Conservatory polycarbonate roof to stop sun overheating

Rhino666

Hi


Not really a moneysaving question but hopefully there is someone around who can advise.
Rebuilding a south facing conservatory with a lean to roof. Looking to use 25mm or 35mm polycarbonate sheets for the roof.
It gets very hot so want to keep out the overbearing heat when sun strong but allow as much light in as possible.


There are a number of colours - opal, bronze, bronze/opal and something called solar guard available. Conservatory is 9m wide and 4 metres deep(south facing bit). Can anyone help me make a decision on this.


Thanks

londonlydia

Not an expert but just to say I'm thinking of having the same thing done, I want to replace the existing polycarbonate roof in my lean-to utility room. However, I was thinking of having it replaced with actual glass, as I'm not convinced of the insulation properties of polycarbonate. There is no doorway between the lean to and our open plan ground floor, and I'm convinced we lose our heat through that room as a result. Add on top of that the fact that it's soooo noisy in rain and I cant stand it now!

Not got any quotes yet, but the one thing I have been told is that not all polycarbonate roofs can be replaced with glass, as it's heavier and depends on the support structure. Luckily for us the roof completely sits of blockwork, but if you have a similar idea it's woth noting!

I_have_spoken

There is no doorway between the lean to and our open plan ground floor, and I'm convinced we lose our heat through that room

Yep, you may as well stand there tearing up £20 notes. Not sure this would even pass current building regs

meer53

I have a south facing conservatory with a tinted polycarbonate roof. Nothing, apart from a tiled roof will keep the heat out.

Rhino666

meer53 wrote: »

I have a south facing conservatory with a tinted polycarbonate roof. Nothing, apart from a tiled roof will keep the heat out.

I don't want to keep all the heat out - just want to be reasonably comfortable on a hot sunny day. Appreciate comment re tiled roof but that also keeps out all light. Just would like to get the best compromise light versus heat on polycarbonate.


LondonLydia - my advice to you is forget replacing the polycarbonate roof - just invest in a double glazed door. You will be losing lots of heat through your utility room and without a door to shut out the noise or rain, hail and wind, I'm not at all surprised that you are very fed up.

john-306

Changing to glass will of course keep the noise down, but against that you will see every speck of dirt/bird muck/lumps of moss from the main roof, leaves etc etc

londonlydia

Yeah it's a bit awkward though as to where to put the door. See what is the doorway ist he original back door, and theyve built this utility room to square off the back of the property. So two walls are original exterior walls, the other 2 blockwork with UPVC back door and window...andt hen this rubbish roof. The original back doorway theyve changed to be an arch at the top...so not sure how to door that. Ive got a thick 'thermal' curtain over the doorway for heat but doesnt do much for the noise blocking!

londonlydia

john-306 wrote: »

Changing to glass will of course keep the noise down, but against that you will see every speck of dirt/bird muck/lumps of moss from the main roof, leaves etc etc

It's a see-through polycarbonate we have so you see that anyway. Luckily the roof is directly under a window so Ive managed to wash it down from there before...

travellerboy

A Conservatory is regarded as a non-habitable room under Building Regulations, that is why a door between the main house and the conservatory is essential. Using glass or polycarbonate will never satisfy the regulations as the heat loss in winter and the heat gain in summer will be beyond the allowable limits.


Best is too use your money to fit a double glazed door and use the conservatory for plants like the Victorians!

woodbutcher_2

Putting to one side all the arguments as to whether a conservatory is legal/illegal, habitable room/non habitable room, waste of time/the best thing ever, if you have one and it's uncomfortable and you want to do something about it, there are options.

There are far better polycarbonate sheets on the market now, with u values approaching or bettering double glazed units. Have a look at Marlon ST Blue for instance. There are other companies making similar products.

Similarly, there are some good tinted glass units available, but this may mean beefing up the roof spars to accommodate.

Lightweight tiling is also an option, but is quite expensive and needs to be done properly by a competent fitter or reputable company.

Finally, there is the option to underclad and again it needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing, or you could get major condensation issues. This option is the cheapest and quickest.

The second 2 options have the disadvantage of losing the light transmission into the conny, but make it so much warmer and more habitable.

meer53

I don't think anything other than a structural roof will make a conservatory comfortable on a hot sunny day. My conservatory gets unbearably hot on a sunny spring day. In the summer even with the windows and door open you can't sit in it really.