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Greenhouses & Garden Structures

Harbor Freight GH

6 years ago

If you have bought one of these Harbor Freight Greenhouses, what have you done to keep your doors from blowing in during windy situations? Mine have blown in twice now and I've only had it for 3 months. Makes me nervous thinking about the spring storm season.

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Comments (6)

mudhouse_gw
6 years ago
Hello grinchis40,
The doors absolutely should not be able to come off the tracks in a windy situation. In my experience when this happens, it usually means that the doors aren't installed quite right, and that's actually pretty easy to do.

However, I don't know which greenhouse you have (the 6x8, or the 10x12?) Also, to make it more complicated, HF now sells two different versions of the 10x12. You can tell which version you have by looking at the front of your owners manual. The older kit is like mine, Item 93358. The newer kit says Item 69893.

If you can tell me which model you have, I can try to help with more detailed troubleshooting. There is a way to install the doors on my model so they "seem" to be installed right, but they're really not. If that's your problem I may be able to help.

You're also welcome to email me.
hpedley
6 years ago
Are those things really worth the Money? I have been looking for a GH for this spring but have not decided in plan
Thanks for any info
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mudhouse_gw
6 years ago
hpedley, we built our 10x12 Harbor Freight greenhouse over six years ago, and it's filled with plants 365 days a year. They are a very inexpensive way to try having a greenhouse, compared to the costs of other kits on the market.

However, there are some inherent weaknesses in the kit that require some inexpensive modifications for strength, and for securing the polycarbonate panels more securely. Many Gardenweb members had posted their modification ideas here, before we built ours.

I gathered many of those good ideas and documented them in a blog, as we built ours. It has a lot of information about the strengths and weaknesses of the kit, and reading here may help you determine if the Harbor Freight greenhouse is right for you.

Building our Harbor Freight Greenhouse

There are other good tutorials on the web as well, including this one for the 6x8 Harbor Freight greenhouse:
Building and Improving the Harbor Freight Greenhouse

In my opinion they are a great value for your money, but only if you're willing to spend a bit of extra time and labor doing some modifications so they will withstand wind. The HF manuals are better than they used to be, but still frustrating to use, so it's a good idea to seek out additional information on the internet as you build.

People who go to Harbor Freight, buy the kit, and build it only as per the manual (with no modifications) are usually the ones who have unhappy experiences. The kits require some tweaking.
poaky1
6 years ago
I need more clips for my 8X6 HFGH. I can't find the 1-800 # that was once posted. My sliding door has a gap, but I could fix that after the windy season. I paid my best friends eventual husband to put the GH together. But, it will need more clips to hold it together. I will have to order a new skin, clear cover for winter 2014-2015. That is what I hope I can do. Heat in winter 2014-2015., I remember posting for a 1-800 # for ordering X-tra Greenhouse clips. I know I need to order more of them.
mudhouse_gw
6 years ago
Hello poaky1,

The number for Harbor Freight is:
1-800-444-3353.

For the 6x8 greenhouse, you can buy a bag of 72 clips for $9.99, plus shipping. To save them looking it up when you call, it's the Part number 46 panel clip
and the SKU number is 27339.
poaky1
6 years ago
I have just now ordered x-tra clips. I will be using silicone and the extra clips when the weather is consistently warmer than the brutal cold we are now getting. I will be using extra glazing over our next winter. In the form of clear re-inforced film.

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