How to make a hotbed of PVC pipes with your own hands?

Gardeners for the production of greenhouses in their areas mainly use today different materials, this can be wood, metal and other solutions. Home craftsmen did not ignore PVC pipes, from which it is possible to build a frame. Such popularity of this technology is due to the low cost of material, ease, ease of processing and high elasticity. In addition, the choice of covering materials for pipes is quite wide.

Greenhouse elements

If you decide to build a hotbed of PVC pipes with your own hands, you do not have to apply too much effort, and the set of tools in this case is very limited. As a covering material, polycarbonate or polyethylene film can be used. However, it is important to remember that PVC pipes usually have small dimensions, and therefore are not intended for use throughout the year. Based on this material, you can create a greenhouse for growing early seedlings. But the greenhouse must have important elements, among which:

• foundation;
• coating;
• Skeleton.

Selecting a form

When deciding to create a hotbed of PVC pipes with your own hands, you should remember that the material dictates in advance the future shape of the structure. You can create such a system with minimal expenses for one weekend. But before starting work, you need to consider several options for the device. In this case, we are talking about the question of fixing the frame and the device of the coating.

Before you start work, you must consider that the greenhouse can only have an arch shape. Using a piece of pipe, the length of which is 1000 mm, it should be laid on 2 supports so that the ends of the product are fixed, while the central part remains free. Working on the center of the tube, you will understand that it will sag. Therefore, it is not necessary to make a construction with straight walls, because in this case additional stops and stiffeners will be needed, which is undesirable for PVC-profile greenhouses. If you bend the product to form an arc, the pipe will show elasticity, which is what determines the future shape of the greenhouse.

Is it possible to abandon the foundation

Before you make a greenhouse of PVC pipes with your own hands, you must decide whether you need a foundation. For the reason that the design will not be used all year round, and the base will act as a quick shelter for plants, you can abandon the foundation. The base is still required, and its dimensions will depend on the parameters of the polycarbonate sheet bent into the arc. You can buy a canvas of such a covering material in the store, its standard dimensions are 2100x6000 mm.

Dimensions of the greenhouse

If you also decided to make a hotbed of PVC pipes with your own hands, then you can use polyethylene film for coating, in this case the dimensions of the structure will be arbitrary. But in the example the parameters equal to 3820x6300 mm will be considered. Such dimensions should be adhered to for the reason that when bending the pipe will get the right arc.

With a width of 3821 mm, it will be possible to obtain a half-circle with a radius of 1910 mm. In other words, it is half the width and the total height of the greenhouse. As the width decreases, the height also decreases. Now you need to figure out the length. The step of the frame is 900 mm. If there are 8 sections, then it will be possible to get 7 spans. This value is multiplied by 900, which will get 6300. You can use another size, but it is important to understand the principle.

Preparation of materials

Before starting work, it is recommended to view photos of greenhouses from PVC pipes. With your hands, you can perform this design with ease, if you decide on the design features and dimensions. At the next stage, you can start preparing materials, among them:

• trumpet;
• Tees;
• Cross;
• Self-tapping screws;
• Oblique tees;
• Armature;
• Metal strip;
• board;
• Nails.

For the work can be used 25-mm pipe, the cross should have the same parameters as the tees. The reinforcement can be replaced with a steel rod. Preparing the board, you should choose the one whose section is 50x100 mm.

Preparation of tools

Make a hotbed of PVC pipes with your own hands can only be prepared by a certain set of tools, among them:

• screwdriver;
• Apparatus for welding pipes;
• building level;
• a hammer;
• Hacksaw for metal;
• Construction roulette.

The screwdriver can be replaced with a screwdriver for screwing self-tapping screws. Hacksaw for metal is often replaced with a cut-off machine, which will be more convenient.

The base device

A hotbed of PVC pipes with their own hands (the dimensions were mentioned above) should be started from the base. A frame is assembled from the board. Wood is processed by the composition from mold and dampness. The frame should be installed on the plot of the greenhouse, and after verifying the diagonal. From the reinforcement, 4 segments are prepared, each length of which is 500 mm. These elements are driven into the corners of the frame from the inside.

Mounting of arcs

If you are thinking about how to make a hotbed of PVC pipes, then the next stage is to prepare another 14 pieces of reinforcement, the length of each of them can be equal to the limit of 65 to 70 mm. On the prepared skeleton it is necessary to make a marking on length. The first mark is set at the edge, further should have an interval of 900 mm.

Outside, according to the marking, the pieces of reinforcement are driven in, so that they rise 300 mm above the surface. They must be installed close to the frame. Now it is possible to perform the layout on the width, for this you need to divide it in half and retreat 400 mm in both directions. Here the reinforcement is clogged by the same principle as in the first case.

Now you can start making arcs. The pieces of 3000 mm are welded together, so that the cross is located in the center. Internal arcs are made somewhat differently. The connection of pipes in the central part in this case is carried out by straight tees. You can proceed with the installation of the arcs, they are inserted into the armature along the length and bend to establish the pipes on the armature on the other side. This will get the basis of the future greenhouse over the wooden frame.

Basis, windows and doors

The greenhouse for seedling from PVC pipes at the next stage provides for the need to install stiffeners. To do this, the segments are prepared, the dimensions of which are 850 mm. They are welded between the crossings and the central tees, which will make the frame more reliable. It should be additionally fixed on a wooden frame.

Clamps made of metal strip are made in the shape of the letter Ω. The frame of the pipes is fixed by means of screws to the wooden base. When the arcs for the hotbed of PVC pipes are installed, you can think about the presence of windows and doors. The first of them will be needed for ventilation. On the width were installed reinforcement pieces, which will allow you to install doors and windows. From the reinforcement in the width to the top, you should draw a line and make a mark on the arc from the pipe. Use for this purpose a wooden rail, a level and a marker. Slant tees cut into this place, for this purpose, from the bottom of the reinforcement, the distance to the mark should be measured. It will allow you to understand what size a piece of PVC pipe should have. A tee is welded to it to make an element with a tee on top.

Now you can join the chamfer with the pipe. The arc in the mark is cut, it must be done carefully, because it is under load. Then you can weld a tee into an educated space, you can not do without one's help. The frame is ready at this stage, now you can proceed with the installation of the covering material. For example, polyethylene film is nailed to the frame with the help of racks and nails. Windows and doors are made of pieces of PVC pipe, after they can be wrapped in polyethylene and installed in their places.

Advice of a specialist

If you want to make a two-story greenhouse of PVC pipes with your own hands, then you need to act on the technology described above, with the only difference that instead of the tees, the connecting elements with two branches will be used. Such a design experts do not advise, because there will be more connections, they will need to be installed also in the place where the roof will move into vertical walls. The consumption of materials and time increases, in addition, snow will accumulate on the roof surface if you plan to leave such a structure for the winter. This is especially true when polycarbonate is used as a covering material.

Polycarbonate coating

If the greenhouse you plan to polycarbonate, then on the wooden frame should be filled with wooden bars, located between the ribs. This will make it possible to obtain a flat continuous surface with ribs recessed inwards.

Fixation of polycarbonate is carried out by self-tapping screws, it is important to remember the necessity of installing thermowells. The diameter of the hole in the covering material should be 3 mm larger than the diameter of the screws. This gap will serve as a compensator when the size of the covering material changes due to climatic factors.

Conclusion

If you decide to use a wooden frame as a base, the greenhouse is unlikely to last long. When gardeners want to build a long-term construction, they use a concrete foundation. It should be deepened into the ground, which will give a strong foundation with the lack of wooden elements. If you want to give the greenhouse a certain shape, then you can apply a PVC profile. The construction in this case has a higher strength, and even glass can be used as the coating.

PVC profile has the same appearance as in the case of windows, so the use of glass in such a construction is justified. The greenhouse perfectly stays the whole year for several seasons. As the main advantage of this solution is the tightness and the ability of the hotbed to effectively conserve heat.