The Conservatory repair Company

This is an all to common problem, in our 25 years installing conservatories we have found that unless planned properly at the start, these beautiful structures can be just too hot to use during the hot summer months.

These days there are so many options to prospective conservatory owners to consider. It’s important to consider when planning a conservatory the direction that it will face in the garden. This should determine the material used in the roof when the conservatory is designed. The Majority of conservatory companies are well experienced in these types of decisions, and will gladly offer help and advice to make sure the new conservatory owner is left with a structure that is suitable for all year round use.

Conservatories that are built into gardens that have a north or easterly aspect, or those that are heavily shaded by trees should not suffer too much from overheating. It is the conservatories that face south or west that can overheat quite easily..

For north facing gardens, A good range of roofing products are available, It is important to consider getting a good level of light into the structure especially in gardens that are heavily screened or shaded. If you are on a budget you should specify clear or an opaque white finished 25mm thick polycarbonate (Opal) , but if finances allow it, it is worth spending the additional amount and specifying toughened Glass for the roof. The best glass for this purpose is Pilkington ’activ’ glass This has an innovative special coating that stops dirt and the like adhering to the surface, this is simply washed away with rainfall or a gentle hose down. These special coatings last the life of the glass unit without the need for re-applying. This glass has terrific properties in controlling heat build up in the warmer months, it is supplied with a subtle blue tint or can be supplied in a clear finish although the tinted option provides slightly better solar control. This, when coupled with a low emission glass in the inner pane such as Pilkington ‘k’ glass the protection is doubled, giving superb insulation in the winter as well

As with most choices,There are some pros and cons when considering glass or polycarbonate, The latter is cheaper, it is light and virtually unbreakable. The downside is that even with the clear finish, the view through the roof is somewhat distorted, and is quite noisy in rainfall. Glass on the other hand is silent in rain, but could on rare occasions, possibly break if a roof tile slipped off in high winds. The option for preventing this is to fit a tile or snow guard on the eaves of the house to catch any tile should one become dislodged.

South or West facing conservatories need special attention when planning the roof. Again for those on a budget, you can specify polycarbonate with a bronze tinted finish, or a silver grey ‘heatguard’ option.

In our opinion you should also allow for one or more roof ventilators to be fitted into the roof, these are available with either manual or electric operators and are wonderful at clearing any heat build up by venting it out through the roof.

For those with existing conservatories, there are many options available to cure overheating, Firstly the provision of roof ventilators if none are fitted will help to cool the building down. For polycarbonate roofs, there are several options, firstly if the roof is currently clear, the sheets could be replaced with a heat-guard or a tinted option.

Other option is to have solar inserts fitted, see the dedicated page on this website for further information

It may well be possible to re-glaze the roof with glass units. However If the original roof is not strong enough to support glass units, new purpose built roofs are available that can be fitted for a fraction of the cost of a new conservatory.

For conservatories with older clear glass roofs, again the option of fitting roof vents, exchanging the glass for a special thermal glass or blinds are the main options. Whatever your requirements we are only to pleased to advise and quote you for the works required