Clear roofs – insulated

 

Engineered, clear insulated roofs, glass or polycarbonate, used for enclosed areas such as enclosures, house extensions, solariums and sunrooms. Polycarbonate offered with clear, semi clear and tinted finishes. Offered with our installation or DIY kits.

Glass roofs

Insulated glass roofs use a thermopane – double-pane sealed glass panes. Typically the panes are made of tempered (safety) glass or laminated glass. The support structure is thermally broken so cold will not be transferred through the frame.

Tempered glass is manufactured via a high heat thermal process that toughens the glass, making it up to four times stronger than regular (annealed) glass. Further, upon impact, the tempered glass will not shard like regular glass but will disintegrate into tiny pieces. Tempered glass is widely used as household furniture, utensils, glass furniture, partitions, doors and alike. It is used in smartphones and touch screens under different names, but it is essentially the same.

This is used for sunrooms and enclosure roofs. The insulated glass panes – thermo panes – are offered in clear, low emissivity glass, inert gas-filled and a variety of spacers and many other options.

We also offer a self-cleaning glass, which we are hesitant to recommend as it is yet to be known how it will behave after a decade or so. It is fairly redundant as it requires both sun and water at the same time to perform. A simpler, cheaper and proven solution is using a garden hose to periodically wash the dirt off the roof.

It is to be noted that some companies anoint their products with fancy names to differentiate themselves from others (Wonderglass, Conservaglass et al). In reality, no thermal glass or  sunroom supplier makes the glass. There are some half a dozen glassmakers whose technology is about compatible; so if you discard the fluff and view the specifications you may realize that other than the name creativity, all suppliers offer similar products. Glass specs constantly improve, but in reality, the differences are only noticeable in lab tests, unnoticeable by the user.

As well, it is important to understand that glass can be made to either reflect heat in summer and be less effective in winter, or keep heat in winter but be warmer in summer, or somewhere in between, but not all at once. Upon ordering, you may decide where you want to be – protect mainly against heat, cold or somewhere in between as most people do.

Different to other roof manufacturers, we offer our insulated glass roofs glazed into our unique T-bar support system – the same we use with the polycarbonate panels. Glass is assured to properly serve for longer than the traditional wood or aluminium glazing. Please see the section below for details.

See more on the glass roof in the repair section.

Polycarbonate roofs

Our most popular insulated clear roof product is the polycarbonate system.  The clear – translucent – panels are made of multilayered thermoplastics, reinforced via diagonal cross-sections.

Panels are feather light – a fraction of traditional glass, with superior strength to weight ratio, so support structure is under less strain to support a given snow load.
The biggest obstacle – leakage, is eliminated by using a patented system of brackets and rubber gaskets, where expansion and contraction in summer and winter do not affect the tight seals. No screws or caulking are used.

The panels are nested in a thermally broken,  patented T bar system that measures only 3″ x 4′, yet can be extended to a clear 14′ span in a normal snow load. A neoprene gasket system seals the roof, while allowing for expansion and contraction. All that without any fasteners driven through the panels.

Panels are available in three popular types:

– Clear – lets the most light through, but may be uncomfortable in summer.
– Bronze – similar to the clear, but tinted to a bronze hue. It adds protection, but as with any other tinted glazing, will paint all in odd light.
– translucent “ice”- our best seller. It lets in a bit less light but can be used even during the hottest summer days. The top layer is coated with a solar reflective layer, to add protection from harmful UV rays.

Other colours are available at special order.

The roofs can be used on their own or integrated with our other prefabricated roofs for enclosed or open areas.

 

For pricing and more information either call tall free  (855) 780 6054, email us, or use the form at the bottom of this page.

CRI5 – insulated multiwall polycarbonate over a sunroom.

 

CRI10 – insulated glass clear roof used with our thermally broken ‘T’bar system, back end view.

 

CRI20 – insulated glass clear roof used with our thermally broken ‘T’bar system, front end view.

 

CRI30 – tall polycarbonate roof over a sunroom.

 

CRI40 – conventionally built sunroom with our polycarbonate clear insulated roof.

 

CRI50 – as above, top view. Applications shows non- structural couplers resting on wood structure.

 

CRI60 – insulated polycarbonate canopy installed over an open area.

 

CRI70 – greenhouse clear roof, top view.

 

CRI80 – basement bedroom roof, allows light and preserves privacy.

 

CRI90 – outside view.

 

CRI100 – sunroom clear roof, translucent “ice” panels.

CRI110 – sunroom clear roof, translucent “ice” panels.

 

CRI120 – enclosure, clear polycarbonate roof, translucent “ice”.

 

CRI130 – polycarbonate roof, top view, note the gutter at front.

 

CRI140 – glass roof structure without gutter.

 

CRI150 – room extension with polycarbonate roof.

 

CRI160 – solarium with cathedral clear polycarbonate roof.

CRI220 – polycarbonate sheets, from top: 10mm, 16mm, 32mm, 8mm, 16mm.

CRI230 – clear and translucent “ice” sheets.

CRI240 –  thermally broken structural ‘T’bar.

 

CRI250 – above ‘T’ bar cross section explained.

 

For pricing and more information either call tall free  (855) 780 6054, email us, or use the form below.

 

Contact form