Janssens | 10x20x9 ft Royal Victorian VI 36 Medium Greenhouse Kit With 10mm Twin-wall Polycarbonate Glazing

A greenhouse is not just a purchase, it is a lifestyle. You want the best people to help you with the process. We wanted to share our experience.

The Greenhouse is well made, and we have zero regrets choosing the Janssen Vi36 (10X20) polycarbonate greenhouse. We live in the mountains of Northern Colorado where we get strong winds, and the temperature fluctuates.

The construction, the manufactured metal pieces, the use of removable and adjustable rubber gaskets to hold 10mm panels instead of silicone glue all made this a superior choice.

We choose the Janssen because it came with an engineering certification for wind resistance. It can theoretically stand up to 125 MPH gust for 3 seconds. The only other choice us was a custom-made greenhouse which is not built as well as the Janssen.

We choose the 10-millimeter polycarbonate panels because they insulate better than glass and are more forgiving against hail storms. Polycarbonate does cut back a bit on the sunshine, but we get plenty of that at 5,250 foot altitude.

The order shipped to us in four large pieces. A forklift is required to maneuver the pieces from where the freight truck dropped them on our driveway to the inside of the garage. One piece was 22 feet long.

Opening the packages was both exciting and frightening. So many parts. The parts must be visually matched to the manual to be able to assemble.

Advice

Read the entire manual before the Greenhouse arrives. Watch the Janssen YouTube video. Then watch it again. I kept the YouTube available on an old iPad and referred to it often during the assembly.

We choose to mount the greenhouse to a cement foundation wall filled with 6 inches of pea gravel. The manual has clear instructions on what is required.

The design, manufacturing, engineering, and quality were superb. My Wife and I, who are both 70, assembled the Greenhouse without any additional assistance, over the space of two weeks.

We made quite a few calls, some in sheer panic to Exaco. Mostly about where is this or that part, how do you do this or that. Exaco has a team of support specialists available seven days a week.

As soon as the roof was filled in with Poly panels, we discovered our first real challenge. The outside temperature was 85 degrees, and the inside temperature became 110 degrees! That is without the walls.

We purchased a 20” exhaust fan. We installed it in the side of the Greenhouse by cutting down one panel and using an extra strut.

We bought two coolers so there is a unit on each end. Using the fan coolers and drawing the shades we can keep the Greenhouse 10-15 degrees cooler than outside. Activating the misting system drops the inside temperature by 5 degrees.

The temperature went from 85-90 degrees to a three-inch snowstorm in March. We bought two Bio Green PAL 110V heaters. It is made for Greenhouses and can withstand the humidity and occasional splash of water. It is equipped with a digital temperature sensor and remote probe.

We have already had 50 MPH gusts that blew in the direction of the broadside of the Greenhouse. It was solid. Neither the supporting structure or panels moved. We have had downpours of rain. Almost no penetration of rain.

The greenhouse is already producing more veggies than the two of us can eat. Big win for our neighbors and family.

Tips and Hints

The manual from Janssen is very detailed, but there are still surprises. Exaco has rewritten the manual to make it easier to use.

Do not be afraid to call for help, the Exaco support team are very patient. Because they are hands on people, they know where the tough spots are.

When you order, order a bag of ‘T’ Bolts. There are used to add attach things to the tracks of the vertical and horizontal supports of the greenhouse, like fan controls or thermostats.

We ordered manual crank openers for the windows that came equipped with automatic openers. Having manual windows was no problem at all for us.

Installing the poly panels - We found wearing cheap nitrile coated nylon gloves gave us the grip we need to handle the panels and install the rubber gasket.

The rubber gaskets – use the gloves described above if for no other reason than because the gaskets are oily. While installing them, the weather turned cold, we put a pre-cut strip inside of a 2” PVC tube and blew warm air into the tube until the gasket was pliable, then quickly installed the piece.

You will have to run electric to the greenhouse or install solar panels outside of it to run the fans, heaters, lights, pumps, etc. We have two 110V lines and one 220V line into the greenhouse.

We installed an 8-foot-wide shade on the south facing end of the greenhouse. It cuts out 80% of the sunlight. On very hot days, we draw all the shades at 1:00.

We found, in our climate, the side shutter/side fan works best, we will keep the roof vents closed for the summer.

Yes! I recommend this product.