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ULTRAFRAME CONSERVATORIES

ABOUT ULTRAFRAME LTD

Acknowledged as the international industry leaders in conservatory roof system design and manufacture, Ultraframe provides a wide range of roofs and ancillary products to a range of customers, from conservatory fabricators to retail installation companies.
Based in Clitheroe, Lancashire, they’ve been manufacturing conservatory roofs for 25 years and employ around 400 people at their Clitheroe Head Office. There are over 1,500,000 installed Ultraframe conservatory roofs performing day-in, day-out across the UK and their products are widely regarded as the best on the market.

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Pioneering Conservatory Tests at Wintech

To prove the superiority of their conservatory roof, Ultraframe approached Wintech. The challenge – to prove how an Ultraframe conservatory roof performed under extreme wind loads compared to competitors. Wintech are renowned for their extreme tests of iconic building facades such as the Gherkin and the Birmingham Bull Ring, but they had never tested a complete structure, Ultraframe were the pioneers of the conservatory industry – testing in a way that had never been done previously. Here are the facts about the conservatory tests:

  • Independent fitters, appointed by Wintech and working to each manufacturer’s guidelines, built each conservatory roof onto a common set of industry standard sideframes.
  • The conservatory footprint/size selected for the test was a Georgian style with jack rafters, 4.5m width x 3.5 m projection (typical of the hundreds sold each and every day of the week.)
 

As a dedicated roof systems company, with over 20 years experience and over one million roofs out in the market performing in exemplary fashion, Ultraframe wanted to specifically look at the effects of wind uplift and examine key joints on the roof, like jack rafters and eaves beam to glazing bar. The test consisted of an aero engine in combination with positive pressure from an internal fan (trying to blow the roof off from the inside) resulting in a combined overall effect of wind uplift equal to 130mph. Wind from the aero engine hits the conservatory from the side and the wind current travels up and over the roof. As the air current travels over the roof, there is an uplift force on the glazing bars and glazing material in the roof due to the pressure of the wind – IE this current is trying to life the roof off. The aero engine can supply air currents up to a maximum of 90mph and so to continue the testing beyond this point, further pressure was pumped into the conservatory using a fan. The name for additional pressure pumped into a structure in this way is positive pressure. As shown on the diagram, the positive pressure pumped into the conservatory acts as a second force trying to lift the roof off the conservatory, working in tandem with the force from the aero engine. The combined wind speed reached by using the aero engine and and the internal fan was 130mph. It is important to stress that at this point the Ultraframe roof did not fail – the test ‘maxed out’, IE it was not possible using the equipment available to us to apply any further pressure to the Ultraframe conservatory roof. Wind loads are measured in KN/m2. During the tests at Wintech the Ultraframe roof was subjected to a force of 1.4 KN/m2 before the test ‘maxed out’.

ABOUT A NEW CONSERVATORY

Increase Your Home Value

An Ultraframe conservatory installed by South Lakes Windows Ltd will not only provide you with an attractive, desirable and impressive new space in your home, but a conservatory could also add significant home value. According to a recent survey from the online bank Egg, a conservatory could add, on average an extra £11,000 to the value of your home and as conservatories continue to grow in popularity. “Conservatories make better homes,” says Michael O’Flaherty, the estate agent featured on ITV’s Better Homes. An Ultraframe conservatory makes your home more attractive to future buyers “With the speed of installation and their bright and airy interiors, plus the ability to be used as a flexible space, conservatories are “hot property” and with many homeowners seeing the value of their property increase by around 5%, this is a further compelling reason to add one.” Cost-effective and easy to install, Ultraframe conservatories can be added to your home in a very short space of time, compared to traditional brick-built extensions, and without substantially altering the structure of your home – the ideal home improvement. For complete peace of mind and to ensure that the conservatory and the installation is perfect, South Lakes Windows Ltd are qualified “Ultra Installers”. An elite group of quality contractors, independently assessed and approved by both Ultraframe and the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the UK’s major approval body for new construction products and installers. By investing in a South Lakes Windows conservatory it will not only add value to your home, but will also provide a new room that is flexible enough to be used in a variety of ways – you’re not just buying a new room – you’re investing in a whole new lifestyle!

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