How To Insulate Your Greenhouse With Bubble Wrap

At this time of year, when the days are cool and nights even colder, it makes sense to conserve as much heat as you can in the greenhouse. One way you can do that is with common or garden bubble wrap; a quick, easy way that doesn’t cost the earth.

Horticultural bubble wrap will last longer than the parcel wrapping variety but either will work.  Try to buy wrap with the larger bubbles as this type lets more light into the greenhouse as well as insulating better than the smaller bubbles. The greenhouse will be warmer as a result, free from damaging draughts, and heating costs will reduce dramatically as you will only need additional heating in the really cold months.

Insulating an average sized greenhouse will only take about 45 minutes and although this is a job that can be handled solo, it is much easier with an extra pair of hands.  Below, you’ll find the easy stages to follow for insulating your greenhouse with bubble wrap.

Tools you will need

You won’t need a great deal in the way of tools and equipment for this little do-it yourself project. But as always when you using sharp cutting tools, and when working near glass…be careful. Before you start make sure you have close at hand;

• Tape measure
• Craft knife
• Scissors
• Strong, doubled sided, all weather adhesive tape
• Steps for reaching the outside roof area

Measure the greenhouse

First things first, you need to know how much bubble wrap you must purchase for the job. Bubble wrap can be purchased as a kit, for the specific size of the greenhouse that will contain everything you need.

As an example, the popular aluminium 6ft x 8ft greenhouse kit would cost about £30. You may find the project could be done for less if you buy the wrap by the metre. Remember you will also need plastic fixing pegs and spacers (about 100 for a 6ft x 8ft) and double sided adhesive tape.

To calculate how much bubble wrap you need for the job you must measure all sides and roof elevations and calculate the length of wrap required. The horticultural wrap is mainly sold in a 1.5m width.

Avoid accidents. De-clutter before you start

A word on safety: de-clutter before starting work. Glass, as we all know, can be dangerous when broken. For this reason it is a good idea – and one recommended – that you clear the inside of the greenhouse as much as possible, especially the floor area. A glass greenhouse is not the place to have slips, trips and falls. Don’t over stretch or over reach, and ensure safe footing at all times.

Attaching the bubble wrap

Aluminium greenhouses are constructed with glazing bars that have a channel running along their length. Plastic pegs are pushed into the channel then turned 45° to lock them in place. There are also plastic suckers that can be used to attach the wrap to the greenhouse glass but remember to leave a 25mm gap between the wrap and glass.

The straightforward way of attaching the wrap to a wooden greenhouse would be with a staple gun or for plastic greenhouses, strong, all weather adhesive tape.

Start with the sides

Beginning at one side of the greenhouse, attach the bubble wrap using the appropriate method for your greenhouse construction. Keep going horizontally all the way around the sides, including the door and any windows, allowing overlaps of no less than 50mm.

Cover the roof

It is easier to work on this section if the pieces are pre-cut. Attach the cut edge of the bubble wrap to the lower edge of the roof and secure. Then, feeding it towards the apex, fix it at the highest point on both elevations and finally peg it to the lower edge of the opposite side.

Windows and doors

Cut out the area of bubble wrap covering the door or window, just enough to allow it to open and secure the separate piece to the glass.

And that should be about it! A warmer greenhouse for very little cost, and it didn’t take long either.

This form of insulation has the added advantage of being easy to remove when the cold days of winter have been and gone – and can be taken out and reused the following year when needed again.

Published December 3rd, 2014 by Jordan. Article ref 3398

Tags: bubble wrap, greenhouse, insulation

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