comments on their greenhouse experiences. Rion did not rate well which was a disappointment at the time since they were on sale locally. I can't recall the internet site now, but it had comparisons on the various makers and would describe eg. which ones had sliding doors that didn't work well, how difficult assembly was, which ones had cheap screws that snapped and were useless- all sorts of problems I would not have dreamed of so I ended up building a walk-in cold frame which met my minimal needs.