How to prepare your greenhouse for severe winds
 

Thought I'd post a copy of something I had this morning,
it might be of use to one or two people.

"Dear David
Storm Christian has been developing over the Atlantic over the last few
days and has been heading towards the UK at over 80 mph. It looks as
though the high winds may cause some significant damage over the next 48
hours or so - particularly in the south of England.
A greenhouse is one of the areas of the garden that is vulnerable to
wind, so whether your greenhouse is new or old, here are a few tips to
help you prepare for the coming storm:

Check your greenhouse over. Is everything in place as it should be?
Now is the time to tighten any loose nuts or screws, replace any missing
glazing clips and generally check that everything is ship shape. If any
roof vents have slid out of line, then these should be re-aligned so
that they fit nicely.

Close all the vents and doors. If you have auto-vents, then you may
wish to tie your vents shut with string or wire just for the storm (
remember to untie them afterwards so that the auto-vents can open) If
your door has a lock, lock it. If not, prop it shut with a brick or
similar to stop the wind blowing it open.

If for any reason your greenhouse has a missing pane of glass, then it
is a good idea to block the hole for the duration of the storm so that
the wind can't get in the greenhouse - even something as simple as an
old blanket or towel with clothes pegs can stop the wind getting into
the greenhouse as a a temporary measure.



It is also vital that your greenhouse is anchored down to the floor or
base. If your greenhouse has only a few anchoring points or you are
worried about the soundness of the base itself then it may be a good
idea to weigh the greenhouse down to provide anchorage by placing
paving slabs or sandbags over one of the bottom flanges of the
greenhouse cill.

If your greenhouse happens to be in a half built state, then it is
also vital that it is weighed down by sandbags or slabs at the bottom if
you haven't had chance to anchor it down yet.

Other items in your garden are also vulnerable: plastic furniture should
be put away or weighed down and trampolines would also benefit from
being weighed down at the bottom.

http://www.greenhousepeople.co.uk/pa...m_medium=email

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/rel...m_medium=email

Sincerely,

Richards Signature

Richard Baggaley

The Greenhouse People

How to prepare your greenhouse for severe winds
 

On 27/10/2013 13:46, David Hill wrote:
Thought I'd post a copy of something I had this morning,

Close all the vents and doors. If you have auto-vents, then you may
wish to tie your vents shut with string or wire just for the storm (
remember to untie them afterwards so that the auto-vents can open) If
your door has a lock, lock it. If not, prop it shut with a brick or
similar to stop the wind blowing it open.

It is worth making some clips out of soft aluminium strip or heavy
galvanised wire to make sure autovents don't get sucked open by the
wind. Once wind can get into the structure it will spring panes of glass
out of the far side. The wind facing side is always most prone to damage
from flying debris.

If for any reason your greenhouse has a missing pane of glass, then it
is a good idea to block the hole for the duration of the storm so that
the wind can't get in the greenhouse - even something as simple as an
old blanket or towel with clothes pegs can stop the wind getting into
the greenhouse as a a temporary measure.

I am not at all convinced that a towel or anything else flexible will do
anything more than act as a sail and inflict more damage. The trick is
to have a prepared piece of hardboard or plastic cut to size with a
piece of wood on the inside to lock it into place. This is a quick
instant repair after a storm passes - don't even attempt greenhouse
repairs when the storm is at its height and glass is flying around!

http://www.nezumi.demon.co.uk/garden/gizmos/gizmos.htm

Strong winds are not uncommon where I live.

It is also vital that your greenhouse is anchored down to the floor or
base. If your greenhouse has only a few anchoring points or you are
worried about the soundness of the base itself then it may be a good
idea to weigh the greenhouse down to provide anchorage by placing paving
slabs or sandbags over one of the bottom flanges of the greenhouse cill.

Worth actually replacing the diagonal struts on the prevailing wind
facing side with a heavier guage. That is what ultimately did for mine -
although it was in a hurricane force with winds gusting to 100mph.

If your greenhouse happens to be in a half built state, then it is
also vital that it is weighed down by sandbags or slabs at the bottom if
you haven't had chance to anchor it down yet.

A half built one will almost certainly be destroyed. The modern frames
rely on the glass for structural rigidity.

I was quite impressed to get a reminded from our village hall insurance
company to nail everything down ahead of the storm. In fact so far is
much calmer here today than it has been all weekend (wind is 5mph).

--
Regards,
Martin Brown