Using clear roofing in Thailand is it recommended or not? Or do I have to use metal sheets

[AndyAndyAndy]

My original plan was to use clear roof sheets. But everybody (Thais) say I need to use metal sheets, because "it's going to be too hot under it". (this is sunny side of the house, 10:00- 18:00) And out of 17 sheets use just like 2 clear sheets and 15 solid. But I worry about making our living room + bedroom into dark tombs. Especially if you consider huge overhang on all sides of the roof.

 

Anybody has clear roofing? And experience?

 

What I wanted to use

What everybody recommends

 

House

 

[carlyai]

13 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

My original plan was to use clear roof sheets. But everybody (Thais) say I need to use metal sheets, because "it's going to be too hot under it". (this is sunny side of the house, 10:00- 18:00) And out of 17 sheets use just like 2 clear sheets and 15 solid. But I worry about making our living room + bedroom into dark tombs. Especially if you consider huge overhang on all sides of the roof.

 

Anybody has clear roofing? And experience?

 

What I wanted to use

What everybody recommends

 

House

 

What ever you put up there is going to be hot underneath. Just clear will be hotter. 

You can get clear in a double wafer configuration with colour pigments. 

I have a skylight like that, but going to be hot.

Edited September 24, 2023 by carlyai

[farmerjo]

Do the clear sheets require safety mesh underneath.

[Crossy]

It's definitely going to get pretty warm under there with or without clear sheets, the clear will make it get even warmer.

 

It's also worth considering just how UV resistant your chosen sheeting is. A lot of the "clear" stuff goes cloudy in pretty short order.

 

[Don Chance]

You could use a thick canvass awning that roles up. Then when you want the sun or it is too windy you can just roll it up.

 

 

The problems with metal roofing is that when it rains it might be noisy, also the rain might run back up under your roof into your house, expansion and contraction, might not last so long and not look good.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Don Chance

[Rimmer]

I used clear one time at the side of the house, it got some black mildew on it and looked horrible from underneath. The wall which it was against got as hot as ever before. 

[sometimewoodworker]

The metal sheets will get to 60C+ underneath in the sun,

 

if you want a cooler roof use the insulated sheets, the uninsulated ones are uncomfortable to be under if the roof is too low

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by sometimewoodworker

[carlyai]

10 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

Patio will be opened on all 3 sides as is, with wind moving the air. So where does all the "hot" you're talking about comes from? Does the roofing gets hot and radiates it downwards?

Sometimes the air is so still and hot. There may not be good air flow on some days. 

Also, sometimes even with lots of overhead fans you are just moving hot air.

Sometimewoodworker is right.

Why not go for something like that colorbond extension?

 

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

It's definitely going to get pretty warm under there with or without clear sheets, the clear will make it get even warmer.

 

It's also worth considering just how UV resistant your chosen sheeting is. A lot of the "clear" stuff goes cloudy in pretty short order.

 

Understated - it will be burning hot - made that mistake on an open car port - never again - Insulated metal sheets now which greatly reduce tempeture and rain noise - electric LED lighting is cheap and windows without tint will give better light. 

 

You want insulated metal sheets or tile with a false ceiling well insulated.  

Edited September 24, 2023 by lopburi3

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, carlyai said:

So where does all the "hot" you're talking about comes from? Does the roofing gets hot and radiates it downwards?

Yes it absolutely does,  the airflow can reduce the apparent effect but it has no effect on the actual heat radiating from the roof, the only thing that reduces the effect is distance, as the radiation received is reduced by the square of the distance 

[Reginald Prewster]

We used for our home aquaponics system clear roofing. They were hot and after 3 years so brittle that you couldn't clean them anymore.. 

[Thailand J]

[Thailand J]

Composite metal roof with metal sheet at the top, insulation in the middle and a thin metal foil at the bottom are very common. I have seen at many places the bottom two layers became detached.

 

I am going to build a small addition soon, the metal roof I want will have insulation sandwiched between two metal sheets.

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Thailand J

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, Don Chance said:

You could use a thick canvass awning that roles up. Then when you want the sun or it is too windy you can just roll it up.

 

 

The problems with metal roofing is that when it rains it might be noisy, also the rain might run back up under your roof into your house, expansion and contraction, might not last so long and not look good.

Yes but several brands of the long metal sheeting have  professional insulation already adhered to the underside. (We have Lysaught.) It's also rustproof.

 

We have this all around our house to build a verandah. It works in terms of good coverage, strongly reducing heat and strongly reducing noise (e.g. strongly reducing heavy rain noise).

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by scorecard

[Skipalongcassidy]

Clear will create a greenhouse affect... also clear does not provide sun shade

[GreasyFingers]

We used the translucent sheeting for a carport (6 x 5m) as metal sheeting would have made the adjoining bedroom too dark. It also provided a workspace that does not need lighting. Yes it does get hot on full sunny days but that is not every day. In wet season we do not notice it being too hot.

Your idea to have a mixture of both is good. Then you can have a frame under the clear sheets to slide in timber sheeting for the days that are too hot.

[transam]

Using the clear stuff will make it hot, plus a pain to keep clean.....????

[GreasyFingers]

1 hour ago, transam said:

Using the clear stuff will make it hot, plus a pain to keep clean.....????

We have not had a problem with cleaning as long as slope of the roof is sufficient for "self cleansing", the same as for stormwater pipes.

[transam]

Just now, GreasyFingers said:

We have not had a problem with cleaning as long as slope of the roof is sufficient for "self cleansing", the same as for stormwater pipes.

My UK garage had triple wall plastic sheeting, it was a pain, cr@p and mould even got between the layers, the garage got too hot in Summer....????