What Things To Consider While Working With Polycarbonate?

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What Things To Consider While Working With
Polvcarbonate?
Polycarbonate is an ideal roofing material for a
variety of applications where transparent or
semitransparent roofs are required or preferred.
It is highly durable, flexible, impact resistant,
UV protected, fire resistant, and weather
resistant. It is also available in a variety of
colours and textures, thus adding to the visual
appeal of the structure. So, if you have decided
to use polycarbonate roofing sheets for your
carport, patio, pergola, shed, verandah, hobby
greenhouse, skylight, or any other structure, it
is a very wise decision.
Polycarbonate is also very easy to install,
without the need of any additional labour,
professionals, machines, or tools. It is also
very light in weight, thus easy to transport and
carry too, making it very cost-effective.
However, when you are installing polycarbonate,
there are a few tips that you need to keep in
mind, which can help you with the installation
process.
1) First and foremost, you need to read all
the instructions and specifications given by the
manufacturer. Not reading and following them
could void your warranty, meaning that in case
anything goes wrong, the manufacturer will be
under no obligation to help you. 2) When
planning to install polycarbonate sheets, you
need to do so at a minimum pitch of 5 degrees, so
that the rainwater is allowed to run off towards
the gutter, thus preventing moisture from
collecting on top of the roof. Also, you need to
make allowances for thermal movement to occur
without having the roof to crack or bulge,
because temperature changes
throughout the day can cause the roof to expand
and contract.
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3) Once you are ready with the planning and
measurements, you need to pre-drill the screw
holes before fixing the sheets to the rafters.
Also, slightly over sizing the holes is a good
practice, again for the same reason of allowing
thermal movement. The caps and flashings also
need to be pre-drilled so that the roofing sheets
underneath can shift as the temperature changes
throughout the day, or between seasons. 4)
Another very important thing to consider is the
side of the sheet. One side of the polycarbonate
roofing sheets always has a UV protected layer,
which prevents the harmful UV radiations of the
sun from entering the structure. You need to
install the sheets with the UV protected side
facing upwards to gain this benefit. If not, the
sheet will not be able to prevent the UV
radiations. The sheets always have a sticker
depicting the side of the sheet having this
layer so make sure to look at it carefully. 5)
Just as much as the side of sheet is important,
equally essential is the correct orientation of
the sheets in regards to the wind direction. You
definitely don't want the wind to tear away the
polycarbonate, when the season gets rough, which
is why you need to pay attention to the dominant
wind direction. 6) You must use perlin tape on
all surfaces that come in contact with the timber
or metal that has been used to construct the
frame. But, remember not to use sheets with
purlin spacing wider than recommended, or the
sheets will sag with water pooling in these
areas. 7) Make sure that you don't use
silicone to cure polycarbonate roofing, because
the polycarbonate sheets expand and contract more
widely than silicone does. However, if you do
have to use it, make sure to use natural silicone
only. 8) Don't use bitumen-impregnated foam
infills as they will considerably damage your
sheets. Read the manufacturer's instructions and
use the recommended infills and back
channels. With these easy and helpful tips, you
can install polycarbonate the right way,
resulting in a durable and long-lasting roof,
which doesn't need to be repaired or replaced for
long years to come. And, you can increase the
durability of your roof by getting your
polycarbonate roofing sheets from Tuflite
Polymers, the leaders in providing the best
quality and most durable polycarbonates.