Robinsons Victorian Ratcliffe 8 User manual

NOMINAL SIZE A (mm) B (mm)
8 x 6
2602
2012
8 x 8 2632
8 x 10 3252
8 x 12 3872

2
Thank you for purchasing your new Robinsons greenhouse. We recommend you familiarise yourself with the instructions and read all safety
information before you commence assembly. This instruction manual is also available online at www.robinsonsgreenhouses.co.uk
in our technical help section should you need to reprint it. Should you require any additional advice you can always call us on 01782 385409.
These instructions are divided into sections highlighted by a white number/letter on a black background at the bottom corner of most pages (see opposite
page for details); part lists, B-base, P-preparation, 1-sides, 2-front gable, 3-rear, 4-joining the four sides together, 5-louvre, 6-roof, 7-vent, 8-glazing, 9-
vent attachment, 10-door attachment, 11 anchoring down, 12 finishing touches, 13 optional shelf, 14 optional staging. If you need to contact us for assis-
tance please refer to the relevant section/s. If your building is longer than 12’, i.e. has an extension then please also refer the separate extension manual.
Safety Warning
 Glass and aluminium can potentially cause injury. Please ensure you wear protective goggles, gloves, headgear and suitable footwear when
assembling and glazing the building.
 Please remember that glass is fragile and should be handled with extreme care. Always clear up and dispose of any breakages immediately.
 Do not assemble the greenhouse in high winds.
 For safety reasons and ease of assembly, we recommend that this greenhouse is assembled by a minimum of two people.
 Please clear all lying snow from the greenhouse roof as it can cause the roof to buckle or collapse.
Site Preparation
 When selecting a site for your greenhouse, it is vital that you choose as flat and level an area as possible.
 A concrete or slabbed base will provide the most solid foundation for your greenhouse.
 IMPORTANT: Do not fix your building down until the building is fully assembled, including glazing.
 Avoid placing your greenhouse under trees or in other vulnerable locations.
 To minimise the risk of wind damage, try to select as sheltered a site as possible, e.g. beside a hedgerow or garden fence.
Additional Considerations
 Please bear in mind that assembling your greenhouse can be time consuming. You may need to spread the construction over two or more
days. We recommend that you avoid leaving the building partially glazed. If you ever have to leave your greenhouse half assembled and not
anchored down, weigh it down with slabs or bags of sand to stop the wind moving it.
 You will find it helpful to prepare a large, clean and clear area in which to work in. A garage floor or flat lawn area is ideal.
 If you have arranged for someone to install your greenhouse for you, please check that all components are included. Some parts are numbered
and can be identified by a stamped or hand written number (without the ’D’). Alternatively, the components can be identified by their distinctive
profiles, lengths and quantities detailed in the parts list (see next page).
 Anchoring down your greenhouse should be the final stage of construction (including glazing).
 Once installed your greenhouse requires little maintenance, but to maintain the smooth running of
your door(s) WD40 or similar can be applied to the door pivot pins / lock etc...
Guarantee
 Your new Robinsons greenhouse is guaranteed for 10 years against faulty manufacture of the frame-
work. This does not include glazing, moving parts, accidental damage or wind damage.
KEY
SYMBOL KEY DESCRIPTION
EXTERNAL VIEW
THINK
THIS SECTION
RELATES TO
ANOTHER
(e.g. 1 to 5)
CORRECT
DO NOT FIX DOWN!
TWIST TO LOCK
TIGHTEN
PUSH AND HOLD
CUT TO LENGTH
INTERNAL VIEW
639mm D866

3
SECTION
No TITLE ASSEMBLY SYNOPSIS: IMPORTANT INFORMATION / CONSIDERATIONS
PARTS LIST Most components should have a ‘D’ code punched into their metal surface. Identify and separate all like for like com-
ponents prior to assembly. The ‘parts list’ also separates parts into the various sections 1 - 12 shown below. Parts can
also be identified by their profile pictures and stated lengths etc..
B
BASE Base dimensions and recommendations. Ensure that your base is level as this will make assembly of the building,
especially the glazing of the roof much more straight forward. Please be aware that the hinge door on your green-
house opens inwards, make sure that there will be no interference between the door and the foundations.
P PREPARATION Tools required. IMPORTANT: Use WD40 or similar in the glazing bar channels and insert the black glazing rubber
prior to frame assembly.
1
SIDES Take the side glazing bars ‘D066’ with the rubber inserted and the diagonal braces ‘D103’, use 10mm bolts to join
them to the gutter and 15mm bolts to the cills (note how the head of the bolt slides into each glazing bar during con-
struction). Please also remember to slide in your 22mm bolts for attaching the decorative eave spandrels ‘DV100’ in
section 5.
2 FRONT Again ensuring that the gable framework is rubbered-up follow the diagrams to assemble each end of the building.
Make sure that you have inserted the extra bolts utilised in sections 4 and 5. On the roof and side corner bars not
every rubber channel will require rubber unless it is to be utilised in a partition (see separate manual and section P).
3 REAR
4 JOINING THE
FOUR SIDES Take the two sides (1) and both gables (2 & 3) and join them together on your base. It is a good idea to tie some lad-
ders to the sides to support them if you do not have anyone to hold them for you.
5
LOUVRE They attach to the building during the glazing process (8) like a piece of glass with a black separator above and below
them. If you are fitting an optional auto-louvre then you need to carefully drill (3mm bit) out the rivets which mount the
handle to the frame. You can then either utilise those holes or create more to mount the unit.
6
ROOF
Attach the ridge and then the rubbered-up roof bars ensuring that they are fully butted up to the ridge and down onto
the gutter. Attach your cresting before you glaze the building to give yourself more room to work. Utilise the 22mm
bolts slid into the side (section 1) and roof bars to attach your DV100 and DV101 spandrels. On longer models you
may need to carefully prop up the roof and tie the sides together to keep the ridge and gutters straight (i.e. not sag-
ging or bowed) until the building is fully glazed.
7a VENT Once the vent is glazed add silicone to the vent sides and top. Stand the vent/s on their hinge (vent top) and then
leave the silicone to set.
7b VENT SLAM The slam bar ‘D079’ can be moved up and down between the roof glazing bars so that it can be butted down onto the
pane of glass beneath, the autovent will be attached to it later on (9).
8
GLAZING
Layout the bar cappings and covers around the building like a sundial checking that all is present and correct. You can
also place the roof cappings in the gutters so they are closer to hand. The glass in the sides has to bevel on the black
separator strip which is on top of the 305mm high glass base panels. This bevelling action allows the glass to tuck
underneath the gutter canopy. Use the capping and the self tapping screws to then hold the glass in place. The covers
then enclose the screw heads giving a neat finish. It is a good idea to glaze two roof sections first to ensure the build-
ing is square followed by two side sections to ensure the building isn't leaning.
IMPORTANT: On the roof sections please make sure that you place a screw around 25mm / 1” from the bottom of
each capping strip (create a hole in the plastic if required) and that the screws are nice and tight to avoid any glass
slippage.
9 VENT
ATTACHMENT Take the assembled vent and slide the vent hinge ‘D866’ into the end of the ridge allowing the vent the pivot open and
closed. Vent stops go either side of the vent to stop any lateral movement (so insert stop / vent / stop). Attach the
Bayliss XL autovents.
10 DOOR
ATTACHMENT Your door comes pre-constructed and locked minus the handles and their pivot pin but now it needs to be mounted to
the front end of your building. Utilise the ‘DV522’ plates and twist in crop headed bolts to join the door and its frame to
the building (pinch the door frame against your long front verticals whilst tightening your ‘DV522’ plates to ensure that
there is no gap). If you are struggling to eradicate the gap between the door frame and verticals then some silicone
can be carefully applied to the area to create a vertical seal. Be careful not to lock yourself in the building and to avoid
damage do not open the door until it is attached to the front gable. Getting the door to swing perfectly without dropping
or rubbing on the ground may require some small but vital adjustments. You may also need to insert a packer under-
neath the door frame hinge to increase ground clearance. Part ‘DV275’ canopies the door frame top hiding the clear-
ance space at the top of the door. The door can only be made to swing inwards.
IMPORTANT: Please do NOT let the door slam open or closed as it is likely to cause damage to the door and the
frame. Please twist the handle to open and close. Please also be aware that your door KEYS (3 provided) are unique
to the building so they should not be stored together.
11 ANCHORING
DOWN Now that the greenhouse is finished and the door and vent/s are operating without interference then you need to an-
chor the building down using 2” rawl plugs and screws. Use a 7mm masonry bit in a hammer drill to create the holes.
12 FINISHING
TOUCHES Now that the main body of the structure is complete you can add; downpipe fittings, eave bungs, gutter stop ends. It is
also important to carefully apply some silicone to the internal eaves corners and external and internal ridge corners to
minimise the chance of water entering the structure.
13 OPTIONAL
SHELVING
Robinsons integral cantilever staging and shelving attaches to the inside of the greenhouse frame using either square
head bolts (insert four into each side glazing bar ’D066’ during construction of the sides (1)) or rectangular ‘crop head’
bolts which can be fitted retrospectively (both sets of bolts accompany the shelving/staging). This system allows the
height of either the staging or the shelf to be set at an operator specific height. Commonly the staging brackets are set
900mm from the cills though you can alter this to suit the end user/s. The aluminium shelf / staging slats come in two
lengths; (4’):1240mm ‘D2002’ and (6’):1860mm ’D2003’. These slats can combine to create any length of staging re-
quired, i.e. 4’+6’ = 10’ etc...
14 OPTIONAL
STAGING

4
Section
Ref Part
No. Section Size (mm) 8 6 8 8 8 10 8 12 Section
Ref Part
No. Section Size (mm) 8 6 8 8 8 10 8 12
D043 1894 2
D021 2514 2
D022 3134 2
D023 3754 2
DV213 1897 2
DV210 2517 2
DV211 3137 2
DV212 3757 2
D103 1787 4
D066 1676 4 6 8 10
RUBBER 1000 (1m)
14 21 27 34
D174
N/A
4 4 8 8
DV204 1897 1
DV201 2517 1
DV202 3137 1
DV203 3757 1
DV254 1790 4 6 8 10
RUBBER 1000 (1m)
15 22 30 36
D866 639 2 2 4 4
D863L 613 2 2 4 4
D863R 613 2 2 4 4
D862 593 2 2 4 4
D079
PLUS FLUFF
590 2 2 4 4
D114 N/A 4 4 8 8
D220
PLUS FS6060
SCREW
N/A 4 4 8 8
D205 N/A 4 4 8 8
DV231 2614 1
DV225L
855 1
DV225R 1
D048 1676 4
DV235L
2021 2
DV235R 2
DV237L
2489 2
DV237R 2
DV261 2925 1
DV270L
782 1
DV270R 1
DV273 2468 1
DV292 1794 4
DV251L
1790
2
DV251R
2
DV263 930 1
DV275 904 1
DV104 N/A 4
DV105 N/A 2
RUBBER 1000 (1m)
70
D174
N/A
9
D163 90 2

5
10 DV479 1384
2/3 DV635L/R 2021 2 + 2
2/3 DV637L/R 2489 2 + 2
5 DV654 1821 4
3 DV661 2925 1
2 /10 DV663 905 1
1 D812 1660 4 6 8 10
1
6 8 10
2/3 D813 1675 4
1 D834 1660 4
5 DV651 1790 4
1 D825 1660 8 10 12 14
2/3 D826 1677
2/3 DV636L/R 2021 2 + 2
2/3 DV638L/R 2489 2 + 2
10 DV480 1384 1
5 DV657 1821 8 10 12 14
3 DV667 2925 1
2 / 10 DV669 905 1
4
Section
Ref Part
No. Section Size (mm) 8 6 8 8 8 10 8 12
D522 N/A 10
D119 N/A 1
DV120 N/A 4
D841 N/A 2
D211
PIPE
1625 2
D207 N/A 2
D214 N/A 2
D201 N/A 2
D208 N/A 2
DV219 N/A 2
DV218 N/A 2
SILICONE
10mm
SYBOLM6X11
10mm
74 80 86
SYBOLM6X15
15mm
28 30 32
SYBOLM6X22
22mm
24 36 48
92
34
60
SYNUTM6
M6
NUT
126 146 166 186
MAIN FRAME QUANTITIES
VENTS / DOORS etc SEPERATE
Size
(mm) 8 6 8 8 8 10 8 12

6
EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS (mm)
Model sizes listed are nominal,
use ‘mm’ measurements.
i.e.: an 8 x 10 is the model 8'7" x 10'8"
MODEL A (mm) WIDTH B (mm) LENGTH C (mm) DIAGONAL
8
RATCLIFFE
VICTORIAN
8 x 6
2602
2012 3289
8 x 10 3252 4165
8 x 12 3872 4665
EXTENSIONS
6ft ext. - 1860 -
8ft ext. - 2480 -
10ft ext. - 3100 -
12ft ext. - 3720 -
8 x 8 2632 3701
THE DIMENSIONS BELOW ARE THE EXACT EXTERNAL BASE DIMENSIONS FOR THE ROBINSONS RANGE.
We cannot emphasis how important it is to have a proper base for your Robinsons Greenhouse to be erected upon.
It is essential that the BASE IS FLAT, LEVEL AND SQUARE AS WELL AS BEING SUBSTANTIAL enough to take the
weight of the greenhouse including its 4mm glass.
Give yourself enough room around your base to allow for fitting the glass and any on-going maintenance / cleaning. A slab base which
is larger than the greenhouse is the ideal solution and is our preferred foundation.
A brick perimeter base is equally suitable providing there is a concrete foundation beneath it. We suggest using a solid brick with no
frogs or holes (quality stock bricks or semi-engineering bricks).
IMPORTANT: Do not anchor your greenhouse down until it is fully assembled including glazing unless you are 100% sure your base is
square and level. If not your glass will not fit properly.
IMPORTANT: If you have anything overhanging the ridge on a lean-to building then please make sure it does not interfere with the mo-
tion of the roof vents.
Longer building example (mm)
External dimension of an 8 x 20 greenhouse.
8 x 12 main module (A) 2602 x (B) 3872
8 extension + (B) 2480
8 x 20 module (A) 2602 x (B) 6352

7
PARTITION
ONLY
REFER TO
SEPARATE
MANUAL
Feed glazing rubber into each glazing bar and
trim to length. Notice that some channels are
only used on a partition. Applying a lubricant to
the aluminium channels will speed up insertion.
The frame is assembled by feeding square
headed bolts, either 10mm or 15mm in length
into the slots on glazing bars and then locating
those bolts through holes in purlings and cills,
etc… Twist in (rectangular) crop headed bolts
are also used towards the end of construction
to attach components to the frame when the
glazing bar slots are no longer exposed at the
ends. 10mm
15mm
PARTITION
ONLY
REFER TO
SEPARATE
MANUAL

8
6
X 2
12
X 2
8
X 2
10
X 2
DV213
D043
DV210
D021
DV211
D022
DV212
D023
Part No mm Quantity
DV213 1897 2
D043 1894 2
D066 1676 4
D103 1787 4
D174 4
SYBOLM6X11 4
SYBOLM6X15 8
SYNUTM6 12
6 X 2
Rubber 1000 14
SYBOLM6X22 8
Part No mm Quantity
DV210 2517 2
D021 2514 2
D066 1676 6
D103 1787 4
D174 4
SYBOLM6X11 6
SYBOLM6X15 10
SYNUTM6 16
8 X 2
Rubber 1000 21
SYBOLM6X22 12
Part No mm Quantity
DV211 3137 2
D022 3134 2
D066 1676 8
D103 1787 4
D174 8
SYBOLM6X11 8
SYBOLM6X15 12
SYNUTM6 20
10 X 2
Rubber 1000 27
SYBOLM6X22 16
Part No mm Quantity
DV212 3757 2
D023 3754 2
D066 1676 10
D103 1787 4
D174 8
SYBOLM6X11 10
SYBOLM6X15 14
SYNUTM6 24
12 X 2
Rubber 1000 34
SYBOLM6X22 20

9
D103
D103
15mm
D066
10mm
D066
TRANSIT
BOLT ON
DIAGONALS
15mm
22mm

10
8’ full front Part No mm Quantity
D048 1676 2
DV225L 855 1
DV225R 855 1
DV235L 2021 1
DV235R 2021 1
DV237L 2489 1
DV237R 2489 1
DV251L 1790 1
DV251R 1790 1
DV263 930 1
Part No mm Quantity
D174 4
M6X10 34
M6X15 10
M6NUT 44
DV104 2
D227 31m
DV105 1
DV270LH 782 1
DV270RH 782 1
DV275 904 1
DV292 1794 2
D163 2
D048
10mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
15mm
15mm
D048
DV292
DV292
DV237L
DV237R
DV263
DV251L
DV251R
10mm
15mm
10mm
15mm 15mm
15mm
15mm 10mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
DV235R
DV235L
10mm
15mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
15mm
10mm
10mm
DV270R DV270L
DV225L
DV225R
10mm
DV275

11
DV225L /
DV225R
DV251L
DV225L /
DV225R
D174
DV292
DV251R
D048
D048
DV292
DV251L /
DV251R
DV104
DV104
DV251L /
DV251R
FLIP VIEW
DV270L /
DV270R
DV105 DV263
DV237L /
DV237R
DV251L /
DV251R
DV237L /
DV237R
DV275
D163

12
DV231
D048
10mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
15mm
15mm
Part No mm Quantity
D048 1676 2
DV231 2614 1
DV235L 2021 1
DV235R 2021 1
DV237L 2489 1
DV237R 2489 1
DV251L 1790 1
DV251R 1790 1
DV261 2925 1
DV273 2468 1
DV292 1794 2
Part No mm Quantity
D174 5
M6X10 28
M6X15 11
M6NUT 39
DV104 2
D227 39m
DV105 1
D048
DV292
DV292
DV237L
DV237R
DV261
DV273
DV251L
DV251R
10mm
15mm
10mm
15mm 15mm
15mm
15mm 10mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
DV235R
DV235L
10mm
15mm
10mm
10mm
10mm
15mm
10mm
10mm
8’ full rear

13
DV251L
DV231
D174
DV292
DV231
DV251R
D048
DV105 DV261
DV237L /
DV237R
DV251L /
DV251R
DV237L /
DV237R
DV235L /
DV235R
D048
DV292
DV251L /
DV251R
DV273
DV104
DV104
DV251L /
DV251R
FLIP VIEW

14
EQUAL

15
D168L
D168R (handle)
552
552
1
1
D165 612 2
D166 552 2
FS6013 12 4
Part No mm Quantity
INTERNAL VIEW
D165
D165
D166 D166
D168L D168R
D165
PINCH ALL GLASS RETAINERS
BEFORE GLAZING
D729TG - 100 x 525 panes x 6

16
Part No mm Quantity
DV204 1897 1
DV254 1790 4
DV100 n/a 4
DV101 n/a 2
RUBBER 1000 15
SYBOLM6X11 8
SYBOLM6X22 16
SYNUTM6 32
6’
Part No mm Quantity
DV201 2517 1
DV254 1790 6
DV100 n/a 6
DV101 n/a 3
RUBBER 1000 22
SYBOLM6X11 12
SYBOLM6X22 24
SYNUTM6 48
8’
Part No mm Quantity
DV202 3137 1
DV254 1790 8
DV100 n/a 8
DV101 n/a 4
RUBBER 1000 30
SYBOLM6X11 16
SYBOLM6X22 32
SYNUTM6 64
10’
Part No mm Quantity
DV203 3757 1
DV254 1790 10
DV100 n/a 10
DV101 n/a 5
RUBBER 1000 36
SYBOLM6X11 20
SYBOLM6X22 40
SYNUTM6 80
12’
DV282
ROFINALU
DV281
RO
CRE
ALU
CUT
6mm
SILICONE
D119
EQUALx2
 End finials need to be pinched onto the ridge using ‘DV282’ grub screws.
 Depending on your ridge length a half cresting may need to be cut. Some
spacer bar may also be required ‘DV281’ cut into two equal sections.
 Each finial and cresting piece needs to be siliconed ‘D119’ into place.

17
2
1
3
4
1
DV254
D066
2
DV254
DV254
4
3
10mm
22mm
10mm
22mm
DV101
DV100
DV100

18
D1208
1 of -
610 x 610
pane
D866
D863R
D863L
D866 639 1
D863L 613 1
D863R 613 1
D862 593 1
Part No mm Quantity
D220
PLUS
SCREW
N/A 2
D205 N/A 2
SY-
BOLM6X11 10 4
SYNUTM6 M6 4
8 X 12 S/T
FS6017 10 2
Part No mm Quantity
8 x 19 S/T
FS6018 19 2
D863R
D866
2
2
D1208
1 of -
610 x 610
pane

19
D862 D862
D863L
2
2
2
2
2
FLIP
VIEW
D119
CUT
6mm
SILICONE

20
D114
D079
FLIP
VIEW
D079
PLUS
FLUFF
590 1
D114 N/A 2
Part No mm Quantity
SY-
BOLM6X11 10 2
SY-
BOLM6X15 15 2
SYBOLM6
X11CROP 10 2
SYNUTM6 N/A 4
Part No mm Quantity
D114