Technical Information

Why use Steel?

For the hoops we use large diameter, high tensile steel tubes. They're galvanised inside and out for maximum corrosion resistance and have a much higher bending resistance than standard mild steel. So they're seriously strong! For even more strength and stability, and improved anchorage, 'swage joints' are used (a techie term meaning the tube end is reduced in diameter so tubes can be sleeved together, quickly and at low cost). Last, but not least, we space these hoops close together, another strengthening feature which also has the advantage of reducing unsightly polythene 'sag' while maximising headroom.

Why use Glulaminated Timber?

Glued Laminated Timber, or glulam for short, is a high specification engineered timber beam, fabricated by bonding together stress-graded planed timber laminations, with their grain in the direction of the member. This forms a structural unit of excellent strength and dimensional stability.

What Material Should I Use?

Polythene?

You should think of the diffusion properties of polythene as clouds in the sky. Diffused polythene scatters the light as it passes through, allowing it to hit the plants from all angles. This ensures your plants will get an even amount of light and not have to grow towards any particular light source, thus avoiding one plant overshadowing another. Even clear films have a small level of diffusion.

What is Opal?

Opal delivers a highly durable and fire retardant canopy fabric. It is available in either Opal 60 or Opal 20.

What is the difference between Opal 60 and Opal 20?

Opal 60 is ideal for areas where higher light levels are required as it lets through 60% of natural light. Opal 20 is ideal where a greater element of shading is required, such as for hardware sales and utility areas, and lets through 20% of natural light.

What is Polycarbonate?

Polycarbonate is an attractive, durable and easy to install roof covering for canopies. We use 16mm triple walled polycarbonate which is designed for etreme weather conditions and lets through 32% of natural light. It is also more resilient than opal and polythen faric. Our polycorbonate clad canopies conform fully to building regualtions and are Class B non-fragility tested.