Reducing heat in shed

[Flop]

Can anybody help ??

I have two sheds containing exhibition rabbits. It is always a problem keeping them cool in the summer. There is no glass in the windows to improve ventilation. I have portable air conditioning units but they don't work as well as they would if it was a sealed unit.
I'm wondering if anything can be applied to roofing felt to reflect the heat ? If not what would be the best way to go about insulating the shed roof ? Any other ideas ?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[DAZB]

You can buy Solar Reflective Paint which is used on flat roofs to reflect the heat. Any good Roofing or Builder's merchants will stock it.

 

[madmattman]

if you were to insulate the roof you would be making the shed warmer!!
you best bet is probably to fit an extractor fan of some sort to the shed, or add a window which has a strong lock on as well as a safety catch so yo can leave it open a bit with the lock still in use.
another method you could try is lifting the sightly so that the air can come in and out. you can put them other bits of wood and then in winter take them away to keep the heat in.

 

[david and julie]

If you fixed 4x2 on top of the roof, then screwed corrugated steel sheet or similar to the wood, I think the steel would absorb heat and the air gap help stop it spreading to the roof. If it helped you could do the same on the sunny sides. The solar paint idea would also help further.

Obviously the sheets would need fixing firmly to stand high winds.

I have never tried the above but it may give you an idea, shouldn't cost much really either.

 

[david and julie]

Further to my above post. On a pitched roof would the above cause a funnel effect?, hot air rising bringing cooler air from below causing an air flow? I'm not that clever, someone else might understand(thermal dynamics?)though. I suppose you could go the whole hog and use a solar panels to drive a fan, and keep roof cool to.

 

[Flop]

DAZB, have emailled couple of companies to check suitability for use on shed roof. Received reply from Paco Systems, very helpful - their paint isn't suitable but he recommended either using white masonary paint or adding false roof with gap. Still waiting for another reply, company called Interex who do many solar reflectives so hopefully one is suitable.

Thanks for the other replies will look into the alternatives, lifting shed roof slightly was certainly something we had wondered about.

Will keep you all posted.

 

[masona]

I have noticed when ever I enter a shed with a corrugated white cement sheeting, seem to be cooler inside.

My workshop never get hot inside but it's pre-cast slab so maybe that helps and the roof as above.

 

[madmattman]

if you get desperate you could go the whole hog and get air conditioning

 

[Igorian]

Aircon units won't work that well unless they are in a closed environment. Have you tried using them with the glass in place?

 

[Flop]

Have now received a reply from Interex, very helpful. They produce a suitable product( Aliflex MX40) but have also suggested that the "false roof" is probably necessary as well.
Will have to give the air con with glass in a try. Air con came a long time after glass was removed and it's not something we have tried. Talked about it last summer actually. Obviously the idea behind glass being removed was to improve ventilation but on really hot days there isn't any air movement anyway. Maybe we can have something that slides in and out easily, that way we get the best of both.
Really appreciate the help we have found here, thanx