Longbridge Conservatory Cleaning for Thirty-Year-Old Roofs
Conservatory work in Longbridge is on the interwar and post-war semis behind the development. Those houses had generous rear gardens, and a wave of conservatories went onto them from the early 1990s through the 2000s, most with polycarbonate roofs, most fixed against pebbledash, and a good number never properly cleaned since.
On the development itself the apartments were built with balconies and the newer houses with bi-fold doors and garden rooms, so there the equivalent job is balcony glass, booked as a window clean. On the older streets, thirty years of Birmingham weather on a plastic roof produces a very particular set of problems, and one of them cannot be fixed.
- Service
- Conservatory Cleaning
- Area covered
- Longbridge, B31 and B45
- Local authority
- Birmingham
- How we do it
- Soft wash on the roof, no pressure on seals or polycarbonate
- From our Selly Oak base
- About 20 minutes
- Price
- Quoted per property before we start (common questions)
- Booking
- Call or WhatsApp 07788 574283
Thirty years of sun on shallow polycarbonate against pebbledash
Age is the whole story on these roofs. Polycarbonate that went up in the 1990s has had three decades of ultraviolet exposure, the surface has micro-crazed, and algae now grips it in a way it never did on a new panel, so the same growth takes longer to shift than it would on a ten-year-old roof. The panels are also flat or shallow-pitched on most of these installations, so water sits on the panel and does not run off, and the north-facing ones stay green year round. Underneath, the frame is bolted against pebbledash, and the joint between the two is a route into the wall for anybody careless with a pressure washer. The conservatory gutter, sitting low and small, blocks well before the house run does.
- Polycarbonate roofs from the 1990s and 2000s that have micro-crazed with age, so algae grips harder than on newer panels
- Shallow-pitched roofs on many of these rear additions, where water stands instead of running off
- Frames bolted against pebbledash, where the joint is a direct route for water into the wall
- Small low-level conservatory guttering that fills long before the house guttering shows any sign
- Dust from nearby building work settling on roof panels that are looked down on from the bedroom windows above
No pressure at all, and nothing aimed at the wall junction
Low-pressure soft-washing throughout, on polycarbonate and glass alike. The solution goes on, gets the time it needs to break the algae down, and is rinsed away with pure water. Pressure is not used at all on these roofs: it scores aged polycarbonate that is already crazed, drives water past seals that are three decades old, and at the wall junction it forces water straight into the pebbledash, which converts a cleaning job into a damp one. Frames, glazing bars and seals are cleaned by hand. The conservatory gutter is cleared and flushed as part of the visit, with no extra charge.
- Soft-wash only, with the solution left to work rather than pressure used to compensate for impatience
- Nothing directed at the junction where the frame meets pebbledash, which is where water gets into the wall
- Frames, bars and thirty-year-old seals cleaned by hand, with anything perished reported to you, not patched over
- Conservatory guttering cleared and flushed within the job, since it fills before the house run does
More detail on the equipment and the order of work: our conservatory cleaning method.
Rear additions on the older streets
The conservatories in question are on the Austin-era streets off Groveley Lane, Longbridge Lane, Tessall Lane and out towards the B45 boundary, where the rear additions of the 1990s and 2000s are now well into middle age. Spring is the season, so the room is bright and usable through the summer, and the conservatory gutter is cleared on the same visit. Being twenty minutes away, a visit within the week is usually possible. On the development itself the equivalent job is balcony glass and balustrades, booked as a window clean.
Years since the last clean matter most on these roofs
Size, roof material and the number of years since the last clean set the figure, and on these roofs the last of those matters most. A conservatory cleaned two years ago is a short visit. One that has been quietly greening on a north-facing rear elevation since it was built may need two applications of solution, and we would sooner see photographs than guess at it. On roofs of this age yellowing is common, and that is ultraviolet degradation of the panel itself, not a deposit on it, so it stays after the green has come away.
Twice a year on shallow and north-facing roofs
Once a year is enough for a conservatory in an open rear garden with a decent pitch. Twice suits the shallow-pitched and north-facing ones on these streets, where water stands on the panels and the growth never fully stops, with spring for the light and autumn to take off the summer load. The conservatory gutter is worth the shorter interval either way, because it overflows onto the frame and the pebbledash below long before the roof begins to look bad from the garden.
I’m very satisfied with the service I get
Great services delivered by Charles recommend for others
First time customer. Excellent service and great job. Will definitely be using them again in the future.
Longbridge · Conservatory Cleaning
Frequently asked questions
No, because there will not be one. The blocks on the former plant were built with balconies, and the newer houses have bi-folds and garden rooms. What we can do for you is the balcony glass and the balustrade panels, booked as a window clean.
It changes the timing more than the method. Standing water keeps the algae fed, so the solution gets a longer dwell and the rinse is worked down to the lower edge so nothing is left pooled against the frame. Shallow roofs do better on twice a year. Any yellowing in a panel of that age is ultraviolet damage to the plastic, which cleaning does not change, and we point it out before starting.
No. It does real harm to one. Pebbledash is porous and the frame junction is not sealed against a jet, so pressure at that point drives water into the wall behind. Low-pressure soft-washing lifts the algae chemically and rinses clear without ever loading that joint.
Usually yes, and it is the age of the plastic more than the amount of algae. A 1990s polycarbonate panel has micro-crazed on the surface, which gives the growth something to hold on to, so the solution needs longer to work. On a badly neglected roof that can mean a second application, which we quote for upfront.
Yes, as standard, within the job. It is small, it sits low and it fills long before the house guttering gives any sign, and when it goes over it runs down the frame and onto the pebbledash underneath. Cleaning the roof and leaving that would be doing half the work.
Other cleaning we do in Longbridge
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