[Ann Owen]

Has anybody got any good techniques for clearing snow of large polytunnels? Our are to big to reach all the way to the middle with a broom. We've been trying our best with a rope thrown over and a person on either end making sweeping motions, but that is sooo slow, there must be a better way?

[Gwiz]

Backpack blower?

[arugula]

From the inside, with your broom? Knock upwards gently in the apex and the snow will fall down each side. Well that's my theory anyway!

[hamstergbert]

Gwiz has it - a backpack blower.  Usually powered by a two stroke engine.

Also known as a 'paramotor'!
Blowing snow (or leaves or whatever) is a terrific excuse to make a racket with one of them.

Alternatively but from a broadly similar angle you could phone up the police and tell them you think Lord Lucan is hiding in your polytunnel, in the hope that the downdraught from the force's chopper will blow the snow clear.

[Ann Owen]

Okay, very funny (not)!
These are really BIG polytunnels, a blower would be useless and a broom, even standing on a stepladder will barely reach the plastic. Even if it would reach, it wouldn't shift the snow very far as the gradient isn't steep enough.
So, anybody actually got any decent ideas, not the kind found at the bottom of a pint glass?
Thanks

[mumofstig]

I'm sorry you didn't find the answers amusing

If the people on line had any decent ideas they would have posted them.
People on here mostly have small polytunnels, rather than the kind you obviously have.
Aren't the large tunnels supposed to be strong enough to support the weight of the snow?
Could you not get in touch with the tunnel supplier and ask what they recommend...(any supplier should offer advice, if you ask nicely)

[peapod]

A nasty answer to people trying to help?

Pick up the phone, ask the BIG polytunnel suppliers.  We obviously cant help.  Cant say that anyone would really want to after that reply.

[RichardA]

Ann, I gently shake the poly from the INSIDE with a soft brush starting low enough down to get the fabric really shaking. Poly is very tight so poly does not lift far but you can get a good rythym going.
Snow usually slides off reasonably easily. If necessary I stand on a box on one of the two paved paths that run lengthways inside my polytunnel to reach the roof a foot or so each side of the apex
I cant reach the absolute apex even though I am well over 6 foot tall but I figure if I can get most of the snow off then it will help so I dont worry too much about leaving a few inches each side of the ridge.
Yes it does take time as I am working alone and it is a very big polytunnel. Better work out than any gym!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
R

[John]

For the benefit of those with large polytunnels and some festive spirit..

My pal with a huge tunnel dug a hole in the middle and built a small fire in it to warm the tunnel. You only need to bring it up to +2 or so to loosen the snow. It was -10 when he did that.

[Gwiz]

Ann,
My suggestion was given in all seriousness. 12.37pm is a little too early for me to be drinking. Even on a Sunday I have work that needs doing
We have two standard commercial poly-tunnels at work, both are approximately 25' wide 60' long and about 13 to 15' at apex.
We use Stihl BR600 magnum backpack blowers to remove the snow, along with a combination of gentle knocking from within with a large soft broom or two.
The other Big  poly tunnels we allow nature to take it's course as they are far too big to do safely.
It just takes practice and a little good humour.
Hope you manage to clear yours.

[arugula]

Ann,
My suggestion was given in all seriousness.

As was mine! Get a long broom handle!

[Ann Owen]

Thank you RichardA and John, for those great suggestions. I'll certainly keep the fire method in mind in case we don't get to the snow before it freezes on.

Gwiz, we are commited to a low carbon way of growing. This doesn't mean that we're complete luddites, but only use fossil fuel as a last resort.
Sounds like our tunnels are a similar size and yes it takes effort and humour, especially as the snow between the tunnels had mounted up to a depth of 4' and I'm only 5'4'' tall.

Appologies for any bruised ego's, but as this was the first time ever that I posted a question on this forum and was faced by a number of flippant answers, I felt fairly disgusted.
Guess it takes time to get used to the "culture" of a site and my attempt at responding in a similar vein was not appreciated...interesting! The British comedy movie "Grow your own" springs to mind...
Have a great festive time all of you and thanks for taking the time.

[Aunt Sally]

I glad you have a way forward for the snow problem on your poly tunnels.

There was only one flippant comment as far as I can see and that was from our dear old hamstergbert who is renound here for being a joker.  Yes, it certainly is a good idea to get used to the local culture before spitting back as we always try to help others with ideas and the wealth of our experience.  I hope you will feel able to add to that advice in the future.

[RichardA]

Ann, sometimes answers will seem flippant - that is partly the problem with written responses that are kept short and because they are written not spoken face to face the usual responses of the person recieving the message are not there so the person sending the message cannot explain (or apologise) or modify their way and content of replying. And of course this is an open discussion forum and not an expert consultancy service. think of it a bit like a group of friends talking - some will misunderstand the question, some will be flippant but some will be more useful but in a conversation as people bounce ideas off each other something useful will emerge and the flippant and the off centre ideas will get forgotten.
I have another thought for you on the snow question that came to me in an odd way. I usually put Christmas lights in a flagpole cherry tree we have in the front garden by standing on step ladders and for extra height looping the lights around a soft brush and hooking them over branches in the tree. This year no way was I using stepladders on icy ground but I have recently bought a WOLF apple harvesting device which is a telescopic pole and a bag basically to collect apples out of tall trees. All WOLF tools are interchangeable so I swopped the apple bag for a  brush and I put up the lights from a safe ground position using a very useful telescopic pole. It occurs to me any polytunnel would be in reach this way. Just a thought. I have seen telescopic brushes used by coach and lorry drivers as well.
We do know how worrying snow can be when it threatens hard earned assets like tunnels and greenhouses. I hope it all works out OK -- Have a happy Christmas, Ann.
R

[hamstergbert]

Ho hum.

There was also not actual total flippancy about the paramotor suggestion - it does actually work and indeed the Canadian power companies use rotor-created airflow to clear the accumulations of snow etc off their power transmission lines in the wilds of Canada.  A paramotor that (used to) shove my 16 stone lardiness along fast enough for my wing to take me skywards does move enough air with sufficient force to move quite a lot of snow, trust me on that.  Because a solution offered is not perhaps one you might have thought of Anne does not automatically invalidate it....

Then again the idea of asking your local PPG club to come along and try it (for the craic and in exchange perhaps for somewhere under cover long enough to sort out a wet wing occasionally) would probably be a non-starter if you are reluctant to use the products of the oil industry. Except of course for the poly part of your tunnel.

As to using the Lord Lucan lure, well, perhaps that was a flippant method of re-iterating the possibilities of air movement as a clearance mechanism rather than a genuine suggestion that incorrect information should willingly be given to the forces of Laura Norder!

Merry Christmas anyway.