New Greenhouse can I use old glass ?

Mr_Warren_2

Hello everyone. Just took my old 40 years old + greenhouse down last night as most of the roof bars were roting away (thought I would put in a couple hours work and finish today but you know me....:D )

I managed to remove most of the old pane of glass (16" x 24") with the idea of re-using them in my new replacement which I am building myself.
For your info new "greenhouse glass is now 3mm x 24" x 18" @ £3.00 each.

Question, would I be wise to make frame to accept new standard greenhouse glass dimension (ie. 18" x 24") or would you advise me to re-use the old panels and make frame to suit ?

As the glass panels are as old as the original greenhouse, i wondered if glass deteriorates with age and exposure......? Thanks for any advise.

lomond125

Glass goes brittle with age but if you can recycle why not,you can always buy new cut to size

nickj_2

glass does get brittle after while , there's no reason why you can't use old glass , it may be tricky if you have to cut it tho

ukwoody

As stated you can if careful use the old glass, but it is very brittle and is hard to recut. However if you go to a Glazier you can have 2mm greenhouse glass cut to any size you want and is far cheaper than buying packs of it at a diy store - check with your local glazier.
That siad, by all means re-use whatever you can, one word. Your new frame will move, old glass will not be very tolerant towards any movement, newer glass will be just a bit more forgiving.

woody

Rex_Mundi

I would recommend using the old glass. It is a good way of recycling and saving money (and shouldn't cause you any problems as long as you are careful).

There are a few standard sizes that greenhouse glass comes in. 18"X24" is one of the standard sizes. Any decent glaziers should have this size in stock without them needing to cut it from a bigger piece. I also wouldn't expect them to charge you any extra if you wanted the 18"X24" cut down to 16"X24". If you need to order any extras, make sure you ask for greenhouse glass. It is a lot cheaper than standard float glass.