Conservatory roof Ultralite 500 - anyone got one?

Liz1966

I'd be pleased if anyone can help me in relation to Ultralite 500 conservatory roofs.
I moved into a house that has one on the conservatory and the roof panels have discoloured in the sunlight and some panels have holes in. The conservatory is less than 5 years old. Is it normal for a conservatory roof to degrade in such a short time or is this a unique 'feature' of Ultralites? If I replace it with a different type of polycarbonate roof am I going to get the same problems or are there other problems I may get? Sadly, as it was installed by the previous home owner I can't claim on any guarantee and need to come up with a cheap but robust alternative.
The conservatory faces South so does get a lot of sun and I only want to replace the roof so rebuilding it as a sunroom is not an option.
Grateful to hear from anyone with experience of these roof systems.

docmatt

UL500 is expensive but still available, you can buy direct from www.theplasticsdepot.co.uk (not online, u have to call)

You can't put normal 25 0r 35mm poly in there because they will be bars specific to the UL500 system. Best thing is cost up the new sheets and then get a seperate quote for a new roof with 35mm poly (ample) and see how they pan out. Choose an opaque colour and it'll stop a shyteload of heat from the sun.

iamcornholio

The plastic sheets can degrade quicker if the roof is at a very shallow angle, but 5 years is a very short life and unusual for any sheet

I wonder if these were installed upside down and so got no protection from the exterior surface coating?

Liz1966

I wonder if these were installed upside down and so got no protection from the exterior surface coating?

I think they must have been. It's not that sunny here so I can't see how they could deteriorate so quickly. The company that makes them wouldn't still be in business if all their roofs looked like after just a few years.

SatanicHare

Usually Ultralite panels come with the front end pre-formed, which would make it impossible to fit upside down, however without seeing pics it's hard to say for sure. See page 4 of this pdf to see the pre-formed drip, another cause could be some kind of chemical cleaner which has removed the uv protection.

http://www.ultraframe-conservatories.co.uk/File/Ultralite%20Tech%20Guide.pdf

capeverde

Liz1966 wrote: »

I'd be pleased if anyone can help me in relation to Ultralite 500 conservatory roofs.
I moved into a house that has one on the conservatory and the roof panels have discoloured in the sunlight and some panels have holes in. The conservatory is less than 5 years old. Is it normal for a conservatory roof to degrade in such a short time or is this a unique 'feature' of Ultralites? If I replace it with a different type of polycarbonate roof am I going to get the same problems or are there other problems I may get? Sadly, as it was installed by the previous home owner I can't claim on any guarantee and need to come up with a cheap but robust alternative.
The conservatory faces South so does get a lot of sun and I only want to replace the roof so rebuilding it as a sunroom is not an option.
Grateful to hear from anyone with experience of these roof systems.

Ultralite can become discoloured and brittle within a few years of installation. Its selling point was that it only needed a 3 deg pitch. The system is that the 60mm panels are locked together by a concealed aluminium glazing bar and then a upvc capping. As another poster said, because of this you cant simply replace panels like for like. What you would have to do is take the whole roof away and the replace with a glazing bar and glass (preferable reactive blue) system. This obviously has a cost implication. As a matter of interest my dad had an ultralite roof which was 6m wide. Each panel is 500mm. The stick from a firework rocket went through one panel and then only the outside skin and the insurance company paid for him to have a whole new roof fitted. like for like obviously. Read into that what you will.