Well I don’t know quite what happened but the wind blew one of the doors off the greenhouse. I think it got partly opened and then the wind caught it. So, outside at the height of the storm sweeping up bits of broken glass.
I’d got some glass left over from the old greenhouse but of the three pieces needed for the door, only one piece was the right size. As a I headed back to the house with that piece a huge gust of wind nearly blew me off my feet, pressing on the glass and a crash came from the greenhouse as one of the large panes blew out.
At this point I decided there was nothing I could realistically do until the storm abated. Replacing that large pane in the wind was going to be dangerous and since I couldn’t make the door wind-tight in any case, time to retreat back indoors.
The storm was past its peak by then and happily there wasn’t any further damage when I went out later with a torch. Next morning was yet more sweeping up broken glass. Ordered replacement panes, toughened glass for the lower pane but ordinary for the top pane which is out of little one’s reach.
I know we’re exposed here, open to the coast, but the greenhouse is in the most sheltered spot we have with the house to one side and in the lee of slopes to two others. I’ll have to see if there is anything else I can do to stop this happening again.
Happily no problems with the shed, so bolting that down worked as per plan.
Weather forecast isn’t good for the next few days but as soon as we get a decent(ish) day I can get my garlic, shallots and broad beans in.
That’s a shame John, have you got room to grow a windbreak hedge ?
A good idea to change to safety glass!
I have to wire the doors closed on my greenhouse whenever it’s windy, or
the buffeting seems to wriggle the door open, and we all know what happens once the wind gets inside š
The new potting shed will be going up in a month or so and that should shield the seaward side. It will then be sheltered on all sides.
Got to have safety glass with the little one running around when he visits, I’d never forgive myself if he was hurt to save me a few quid.
Sorry to hear of yet another wind damage story! We have given up with green houses and are just sticking to the polytunnel but having to replace the cover every 5 ish years is a pain. I wish they would come up with designs for extreme conditions.
@Carol Stickland: We certainly have extreme conditions here! I think a lot depends on the wind direction as well – fingers crossed we’ll be OK next storm.
I’d love a big polytunnel – maybe next year.
I have had a couple of greenhouses now. The first was a Robinson, which I had for over 25 years. I sold that and purchased a larger Hercules Blenheim that sounds to be a similar design to the Vivita. But both the Robinsons and Blenheim have bar capping which keep the glass in place. I have never had a glass panel blow out in the wind – but we are probably not as exposed.
Looking at the instructions the recommendation is to put a blob of silicone around the glazing clips (if you use them) to help keep them in place.