In the rapid development of facility agriculture today, greenhouse window opener has become an indispensable core equipment in large-scale greenhouse, home gardening greenhouse, it bears the key role of automatically regulating the greenhouse internal temperature, humidity, ventilation, which directly affects the growing environment and yield of crops. Many greenhouse growers in the purchase and installation of automatic window opener, often ignored the daily maintenance work, resulting in equipment lagging, slow response, frequent failures and other problems, not only affecting the ventilation effect, resulting in crops due to high temperature, high humidity or poor ventilation appears to grow, pests and diseases, etc., will also shorten the service life of the equipment, increase the late replacement and maintenance costs. In fact, in the use of automatic greenhouse window opener, do a good job of regular inspection and maintenance, you can make the greenhouse automatic window opener long-term stable operation, and continue to provide a suitable growing environment for crops.
Simply put, greenhouse automatic window opener is a kind of automated equipment that can open and close greenhouse windows automatically according to the internal environment of the greenhouse (such as temperature, humidity) or preset instructions, without manual operation, it can realize the intelligent control of greenhouse ventilation and air exchange. Its appearance completely solves the traditional greenhouse manual window opening low efficiency, untimely response, night or unattended can not be adjusted ventilation and other pain points, especially suitable for large-scale continuous greenhouse, high position skylight and other manual operation inconvenient scene, is the modern greenhouse intelligent, large-scale planting of the important support equipment.
The core working principle of the greenhouse automatic window opener is to convert energy into mechanical force through the power drive mechanism to drive the greenhouse window to realize the opening and closing action. Different types of window opener, power source and drive different, but the core logic is the same: through the sensor (or preset program) to detect the greenhouse internal temperature, humidity and other parameters, when the parameters reach the preset threshold, triggering the power mechanism to start, drive the window to open or close; when the parameter returns to the normal range, the device stops running, to keep the window in the right opening and closing angle, to ensure that the greenhouse internal environment is stable. When the parameter returns to normal range, the device stops running to keep the window at a suitable opening and closing angle to ensure the stability of the greenhouse internal environment. For example, when the temperature inside the greenhouse rises to 30℃ (preset threshold), the window opener will automatically start to open the window to ventilate and cool down the temperature; when the temperature drops to 25℃ (preset closing threshold), the window will be closed automatically to reduce the heat loss and realize precise temperature control.
Wax Cylinder Window Opener is a passive device, no need for electricity supply, the core component is a sealed cylinder with built-in paraffin wax. Its working principle is to use the thermal expansion and contraction characteristics of paraffin wax: when the greenhouse temperature rises, the paraffin wax in the cylinder body is melted by heat, the volume expands, pushing the piston to extend, driving the window to open; when the temperature decreases, the paraffin wax is solidified, the volume shrinks, the piston is retracted, and the window closes under the action of its own gravity or the spring pulling force. This window opener is simple in structure, easy to install, no external power supply, suitable for small greenhouses, home gardening greenhouses or scenes with inconvenient power supply, and low maintenance costs and relatively low failure rate, but the adjustment accuracy is relatively limited, suitable for planting scenes with low requirements for ventilation accuracy.
The electric automatic window opener belongs to the active type equipment, which needs electric power supply (AC or DC), and the core components are the motor, transmission mechanism (gear, rack and pinion, actuator, etc.) and control system. Its working principle is to provide power through the motor, through the transmission mechanism will be transmitted to the window, to realize the automatic opening and closing of the window; control system can be connected to the temperature, humidity sensors, to achieve automatic adjustment, can also be manually controlled through the remote control, cell phone APP or the central control system, part of the high-end models also support multi-window linkage, timing control and other functions. This kind of window opener has high adjustment precision, controllable opening and closing speed, suitable for large-scale continuous greenhouse, high requirements of economic crops greenhouse (such as flowers, vegetables seedling greenhouse), can realize accurate ventilation and temperature control, but the structure is relatively complex, more maintenance points, and the need to ensure a stable power supply, long-term use of power supply costs and motor losses need to be considered. In addition, the electric window opener can also be subdivided into rack and pinion, crank linkage, push rod, etc., of which the rack and pinion type is the preferred type of large-scale greenhouse due to its stable performance, strong load-bearing capacity and high transmission efficiency.
Regular maintenance can effectively prevent greenhouse automatic window opener from problems such as jamming, lagging response and slow action. Greenhouse environment is special, the equipment is exposed to high temperature, high humidity, dust, pharmaceutical residues and other environments for a long time, its transmission parts and connectors are prone to accumulate dust, debris, or rust due to moisture, resulting in increased friction between the parts, which leads to the occurrence of opening and closing of the window stiffness, jamming, or even unable to open and close normally. Through regular cleaning, lubrication and inspection, impurities can be removed in a timely manner, reducing wear and tear of components, ensuring smooth opening and closing of the equipment, responding in a timely manner, and avoiding interruption of greenhouse ventilation due to equipment failure.
It is of great significance to the stability of greenhouse ventilation. The core role of the greenhouse automatic window opener is to regulate the amount of ventilation, once the equipment fails, it can not be opened or closed properly, which will lead to the imbalance of temperature and humidity in the greenhouse: high temperature can not be ventilated in a timely manner to reduce the temperature, which may result in crop scorching or futile; high humidity can not be ventilated in a timely manner to remove moisture, which is easy to cause fungal diseases, root rot and other problems. Regular maintenance helps to find and solve the hidden problems of the equipment in time, ensure that it always operates stably according to the preset parameters, keep the ventilation stable in the greenhouse, and provide a relatively constant temperature, humidity, and well-ventilated environment for the growth of the crops, so as to improve the yield and quality of the crops.
In addition, regular maintenance can also reduce the risk of equipment damage caused by weather, dust, corrosion and other factors. Greenhouses are mostly open-air or semi-open-air environments, window openers are exposed to wind, sun and rain for a long time, and the metal parts are easy to be eroded and rusted by rain; dust, plant residues, pesticide residues, etc. inside the greenhouse will also enter the interior of the equipment, wear out the transmission parts, clogging the pipeline (e.g., wax cylinder) or affecting the operation of the motor (electric type). Through regular cleaning, anti-rust treatment and protection measures, it can effectively isolate the external erosion, reduce the loss of components, and reduce the equipment failure rate. For example, in humid and rainy areas, regular anti-rust treatment of metal parts can significantly slow down the rate of rust and corrosion and extend the service life of parts.
Regular maintenance can also extend the service life of the equipment, reduce replacement and repair costs. A reliable quality greenhouse automatic window opener, if properly maintained, the service life is usually up to 5-8 years or even longer; if you ignore the maintenance, the equipment is prone to component damage, frequent failures, etc., may need to be replaced within 2-3 years, significantly increasing the cost of planting. At the same time, regular maintenance can be found in advance of the screws loose, parts of the slight wear and tear and other small problems, and in the early and simple to deal with, to avoid small faults evolved into a major failure, reduce the intensity of the later maintenance and cost. The experience of many growers shows that the early investment of a small amount of time for maintenance, far more cost-effective than later to spend a large sum of money to replace the equipment, especially for large greenhouses, once the ventilation is interrupted due to equipment failure, it is likely to bring large economic losses.
Daily and Weekly Maintenance Checklist
Daily and weekly maintenance is the basis of greenhouse automatic window opener maintenance, simple operation, time-consuming, the main purpose is to timely remove debris on the surface of the equipment, check the operating status of the equipment and the stability of the installation, and to find minor hidden problems and deal with them in a timely manner, so as to avoid the accumulation of hidden problems. It is recommended to spend 5-10 minutes a day for daily inspection and once a week for comprehensive maintenance as follows.
Keep the window opener clean
Cleaning is the first and most critical step of maintenance, mainly removing dust, dirt, plant residual leaves, insect carcasses and other debris on the surface of the equipment and in the crevices, to avoid debris from entering the interior of the equipment and affecting the operation of transmission components. Specific operations are as follows: first of all, use a soft brush (such as toothbrush, small brush) to gently brush off the surface of the window opener, the cylinder (wax cylinder type), the motor casing (electric), the transmission arm, bracket and window connection parts of the dust and debris, focusing on cleaning up the crevices of the residual debris, to avoid too hard to scratch the surface of the equipment or damage to the components; secondly, wipe the surface of the equipment with a clean, wet cloth (wrung out until not dripping), especially the cylinder, drive arm, brackets and other debris, to prevent debris from entering the internal operation of the transmission components. Especially the cylinder, transmission arm, bracket and window contact points, to remove surface stains, pesticide residues or water stains, for stubborn stains, you can apply a small amount of neutral detergent (such as detergent) on the rag, gently wipe, and then dry with a dry rag, avoid the use of corrosive detergents (such as disinfectant, strong acid and alkali detergents), to prevent damage to the surface coating of the device and the metal parts; finally, check and clean up the debris at the window track to ensure that the window is unobstructed when opening and closing, to avoid excessive force on the window opener due to track blockage and damage to the transmission parts.
It should be noted that when cleaning the wax cylinder type window opener, water should be avoided to enter the sealing place of the wax cylinder to prevent the paraffin wax from being deteriorated by moisture; when cleaning the electric window opener, the power supply should be cut off first, to avoid water droplets from entering the motor, the control system or the junction place, which may cause short-circuit faults. In addition, if pesticides and fungicides are used in the greenhouse planting process, the surface of the window opener should be cleaned in time after spraying to avoid corrosion of equipment parts by pharmaceutical residues.
Check the operation and response sensitivity
Every week, we need to focus on checking whether the operation of the window opener is smooth, responsive and sensitive, and timely detection of abnormalities in the operation process. Specific operations are as follows: first, manually trigger the operation of the window opener (wax cylinder type can be manually warmed up or cooled down test, electric type can be controlled by remote control or manual buttons), observe the whole process of the window opener to open and close the window, to confirm whether the action is smooth, there is no jamming, noise, stagnation and other conditions, if there is a jamming or stagnation, you should check whether there are debris clogging, loosening parts or wear and tear of transmission components and other issues; Secondly, observe whether the lifting of the window opener is even, whether there is a high side, a low side, if there is uneven lifting, it may be the installation of misalignment, deformation of the transmission arm or window track is not flat, need to be adjusted in a timely manner; Finally, test the response sensitivity of the window opener, for the wax cylinder type, can be adjusted by adjusting the temperature (e.g., by using warm water to wipe the wax cylinder), to observe the speed of its startup, if the response is sluggish, it may be the aging of paraffin wax or the cylinder is clogged; For the electric type, the response speed of the sensor can be tested. If the window opener does not start in time after the sensor detects the temperature change, it is necessary to check whether the sensor is normal and whether the wiring is loose.
In addition, it is also necessary to observe whether the window is sealed tightly after the window opener is closed, if there is a gap after closing, it may be improperly adjusted travel of the window opener, deformation of the transmission arm or loosening of the window hinge, which needs to be adjusted in a timely manner to avoid affecting the effect of greenhouse heat preservation, and at the same time, preventing rain and dust from entering the interior of the greenhouse.
Check the installation stability
The installation stability of the window opener directly affects its operation and service life, and the firmness of the installation parts should be checked every week to avoid damage to the equipment or abnormal operation due to loose installation. Specific operations are as follows: first, check whether the screws, buckles and mounting brackets of the fixed window opener are loose and fall off, focus on checking the connecting parts of the drive arm and window, bracket and the fixing screws of the motor (motorized), if the screws are found to be loose, it is necessary to tighten them in time with a screwdriver, and if the screws are lost or damaged, it should be replaced by screws with the same specifications, so as to avoid the use of substandard screws leading to the installation of the installation of insecure; second, check the overall mounting position of the window opener. Check whether the overall installation position of the window opener is offset, there is no tilt, misalignment and so on, if offset, need to adjust the bracket position, to ensure that the window opener and the window to maintain vertical or horizontal (according to the installation method), to avoid uneven force during operation, damage to the transmission components; Finally, check whether the window hinges are solid, if the window hinges are loose, it will lead to the window opening and closing of the window shaking, increase the load of the window opener, need to promptly tighten the hinge screws, if necessary. Tighten the hinge screws and replace the hinges if necessary.
It should be noted that if the greenhouse encountered windy, rainstorms and other inclement weather, you need to additionally check the stability of the installation, because inclement weather may lead to loose screws, bracket deformation, and timely investigation of hidden dangers, to avoid equipment failure during operation.
Even if you do a good job of regular maintenance, greenhouse automatic window opener in the long-term use of the process, there may be some faults, if you can find and master the simple solution in time, you can reduce maintenance costs, to avoid affecting the greenhouse ventilation.
Window opening speed is too slow, is one of the most common failures of the window opener, mainly affecting the ventilation efficiency, especially during the high temperature, can not open the window in time, which will lead to the greenhouse internal temperature is too high. The possible causes and solutions are as follows:
Windows can not be fully opened, which will lead to insufficient ventilation in the greenhouse, affecting the greenhouse environment regulation, its possible causes and solutions are as follows:
Window opener stuck, can not open and close properly, is a more serious failure, if not dealt with in time, may lead to damage to the components, the possible causes and solutions are as follows:
The window opener opens too early or too late, will lead to the greenhouse internal temperature, humidity imbalance, affecting crop growth, its possible causes and solutions are as follows:
Wax cylinder type automatic window opener is simple in structure and does not need electricity. Maintenance focuses on protecting the wax cylinder, preventing rust and debris from clogging, the specific tips are as follows:
Keep the cylinder clean and dry: the wax cylinder is the core part of the device, it needs to be kept clean and dry all the time to avoid water, dust, pesticide residues, etc. entering the cylinder, which will lead to deterioration of paraffin wax and sealing damage. When cleaning, use a dry rag or wet rag (wrung out) to wipe the surface of the cylinder to avoid water from entering the cylinder seal; if there are stains on the surface of the cylinder, use neutral detergent to gently wipe it and then dry it with a dry rag.
Prevent freezing and physical impact: the paraffin wax in the wax cylinder will solidify in low temperature environment, if the temperature is too low (below 0℃), it may cause the cylinder to freeze and crack, so you need to take anti-freezing measures in winter, disassemble and store it in time when it is not in use, or take heat preservation measures; at the same time, avoid physical impact on the wax cylinder, to prevent the cylinder from being broken or paraffin wax from leaking.
Regularly check the sealing condition: check the sealing of the wax cylinder every month to see if there is any paraffin leakage or oil stains. If leakage is found, it means that the sealing is damaged and the wax cylinder needs to be replaced in time to prevent the equipment from normal operation. When replacing the wax cylinder, make sure it is firmly installed and tightly sealed to avoid leakage again.
Lubricate the transmission parts: Regularly lubricate the transmission arms, hinges, pins and other moving parts, use special lubricants to avoid excessive lubrication and reduce the wear and tear of the parts to ensure smooth operation.
Replace the aging wax cylinder in time: the service life of wax cylinder is generally 3-5 years, if you find that the window opener responds slowly, opens insufficiently, or the paraffin wax leaks, it means that the wax cylinder is aging and needs to be replaced in time to avoid affecting the performance of the equipment.
Electric automatic window opener has a complex structure and relies on electricity. Maintenance focuses on protecting the motor, control system and transmission mechanism to prevent short-circuiting and damage to the motor, the specific tips are as follows:
Check the line, motor response and power supply: check whether the power line and wiring are loose, aging and broken every month to avoid short circuit and leakage; test the response speed of the motor on a regular basis, and observe whether there are abnormal noise and serious heat when the motor is running, if the motor is running abnormally, it needs to be overhauled or replaced in a timely manner; ensure that the power supply is stable to avoid voltage fluctuations that may cause damage to the motor, and for the use of lithium batteries for the electric For the use of lithium battery electric window opener, need to regularly check the battery power, timely charging, to avoid excessive battery discharge damage, lithium battery life is generally 2-3 years, need to be replaced in a timely manner.
Check the control system and backup system: regularly test the sensitivity of the control system (remote control, center control panel) to ensure that it can normally control the opening and closing of the window opener; for the electric window opener equipped with a backup power supply, check the status of the backup power supply every month to ensure that it can work normally in the event of a power outage, to avoid interruption of ventilation due to a power outage. At the same time, check the controller settings to ensure that the temperature threshold, opening and closing speed and other parameters are set reasonably.
Keep electrical parts dry and protected: electric window opener motors, control systems, junctions and other electrical parts, need to be kept dry to avoid rain, moisture into the short-circuit failure. Waterproof cover can be added, especially in rainy, humid areas; cleaning, first cut off the power supply, wipe the surface of the electrical components with a dry rag, avoid using wet rags to wipe directly. For rack and pinion type electric window opener, also need to keep the rack and pinion clean and dry, avoid rust and corrosion.
Regular lubrication transmission mechanism: gears, rack and pinion, push rod, bearings and other transmission mechanisms, lubrication once a month, the use of special lubricants to reduce wear and tear of components, to ensure smooth transmission; avoid lubricant contact with electrical components, to prevent short-circuit. At the same time, regularly check the meshing of the rack and pinion, if the meshing is not tight, need to be adjusted in time.
Avoid motor overload: electric window opener has a rated load, you need to ensure that the weight of the window does not exceed the rated load, to avoid long-term overload operation of the motor, resulting in motor burnout; if you need to open the heavier windows, you need to choose a larger load window opener, or use a double-push type of electric window opener to ensure stable operation. In addition, the installation needs to be operated by professionals to avoid improper installation leading to motor overload.
How to extend the service life of greenhouse automatic window opener
Use within the rated load: each greenhouse window opener has a rated load (i.e. the maximum window weight that can be pushed), growers need to know the rated load of the equipment in advance to ensure that the weight of the window doesn’t exceed the rated load, to avoid the equipment from running for a long period of time with overload, which will lead to wear and tear of the transmission parts, burnt out of the motor (for the electric type), or damaged of the wax cylinder (for the wax cylinder type). If the weight of the window exceeds the rated load, it is necessary to replace the window opener with a larger load, or use multiple window openers in linkage to share the load. For rack and pinion type window openers, it is necessary to select the appropriate power gear motor according to the width and weight of the window to avoid overloading the motor.
Ensure that the initial installation is correct: correct installation is the basis for the long-term stable operation of the equipment, it is recommended that the installation is carried out by professionals, the installation needs to ensure that the window opener is firmly connected with the window, the position is correct, the drive arm and the window to maintain a vertical or horizontal, to avoid the installation of misalignment, looseness, resulting in uneven force and damage to the components of the equipment during operation. After installation, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive test to ensure that the equipment runs smoothly and responds sensitively, and if installation problems are found, adjust them in time. At the same time, the installation needs to avoid damaging the seals, wiring and other components of the equipment to ensure the integrity of the equipment.
Avoid forcible operation of windows: When the window opener is in operation, or when the equipment is stuck or malfunctioning, do not manually force the window open or close to avoid damage to the drive arm, gears, motor and other components. If the equipment fails, you need to stop the operation first, check the fault and solve it, and then operate; if you need to operate the window manually, you need to disconnect the window opener from the window first, to avoid forcible operation to drive the equipment to run.
With reasonable greenhouse ventilation design: greenhouse automatic window opener operating effect and greenhouse ventilation design is closely related to the reasonable ventilation design can reduce the operating load of the window opener, prolong the service life. It is recommended that according to the size, shape and planting crops of the greenhouse, design a reasonable window layout and ventilation to ensure that when the window opener is opened, the ventilation is smooth, reducing the running time and load of the equipment; at the same time, clean up the debris of the greenhouse vent on a regular basis, to avoid obstruction of the ventilation, which will lead to the long-term high load operation of the window opener.
Timely replacement of damaged parts: found that equipment parts wear, damage, aging, need to be replaced in a timely manner, do not wait until the parts are completely damaged, the equipment can not run before replacement, so as to avoid small failures escalate to big problems, damage more parts, increase maintenance costs. When replacing parts, you need to choose the original parts that match the model of the equipment to ensure compatibility and quality, and avoid using poor quality parts, which will affect the operating effect and service life of the equipment. For example, the core parts such as motor, wax cylinder, gear rack, etc., need to choose the original genuine products to ensure stable performance.
Do a good job of daily protection: avoid the window opener by physical impact, sun exposure, rain, etc., in the greenhouse on top of the installation of sunshade net, to reduce the direct sunlight on the aging of the equipment; in rainy areas, add a waterproof cover, to prevent rain erosion of the equipment; regular cleaning of the surface of the equipment, dust, debris, to keep the equipment clean, to reduce the wear and tear of the components.
Selection tips: for long-term reliability protection
As a manufacturer of greenhouse window openers, Chenlong Hardware understands that the stability of the equipment has a direct impact on the greenhouse ventilation effect, the growing environment of the crops, and ultimately the planting profit. Therefore, we not only provide reliable and stable products, but also provide professional selection advice, installation guidance and follow-up maintenance consulting services according to the actual needs of your greenhouse, helping you to reduce the failure rate of the equipment, extend the service life, and improve management efficiency.
If you are looking for a suitable automatic window opener for your greenhouse, welcome to contact us, leave your needs, we will provide you with more suitable solutions and professional support.