'polycool - Solar Control Inserts'

We are looking at using 'polycool - Solar Control Inserts'

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to help control the temperature all year round for our conservatory roof.

The product looks good, but before I go ahead and buy, I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has had personal experience of the product, and how effective it proved to be.

Any pros and cons? Any alternatives?

Many thanks in advance,

Peter.

Reply to
Peter
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We are looking at using 'polycool - Solar Control Inserts'

formatting link
to help control the temperature all year round for our conservatory roof.

The product looks good, but before I go ahead and buy, I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has had personal experience of the product, and how effective it proved to be.

Any pros and cons? Any alternatives?

Many thanks in advance,

Peter.

Reply to
Peter

I've been meaning to post about these for a while so this is the perfect opportuinity.

We have a large lean-to conservatory (approx 5.5m x 4.5m) which suffered from glare and heat issues during the summer and was basically unusable. I looked at various remedies such as blinds, vents, aircon etc and after much deliberation took the plunge and went for the solar inserts approach.

I ordered the inserts from

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as they were the cheapest, don't take any notice of polycool's claim that their product is superior, research revealed that the inserts were of the same construction. I self-installed the inserts, it wasn't too difficult - the first insert took about 30 mins of struggling but then once I got the knack and had done a few more I was banging them in in about a minute. Bear in mind though my roof was 5m long so by the time I got to the top of the channel with an insert there was a fair amount of resistance, on a shorter roof (say up to 4m) you wouldn't have any trouble at all. I did take me the best part of two days but like I say the roof was about 25m2, plus I gave the ends of the channels a thorough clean as water had got into the ends and they were a bit mossy, and a few other bits of maintenance while I was at it. Essentials for the job - a can of silicon spray to reduce friction when installing the inserts, and the correct breather tape for the bottom end bars to make sure you don't get condensation in the channels.

So the crucial verdict: yes the SWMBO and I are well pleased with them. I did the roof in April and all through the summer the conservatory stayed nice & cool, even when the temps hit 35 degreesC in July it really wasn't any warmer than the rest of the house plus the awful glare went totally. We used the conservatory all summer which was a first.

The only downside I can mention is light reduction. It's hard to estimate but I would say the inserts reduced the light levels by up to ~25%. Not really a problem during summer but the lounge that opens into the conservatory is slightly darker and this is more noticable on dull grey days. That said it was well worth a slight light reduction in one room to be able to use the conservatory all year round rather than having to shut it off half the year cos it's roasting.

Total cost was about =A3500 so quite a cheap solution when self-installing. I did contact Polycool who worked out about 33% dearer for self-install but would supply and do the installation for about =A3400 more which seemed reasonable if you don't fancy the job yourself. They give discounts of up to 30% during the winter (around nov-feb IIRC) so that would be the best time to purchase.

Regards,

MH

Reply to
Mary Hinge

Just got a leaflet from them yesterday - 30% off from 1st Oct to 30th Nov.

MH

Reply to
Mary Hinge

30% off of what?

This is completely meaningless.

If the intended selling price of something is £700, the list price can be set to £1000.

The vendor can then discount by 30% and achieve his target selling price and intended margin.

The only people taken in by that one are the gullible customers and certain dimwitted people trying to collect enquiries for the product.

I had a conversation with a lady who probably spends most of her Sundays in the vestibule of a Do it All handing out leaflets on double glazing and trying to make appointments for sales people.

Her opening gambit was was I interested in double glazing - "50% off" she proudly announced.

"50% off of what?" I asked.

"50% off!" she replied.

"50% off of what?" I asked.

"It's 50% off!!!" she replied.

"From what though?" I asked.

"But it's 50% off until the end of the month!!" was the answer.

I could see that this conversation wasn't going to go anywhere, so I asked her what would happen after the end of the month.

"Then we'll have our autumn sale".

"What's that likely to mean?" I asked.

"I don't know", she said, "but last year it was 50% off!!"

"50% off of what?"

etc.

I was very much reminded of the lady in the cafe in that famous travelogue "Bal-ham, gateway to the South". Whatever the customer asked, the answer was always the same.....

"It's off" (She sounded rather similar as well).

Reply to
Andy Hall

Andy,

The OP expressed an interest in purchasing from Polycool, possibly because they do not wish to self-install. I was merely relaying information that may be of use to them.

In this instance the 30% off seems reasonably genuine, in my case they had previously quoted and if I was prepared to purchase during a slack period (not many people out there looking to cool their conservatory in November I would imagine) then a 30% reduction would be applicable to my previous quote. In the end I went to CA supply as they were still the cheapest (just).

My impression of Polycool is that it is a one-man operation so maybe Mrs Polycool insists Mr Polycool offers a reasonable discount in the quieter months so that Mr Polycool isn't hanging around the house all the time getting under her feet and messing up the carpets.

Of course you could argue that it's more a case of pay 30% more in the summer, but then again that might not be best thing to do from the marketing standpoint.

It should be noted that if you are prepared to self-install then

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offer the best price *all year round* for the same product. Marvellous.

Regards,

MH

Reply to
Mary Hinge

Hi,

I have just taken advantage of polycool's winter discount of 30%. It ends soon so hurry if anyone wishes to get a cheaper deal. Mary, many thanks for your comments.

Peter.

Reply to
Peter

Me?

I've never heard of polycool!

Mary

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Reply to
Mary Fisher

# Spam glorious Spam ... nothing quite like it # Resolve never to darken 'Polycool' and.or 'Peter';s doorstep.

OTOH:

Polycool's website does invite people to 'register' and they promise to send a brochure and DVD for their product .... How much would it cost them to send such a package to readers ... I'll bet they'd thank 'Peter' for his efforts!

Reply to
Brian Sharrock

.

Well, don't jump to conclusions. I was puzzled but remembered that I directed someone from another ng to this group, saying how knowledgeable and helpful MOST people were. It might have been Peter, I can't remember.

I'd like to think that this group DID welcome newcomers, no matter what the perceived first impression was.

Mary

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Reply to
Mary Fisher

Mary - have you noticed any difference in heat retention in the winter? I am thinking of getting new polycarbonate roof with this inserts and would like to have an idea of how much heat they retain in winter before I buy. Thanks

Reply to
jotconsult

she's become unhinged in the 13 years since the original post.

Reply to
Andrew

Maybe, but I have to also wonder about how they work and if one could utilise the energy they either reflect or insulate, since it has to be quite a lot I'd imagine. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

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