I have a 2nd hand greenhouse that has an autovent in the roof and also a louvre autovent at the back, NOW the ? is how do i work them?
The previous owners had it in the garden when they moved in the house so they didnt know how they worked and trolled the internet without finding anything telling you exactly how to get them to work
So any greenhouse buffs know PWETTY PWEASE ;D
they work by expanding wax with temperature increase. if a few years old with no tlc, prob need replacing. cost about 20 quid. if new one has black cylinder, cover with silver or white tape, this avoids inaccurate operation due to black surface absorbing too much heat even on a cold day. rgds, tony. try a little wd40 before throwing old ones out,you never know!!
thanks tony it might be caput, but i'll try the WD40
if not i buy a new one
thanks
;D
You mean they don't work??
We have an autovent bought for a plastic greenhouse that tore to shreds before I got to use the vent so we installed it in the coldframe last Fall and it worked like a charm.
New auto vent controls are on sale at B&Q When working properly they are great. Also the roof vent will produce better circulation then the Louver vents.
I always remove the mechanism bit from my auto vent at the start of the winter ,and its been going strong for about 10 years now ;D
There really isn't much to go wrong with them, and since you say that both don't work, it's very unlikely that both have failed at the same time. It might be an adjustment problem, such as previous owners having disabled them for winter. I assume you've found the black cylinder that tony mentioned, so start with the roof vent and screw it clockwise looking from the 'blank' end until the window starts to open. If it's warm and sunny keep screwing till the window is about half way open; if it's dull or cool, less so. After that it needs you to keep an eye on its behaviour. If the window moves at all as the inside temperature changes then all is well, and after a few days you will have found a setting to suit you, by scewing in or out to make sure the window closes before it gets too cold. Once you've got that sorted, try to synchronise the louvre vent with it in the same way, so they both open at the same time, and forever after that they'll take care of themselves. From memory, mine start to open at about 25-30ยบ (75-85)
Geoff.