The last few years have been extraordinary for so many reasons, not least because of Brexit, Covid and climate change. Of course, we’ve all been affected by these massive events and in our world of conservatories, we’ve really noticed the effects of climate change recently. And if you’re having trouble with cracked, broken or damaged glass in your conservatory, it may be that you have too.
Why the cracked and broken panes?
Of course, a glass conservatory will always suffer a degree of damage as a result of generally ageing, wear and tear and falling debris like branches or storm damage. But at 2Hot2Cold we have definitely noticed an increase in cracked and broken glass panes over the last few years and it would seem there are three main reasons for this.
High temperatures
Most of us have moaned about the rubbish weather this summer, but the Met Office have already indicated that this summer is likely to have been the warmest summer on record. We’ve noticed that increasingly hot temperatures beating down on a conservatory roof are having an impact on polycarbonate roofs causing yellowing or staining which in turn causes the materials to go brittle. The effect can be quite subtle, but you may gradually notice that panels look dirty, clouded or yellow. With glass you are luckier in that the glass remains clear and no obvious signs of deterioration.
Spontaneous shatters
In our experience, it’s not uncommon (but none the less very alarming) for a pane of glass to just suddenly shatter for no apparent reason. On closer inspection this may well be caused when the pane was originally fitted, for example if the pane isn’t fitted correctly (the error can be very small with the glass only slightly misaligned within the frame and seal) or when the pane has been slightly chipped during the fitting process. Both, can undermine the integrity of the glass and eventually cause the pane to spontaneously shatter, and this in turn can be exacerbated by increasingly high temperatures and the additional pressure caused to the glass by these.
Wood or frame damage
For older conservatories with wooden elements, the consistently damp weather is always going to cause damage particularly when combined with constantly fluctuating temperatures.
The wood expands with the damp, and then contracts when things dry out or it gets too hot. This in turn damages the integrity of the pane seal and puts pressure on the glass either causing it to crack or smash as the wood expands, or to become lose in the frame (which in turn can result in leaks) as the wood contracts. The constant damp can also of course cause wood rot, which has a similar effect on the glass and seals.
Don’t despair
Despite the challenges caused by the weather, your conservatory doesn’t have to be scrapped. We can install a new tiled roof on most conservatory frames. That’s because we use ultra-light and state of art materials which at the same time, provide your conservatory with superb insulation and brings an end to damaged roof tiles. It’s a really clever conservatory roofing system which is also easy to install (very little mess or time required) and leaves you with a stylish and low maintenance roof and ceiling. We offer a range of products at varying price points.
The added bonus of installing one of our conservatory roofing systems is that you’ll be also reducing the emissions from your conservatory and reducing your heating bill. If that sounds too good to be true, give us a call and we’ll talk you through some of the detail.