Polytunnel pole failure; snapped hoop repair.
My budget polytunnel suffered a catastrophic failure during storm Corrie. A freak gust resulted in 4 snapped uprights and a huge tear down the pve.
I found plenty of videos online of how to repair the plastic, but nothing about snapped poles. Cue research and investigation into that was available at Tool Station, Screwfix, Wickes, B and Q, eBay and Amazon. I knew I wanted to splint the poles, but I didn't know that was available to do that.
Pipe couplers seemed the way forward. After a short delay due to purchasing the wrong diameter couplers, I set out this morning to try out my idea. This video is to provide ideas to those in the same situation.
I haven't yet learned to weld, and my budget polytunnel was the only best I could afford, so fingers crossed this repair holds.
The couplers cost £5 for 4, and the pipe clamps were £2.30 for 4. The silicon was bought for the plastic repair, but I used about £1 worth of the tube. So, £8.30 in all.
The plastic repair will be about double, simple because I had to buy a
small grow tunnel as a pve donor. Bonus to that- rather than buying a £7 pve tarp from eBay, is that I'll have the hoops from the tunnel left over, and intend to make a fleece tunnel with them.
Anyway- wish me luck! Any suggestions gratefully received. I just want my tunnel back before the growing season gets underway next month 😁🧑🌾 and to stop anymore damage from the 🌬️.