Roofing panels - clear vs translucent vs opaque

[kellyjeanne]

Hey all, I'm working on a heavily modified Garden Coop and it calls for "sun tuff" roofing panels, which are pricey - but I've used them before and I really like them. I went to Lowes yesterday and got clear ones, but now in re-reading the plans it says to stay away from clear.

My questions are - has anyone used clear roof panels on a coop? Is this a dumb idea? Also, I am three short - and so I could always get gray or white for over the coop portion and use the clear for over the run? Or should I just return them and get 8 of the same?

This is the most recent pic of my coop, although it's progressed since this picture. The chickens are 5 weeks old today and I'm starting to panic that I'm not going to have this finished before they start laying eggs.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I wouldn't do clear on the coop because of a greenhouse effect, but on the run should be fine. As far as all the same or not, that's your preference.

 

[just13nat]

We covered the run with the clear panels, and did a brick colored poly-carb panel for the actual coop. We got ours from Home Depot, different brand but same thing. It lets in some light, but not too much. Our coop/run is also in the middle of trees though so with the clear on the run, there's still shade.

 

[kellyjeanne]

Thanks guys - I'm definitely concerned about heat in the coop - but it won't be totally sealed (there will be hardware cloth on the top and so air will be able to get out) but I don't want to roast them by accident. I think I'll probably get either white or grey - depending on what I can find) for over the henhouse part and keep the clear for over the run. It gets some shade, especially by the garage as there's a tree over it. There will also be solid shade under the henhouse itself if they're super hot.

 

[tmarsh83]

I used clear panels on the south facing lower gambrel roof portion of the coop I built this spring.

I have open eaves, ventilation at the gambrel break, open ridge ventilation, and two gable vents.

Aside from the human door being able to be open, there aren't windows. On the very hottest of days, even with the human door closed I never saw more than a 5 degree heat gain. When the human door was open, it normalized.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I used clear panels on the south facing lower gambrel roof portion of the coop I built this spring. I have open eaves, ventilation at the gambrel break, open ridge ventilation, and two gable vents. Aside from the human door being able to be open, there aren't windows. On the very hottest of days, even with the human door closed I never saw more than a 5 degree heat gain. When the human door was open, it normalized.

A 5° gain can be a lot, depending on time of year and where you live. I like the design, though. I would have framed and hinged it so it could be propped open for more ventilation but it sounds like it works fine for where you live.

 

[tmarsh83]

A 5° gain can be a lot, depending on time of year and where you live. I like the design, though. I would have framed and hinged it so it could be propped open for more ventilation but it sounds like it works fine for where you live.

With the door open it was negated entirely. Northeast Indiana gets as hot and humid as almost anywhere and the birds were comfortable all summer.

What I didn't want was windows and doors that if opened, would allow rain/snow to blow in if nobody was here to close them. Wet bedding isn't fun.

The eave/gambrel/ridge venting systems is actually going to work better than windows at a given height because convective air properties are going to keep air moving as it heats even when there is no breeze, so you aren't left with a static air mass at any level, it's self-circulating.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

With the door open it was negated entirely. Northeast Indiana gets as hot and humid as almost anywhere and the birds were comfortable all summer.


What I didn't want was windows and doors that if opened, would allow rain/snow to blow in if nobody was here to close them. Wet bedding isn't fun.

The eave/gambrel/ridge venting systems is actually going to work better than windows at a given height because convective air properties are going to keep air moving as it heats even when there is no breeze, so you aren't left with a static air mass at any level, it's self-circulating.

I used to live in Indiana. There are a few things I miss about the place and winters aren't one of them. Lol

All I can say is the air circulation theory doesn't seem to work for a dog or child in a parked car with windows cracked (similar to eaves venting), and I haven't found it to work in the coop when I'm sitting in it visiting my chicks. I can keep my man door open when I'm home but not when I'm gone or during inclimate weather. I was just making an observation and stating a modification I would choose to make, not suggesting you should do the same. One helpful thing I've learned is coop orientation and window placement helps a lot with rain or snow blowing in. I want wise to that when I placed my first coop and snow does come in through the eaves sometimes. I plan to fix that before this winter rolls around.

 

[kellyjeanne]

Your coop is a lot bigger than mine - I was worried about rapid heat build-up since mine is only 30 square feet, but I figure that as there will be space between the top of the frame and the roof panels (covered by hw cloth) that it will vent reasonably well? I'm definitely going to use the tinted ones, though. Here in Atlanta, I'm a lot more worried about the heat than about the cold, although we do catch a decent chill for about 5 minutes in the Winter.

 

[tmarsh83]

I used to live in Indiana. There are a few things I miss about the place and winters aren't one of them. Lol

All I can say is the air circulation theory doesn't seem to work for a dog or child in a parked car with windows cracked (similar to eaves venting), and I haven't found it to work in the coop when I'm sitting in it visiting my chicks. I can keep my man door open when I'm home but not when I'm gone or during inclimate weather. I was just making an observation and stating a modification I would choose to make, not suggesting you should do the same. One helpful thing I've learned is coop orientation and window placement helps a lot with rain or snow blowing in. I want wise to that when I placed my first coop and snow does come in through the eaves sometimes. I plan to fix that before this winter rolls around.

Cracking a window would be like only having a ridge vent system. To compare a cracked window to the multiple air changing locations I'm using a window would also have to be open lower on the door. Also, a vehicle is insulated to keep regulate heating or cooling inside the vehicle, so it bleeds thermal energy slower. It's apples and oranges. Appreciate the feedback, but when weather can come from any direction, it's nearly impossible to keep windows open and eliminate the possibility of weather entry.

At any rate, I used the clear panels, the heat gain was negligible, it's not a concern IMO if a coop is properly vented.