Greenhouse Emergency Repair Kit
None of us like to think about emergency repairs – but our reality is that all greenhouse owners have spent a sleepless night or three ‘on the roof’… it is just the nature of our business that roofs designed to let in the most sunlight are by their nature a tad ‘delicate. So what is in your emergency kit for that late night call from the alarm? Of course all facilities are different – and we all have different glazing on our roofs and walls – but we think a basic kit would have the following:
Poly repair tape – typically 6” wide, 4” wide, and 2” wide with adhesive backing. Poly repair tape is meant to be a temporary fix but when you have a large tear a few rolls on hand can be a life saver.
Backup rolls of poly – or backup sheets of polycarbonate, glass or your glazing of choice. You hate to have too much money tied up in emergency inventory – but having a spare roll of poly or a few sheets of whatever is on your roof and walls makes a lot of sense as you may not have the time to wait a few days for your suppliers to send you material.
Batten Tape – if you have cold frames or stand alone Quonsets – rolls of batten tape that you can throw over a flapping poly roof then tack to a sidewall might save the day. This is non-sticky plastic tape soft enough to not tear your poly and strong enough to secure a roof.
Extra polylock and / or wirelock – again if you have a roof fail you might find you have twisted your locking system… so having some sections of extra poly lock would be a good thing.
Tek screws – Of course you have these, but can you find them at 2 am? Having tek screws, a charged cordless drill and the right driver bit all handy could save the night.
Lanterns – Okay, I know we all have flashlights, but do you have the ability to shine enough light on your work when the power is off (we can assume it will be raining or snowing or some inclement weather – roofs never seem to need attention on gentle sunny days…) So having a few bright battery powered lanterns about makes good sense.
Extra inflation kit with connector parts – This is one of those Murphy‘s Law things. If you do not have an inflation kit on hand it is a guarantee you will need one… Needing to get that roof re-inflated if fan burns out without an inflation is tricky. Having a spare set of adapter pieces is a good idea.
Caulking and tubes of glue and putty if you have old glass – Late at night repairs often need some ‘goop’ to pull all together.
Spare motors – Think about what motors are essential in an emergency. You might be able to live without a fan motor but look at your heating system to see if having a spare on hand makes sense. This is more critical if you have stand alone houses where if the heat goes off crops can freeze.
More than one ladder and a few good friends – Late night repair can mean more than one set of hands is needed. Who you call at 2 am is critical but make sure you have enough ladders, tools etc that you all can work.
We all have those 2 am stories – the stories may have happier endings if your emergency kit is handy.
Laurie Scullin is the owner of a product, idea and business development company – The New Product Group. Scullin has spent the last 20 years offering marketing support to some of the industry's top firms and has developed programs in use at independent garden centers, big-box chains and supermarkets across the United States and Canada.
