Conventional anti condensate film on left at the 2 year mark. Note the white areas on the film – this is condensation! EVO AC film on the right after four years. Still crystal clear and transmitting light to your crop!
Think about poly film for your CEA crops.
Greenhouse poly film is a workhorse as a greenhouse covering, commonly used in all types of greenhouses. But, when it comes to CEA, some growers assume that poly film technology is stagnant and lacks the benefits of glass or polycarbonate. It’s time to rethink that position!
The primary job of your greenhouse covering is to efficiently transmit as much light as possible to your crop. It’s also helpful when the covering contributes to managing energy costs by keeping heat inside the greenhouse during heating season.
Double layer poly film applications do a great job of keeping heat in the greenhouse at a fraction of the cost of glass or polycarbonate. This is especially true when the inside layer of film includes thermic properties, an infrared film that reflects heat back into the greenhouse, and an energy curtain. That leaves just one other concern: condensation control.
To avoid condensation from forming on the interior surface of the poly film, manufacturers produce poly film with an anti-condensate polymer additive. The anti-condensate reduces the surface tension and the water sheets off the film and is drained out of the production area. Unfortunately, the anti-condensate coatings have a limited life span and generally lose their efficacy in 12-24 months. As this aging process happens, patches of condensation will start to form on the film, reducing light penetration, dripping on crops, and generally increasing humidity levels in the production space. To avoid this, growers change their poly film every few years. Until now.
Sunmaster EVO AC® by Plastika Kritis features a lifetime anti-condensate treatment. The EVO technology is integrated into film and never wears out. This means that EVO AC poly film will continue to transmit an amazing amount of light to your crop in year 1, year 2, year 3, and year 4 after installation. You save labor by reducing film changes, bring more light into the greenhouse, avoid AC aging issues that result in drips and fog, reduce foliar disease, and improve yields. EVO AC is a game changer, and it means that CEA growers (food and cannabis) really need to think about their greenhouse covering.