Pros and cons of polycarbonate fence
Before starting work on the construction of a polycarbonate fence with your own hands, you need to clarify the positive and negative characteristics of such a structure.
TO positive qualities include:
- light weight cellular polycarbonate, which allows to save on the construction of the frame;
- polycarbonate with UV protection does not change its characteristics under the influence of precipitation and sunlight;
- the structure of the material allows it to resist shock loads without losing its initial state;
- the material provides reliable protection of the fenced area from street noises, absorbing sounds;
- transparent material transmits sunlight, cutting off no more than 10% of the light flux;
- polycarbonate has low thermal conductivity;
- resistant to chemicals;
- polycarbonate sheets are designed to operate in temperature conditions from –50 to + 120 ° С;
- To keep the polycarbonate clean, it is enough to treat it with warm water and soap.
TO negative qualities include:
- the material does not tolerate prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation and begins to crumble. To get rid of this disadvantage, it is recommended to purchase polycarbonate with a protective coating;
- while polycarbonate is sufficiently strong and well resists shock loads, when exposed to thin sharp objects (the tip of a shovel, knife), chips and cracks appear on its surface.
Having considered the pros and cons of the material, we move on to the study of the general design of polycarbonate fences.
General design of the fence from the PCB
Polycarbonate fences do not differ from the designs of other fences on the frame.
As a base for fastening sheets, a metal or wooden frame is used. It consists of supporting posts and lintels (lags), which are fixed on the posts parallel to the ground. Depending on the height of the fence, two or three lag lines are attached. Polycarbonate sheets are fixed on the logs using self-tapping screws or special fasteners - thermal washers.
Supports are driven into the ground with a sledgehammer, installed in an individual foundation, or mounted in a common tape base for the entire structure.
Installation of polycarbonate is carried out directly to the rails or assembled in separate sections in frames from a metal corner.
Materials and tools
To assemble polycarbonate fences yourself, you need to prepare a tool and purchase materials.
You will need the following tools:
- bayonet shovel;
- manual or electric drill;
- long cord;
- level;
- screwdriver;
- welding machine;
- electric jigsaw or circular saw;
- a hammer;
- plumb line;
- container for stirring the solution;
- trowel;
- electric drill.
Materials required:
- boards, 25 mm thick for formwork;
- fasteners (screws, nails, thermowells);
- plastic caps and connecting profiles for sheets;
- metal posts with plugs;
- metal lags;
- cement and sand for the preparation of the mortar (or ready-mixed concrete);
- cellular polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate Selection
When choosing a material, the general color gamut is taken into account in the design of buildings on the site, the dimensions of the structure and the wind load in the area. As a fence, opaque polycarbonate is usually used to fence various colors, at least 10 mm thick.
This material is available in the form of sheets with a width of 210 mm and a length of 3000 to 12000 mm. In the distribution network, you can purchase cellular (cellular) or monolithic polycarbonate.
Cellular products are produced with a thickness of 4 to 32 mm, and for monolithic sheets, sizes from 2 to 12 mm are provided. For fences, they often choose material with honeycombs. It is cheaper and lighter than monolithic.
When choosing the length of the sheets, you should focus on the height of the fence and select the optimal size at which there will be fewer scraps.
A prerequisite when choosing sheets for fencing is the presence of UV protection.
Construction Instruction
Installation of fencing begins with a plan or sketch of the future structure. The extreme points are marked on the plan and the length of the spans between the pillars is calculated taking into account the place for the gate and gate. All subsequent construction work is carried out in accordance with the plan.
Marking and earthworks
The marking is carried out from the corner points of the plot fixed in the cadastral plan. If you doubt the accuracy of the layout, it is recommended to call a representative for surveying the sites.
Corner points are connected with a cord, defining the fence line, and, in accordance with the plan, mark the installation sites of the supports. The distance between adjacent supports should not exceed 3000 mm.
Based on the selected type of foundation, they begin excavation work. For the strip foundation, you will have to dig a trench along the entire length of the future fence. If the option of installing individual supports was chosen, the pits for the posts are made using a drill or they are dug with a shovel.
Base unit
There are three options for installing supports: poles are hammered into the ground, an individual foundation is used, or fixed in a common strip foundation.
Concreting support pillars
To install support on an individual foundation, dig holes for each pillar. The depth of the column in the ground depends on the quality of the soil. If the ground is heaving it is necessary to pass the depth of freezing, but, in any case, the part of the column located in the ground should not be less than a third of the total length of the pipe.
Sand is poured into the bottom of the pit with a layer of 100-150 mm with mandatory tamping. The lower part of the column is painted over with bituminous mastic, after which the post is installed in place. To fix the support in the right position, supports are used. Installation is performed on a plumb line.
For concreting a column, a small amount of mortar will be required. You can mix sand and cement with water on a piece of sheet iron or plywood 1x1 m in size.
Filling is carried out at a time. After pouring, the solution must be pierced with an iron rod throughout the depth to get rid of air.
Further work is begun after 7-10 days, but the final set of concrete strength occurs within 28 days.
Strip foundation
When organizing the strip foundation, after preparing the trench, they begin to assemble the formwork, weld the reinforcing mesh, install poles and concreting.
- Formwork. A trench under the strip foundation is dug up with a depth of at least 1000 mm and a width of 300 mm, the bottom of the trench is covered with a layer of sand with compulsory compaction. To install the supports, additional recesses are torn 300-500 mm deeper than the trench, twice as wide as the diameter of the column. The formwork is assembled from a board 25 mm thick. Connecting strips should be outside the formwork. When installing the foundation for the fence, it is planned to exit the concrete base above the ground by 300-350 mm, so the formwork is done taking into account this issue. To preserve the formwork when pouring concrete, the panels are connected in the upper part with strips through 1000 mm.
- Reinforcement. To provide additional foundation strength, reinforcement is performed. Pre-determine what thickness to use the rod. It is recommended to use rods with a thickness of at least 10 mm and transverse ones of at least 8 mm as longitudinal elements. The reinforcing mesh is knitted in the form of a parallelepiped. The joints of the rods are welded or wired. Before lowering the reinforcement into the trench, pieces of brick are laid at the bottom so that the mesh does not appear on the ground.
- Pouring concrete. Before pouring, pillars are installed in their places. After installation on a plumb line, they are attached to the reinforcing mesh by slopes, after which they begin to fill the base. It is impossible to independently prepare a large volume of the solution, and according to the technology of pouring the strip foundation, the entire volume must be filled in at a time. Therefore, it is recommended that you first calculate the required volume and order ready-made concrete with delivery. To remove air from the mixture, it is pierced with an iron rod every 200-300 mm.
Pillar Installation
The installation of support poles is recommended to be done with a partner. One worker holds the support and establishes the supports, and the second plumb controls the position of the pillar and gives commands to the first for adjustment.
After installing the column, a cap must be fixed on its top so that water can not get into the hollow support.
Frame assembly
After installing the poles, they begin to install jumpers (lag). Usually, a metal profile with a wall thickness of 1 mm and a cross section of 20x40 mm is used as a log. With a fence height of more than 1500 mm, it is recommended to mount three horizontal logs.
The installation of jumpers to the supports is carried out using a welding machine.
If this is not possible, pieces of the corner are attached to the supports on the screws or bolts, which serve as a shelf for laying the log. In the walls of the corner drill holes for bolts for securing the lag.
After the final assembly of the frame, all the elements are carefully processed with sandpaper, a primer and then painted.
What is better to make a wireframe
It is recommended to assemble a polycarbonate fence on a metal frame. Metal poles and logs provide a solid fence base that can resist wind loads. With high-quality processing of metal products with protective compounds, the service life of such a structure will be at least 50 years.
As supporting poles, a metal pipe of round, rectangular or square section 60x60 mm in size and a wall thickness of at least 2 mm is used. For logs, it is convenient to use pipes with a cross section of 20x40 mm and a wall thickness of at least 1 mm.
As an option, a wooden frame for a polycarbonate fence is considered, but even with the protection of the material from the effects of insects, fungus and rot, the structures have to be changed after 10-15 years.
Installation of PCB sheets
Before installation, polycarbonate sheets must be cut to size. When marking the sheet, the location of the stiffeners should be taken into account. They should be located vertically. This position of the ribs will allow condensate, which inevitably appears with changes in temperature and humidity, to drain downward without stagnating inside the sheet.
The following tools are used to cut cellular polycarbonate:
- construction knife;
- electric jigsaw;
- circular saw with small teeth;
- angle grinder;
- hacksaw with small teeth and a small divorce.
Only thin sheets up to 8 mm can be effectively cut with a knife. Such a cut does not leave small particles and does not clog the internal chambers, which is a plus.
Other cutting tools in the process form small chips and dust that fall into the sheet. These particles must be disposed of with a vacuum cleaner. Least of all chips appears when working with a circular saw.
When cutting polycarbonate, the protective film is not removed.
Polycarbonate is fixed with self-tapping screws with sealing heads or thermowells with sealing rings. To avoid surface deformation due to temperature changes, the holes for fasteners make 1-2 mm larger in diameter than the diameter of the self-tapping screw tip or the legs of the thermowasher.
When marking the attachment points, it must be remembered that the hole for the self-tapping screw is not located closer than 4 cm from the edge of the sheet. Fix the sliced fragment along the longitudinal logs with a step of 300-400 mm.
When screwing in the screws, you need to control the force of the clamp. There should be no deflection of the sheet at the attachment point.
Neighboring sheets are fixed with a joint gap of 2-3 mm to provide thermal clearance. To mask the joints using special plastic profiles. You also need to close the ends of the sheets with a U-shaped profile or seal them with trimming tape.