got this piece off our outdoor area. 700w 3400l screwed at one end and riveted at the other. Is the Suntuf Sunlite polycarbonate twinwall a suitable replacement? Unsure due to the shape of the piece that’s come off
Hello @geoffcox
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your polycarb roofing panel.
Thank you for sharing the photos of your old roof panel. I suggest holding off on purchasing the Sunlite Twinwall polycarb.
The piece you’ve removed doesn’t look like conventional corrugated polycarbonate. The curled/formed edges suggest it was part of some type of interlocking or clip-lock glazing/roofing system, where the long edges engage with a joining rail or adjoining sheet. Sunlite Twinwall is a completely different system: it’s a flat 10 mm multiwall sheet, normally around 980 mm wide, and is installed using dedicated H/F joiners and end-cap components.
So, although Sunlite is certainly suitable for patio/outdoor roofing, I wouldn't expect a 700 mm × 3400 mm piece of Sunlite to simply replace this existing panel while retaining the current fixings/joining arrangement. Changing to Sunlite may mean changing the joining profiles and potentially more of the roof rather than just this one sheet.
Could you please upload a photo of the entire roof from underneath and/or above, particularly showing the sheets on either side of the missing one and how their long edges connect?
I'm also interested in whether all the remaining panels have the same curled/clip-lock edges as this one, or whether this particular panel is different from the others. That will make a big difference. If they're all the same, I'd first try to identify the existing roofing system and see whether a compatible replacement panel/profile is still available. If it can't be matched anymore, then I'd look at converting a section or potentially the whole roof to a current system such as Sunlite rather than trying to adapt one Twinwall sheet into an incompatible set.
In the interest of health and safety, please don't walk directly on the remaining polycarbonate while checking it; these roofing sheets aren't intended to support a person's weight. Once we see the wider roof photo, we'll have a closer look at the system and provide you with more recommendations.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
here are photos of the top and bottom
Thank you for sharing those extra pictures of your roof. It appears that you do have a clip-on locking set on your roof. I'm sorry but the store does not carry a roofing material in the same profile. I suggest looking online to see if you can find a replacement piece that has a similar profile. I don't recommend using the Sunlite polycarb sheet as it is not compatible with your roofing system. Mixing various roofing profiles is not advised as it will not provide a positive seal to your roof.
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Nailbag, @DIY4Knuckleheds and @Remarka6le for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Hi @geoffcox
It will be a struggle if at all to match that very dated profile unfortunately. The best option is to use a profile as close as possible like the polyglaze product over a corrugated one. It should allow you to at least get one side within the lip of the metal one and then you may need to soft-flash or silicone the other wise if the profile doesn't align. Alternatively something like this low profile might be an easier option if it sat under the metal sheets then run a thick bead of silicone down either side.
Nailbag
Good Evening @geoffcox
I wonder if you measured the centered distance between the peak ridges for that span the area your old corrugated use to cover and then checked out -
Suntuf 3.6m Solar Control Solarsmart Corrugated Polycarbonate Roofing
and see if the distance matches. If it matches then you could overlap the sheet either side. It wont be waterproof tho I suspect it may be reasonable enough. Remember to only screw through the peaks of the sheet.
Dave
