Insulating your conservatory roof could be something you’re considering if your conservatory is on the old side.
It’s the desire for spaciousness in the home that motivates many people to explore ways of insulating their conservatory roof so that they can utilise their conservatory space in any type of weather, rather than only being able to use it sparingly.
You can take a series of different approaches to successfully insulate your conservatory roof, but you should also be cautious of doing anything that goes against insulating it. We’ll begin by outlining what to avoid when insulating a conservatory roof.
Conservatory insulation...
What not to do:
One conservatory insulation option offered by some companies is the cladding of the conservatory roof to make the conservatory space cosier and more usable, but this throws up many potential problems.
These are the 5 main risks of going down the cladding route.
1. Drilling the glazing bars
The glass in a conservatory roof is held in place by the glazing bars, and that’s not the only function of the glazing bars as they also support ventilation and water drainage and offer rigidness.
These functions will be threatened if any drilling occurs straight into the glazing bars to insulate a conservatory roof, such as a weakening of the roof and decreased ventilation. It will also put the roof at an increased risk of suffering leaks as the sealed component will become opened up.
2. Increasing the weight of the roof
During the process of insulating a conservatory, timber gets attached to the full length of the glazing bars. Prior to the designing of a conservatory roof, various calculations have to be made to ensure that the roof is safe and structural sound. One of them is figuring out the worst potential wind and snow loads at the relevant location.
The very dynamics of the conservatory roof are altered when timber battens are attached along the length of the glazing bars, giving it a heavier load than would have been permitted at the time of its original design. It could possibly cause the roof to collapse, particularly if the conservatory is an old design.
3. The formation of a thermal barrier
Following the attachment of timber battens, a thermal quilt and PVC cladding are also attached. They provide a collective thermal barrier, and this is said to be a good thing by certain conservatory insulation specialists. But this will not prevent heat exposure or heat build-up as this occurs naturally in warm weather or when you look to heat up a conservatory in cold weather, something that needs to be tackled if you want sufficient ventilation and a cosy indoor atmosphere.
Heat cannot escape from the conservatory when the roof is insulated, causing lots of it to build-up in the roofing system. This can make the conservatory feel too warm and uncomfortable to spend time in, whilst also weakening the strength of the roof and the rest of the structure. The worst possible scenario is that so much heat builds-up inside that it results in the roof or some other area of the structure to give way.
4. A darkened space
Conservatories are not just for extending space at home. They’re also a way of enticing more natural light into a house. Not as much light will be able to get into your conservatory though if you have your conservatory roof covered in insulation, making the conservatory and any adjoining rooms feel darker than they should be. While it’s not a massive negative point, it could be enough to put you off the idea of having your conservatory roof insulated.
5. Fire safety
Conservatory insulation is composed of various materials and these materials could cause any fire to spread quickly and dangerously. That’s because they will not be a part of the original conservatory structure and therefore have not been fire-tested to see how they react in the event of a fire breaking out.
What is the best method of insulating a conservatory roof?
Now that we’ve gone into the dangers of insulating a conservatory roof through the use of conservatory insulation and cladding, we’d like to inform you of the safest and most proper way of insulating a conservatory roof.
Instead of trying to insulate your existing conservatory roof, have it removed and replaced with a thermally efficient solid or tiled roof.
Huge strides have been made in solid roof and conservatory technology over the past few years, so that’s why a replacement solid or glass roof will offer a far higher standard of insulation than any old conservatory roof. It will also be much safer, stronger, and energy efficient, and add more natural light to the space.
We have some quality replacement, insulated roofing systems…
All accessible via your local Premium Retailer. Once installed, which can only take a couple of days, your conservatory will be completely transformed.
Unlike conservatory insulations, the systems we supply do not clad over your existing roof – the old roof will be removed ahead of the new roof being fitted and being made structurally safe. Our replacement roofs are customised for each location and so that they seamlessly integrate with the current window and door frames, the shape and size of the conservatory, and if you wish to have any glass panels in its design.
Our solid roofs are stronger than other competing systems on the market and specially engineered for the conservatories they’re fitted into so that you gain total peace of mind.
Ask to have full length glass panels in the roof…
If you want to benefit from a conservatory that’s filled with light and feel some of this light in any adjoining areas.
A solid roof is also known as a warm roof, and they don’t come warmer than our replacement roofing systems. Their thermal performance is so much higher than conservatory insulations with clad over roofs. For the most insulated conservatory roofs with incredible thermal qualities, don’t spend your money anywhere else.
Insulating your conservatory more effectively isn’t all that our solid roofs will do. They’ll also enhance the appearance of the conservatory, internally and externally. The realistic tiles can be finished in several hard-wearing colours. Glass panels can be fixed into various sections of the door and the inside of the system offers a beautiful, plastered ceiling, very much like throughout the rest of the property.
In terms of fire safety…
You will be pleased to know that we fire test our systems so that they comply with fire safety legislation. This tells us that the many different roof components will jointly work together as a complete structure upon the breakout of a fire.
Hopefully, we have managed to persuade you not to opt for a clad conservatory roof and to just buy a thermally efficient solid roof if you wish to have an insulated conservatory roof. Doing so will give you a conservatory that’s comfortable, safe, looks the part, and will offer years of enjoyment.
LOOKING TO EXTEND YOUR HOME?
One of our multi-purpose living spaces will give you the roominess that you desire so that you can also invite more people over and feel so much less restricted.
LOOKING TO EXTEND YOUR HOME?
One of our multi-purpose living spaces will give you the roominess that you desire so that you can also invite more people over and feel so much less restricted.
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