General Product Information and Advice
All Simplicity systems are constructed from grades of materials that ensure the structures are fit for purpose and function for many years. Your structure’s maintenance requirements along with important instructions should be followed at all times.
Health & Safety
Simplicity structures have no particular operating instructions after installation, however, the following Health and Safety advice should be followed at all times:
- It is the sole responsibility of the maintenance person and/or customer to make sure that all training needs, safety precautions, and supervision are undertaken and utilised correctly when undertaking inspections, maintenance, and repairs. The manufacturer cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any injury or damage to property or individuals as a result of the nature of personnel or equipment that is used, or if individuals do not follow correctly, or disregard, health and safety regulations.
- The roof of the structure may not have been designed to be load-bearing outside normal parameters; therefore, the loading of materials onto the roof, or individuals climbing onto and walking across the structure is not advised at any time.
- Polycarbonate roofing and panels are not resistant to continually targeted impacts such as the constant kicking of a football against the panel, persons being pushed against it, or deliberately bouncing against it. These types of continual impacts may cause cracking or holes to be made in the panel which could create sharp edges, causing a hazard to those in the vicinity of the structure. Accordingly, all such impacts should be discouraged/avoided. If damage from such activity does occur the area should be isolated until repair or replacement can be undertaken. Please contact your supplier to organise the replacement work.
- When undertaking routine maintenance/inspections, and access is needed via a ladder it is the responsibility of the customer to make sure that full care and attention are taken when working at height, and health and safety regulations should be followed at a minimum.
- In the event of product failure or any structural concerns, questions on the subject of the quality of the product, or issues in relation to repair and ongoing maintenance of the product please contact us immediately.
Repair and Maintenance Methods
The product and all its roof and wall claddings, fixings, coatings, and materials should be inspected visually every 3-6 months (depending on your environment) for:
- Damage
- Reduction in performance
- Breakdown of surface finish
- Loose fixings
- Loose ground anchors
If anything arises which is a concern, please refer to the following pages for the appropriate veranda repair and maintenance methods for the material concerned.
It is recommended that all structures are cleaned at regular intervals and at least twice a year as a build-up of dirt can cause damage, particularly to polycarbonate surfaces. The frequency of this clean-down is dependent on your environment – in a harsh coastal or industrial environment, it is recommended that a clean is performed at least every 3 months. Where the surroundings are considered to be non-coastal and non-industrial, the frequency can then be at six-month intervals. To clean your structure a solution of warm water, a mild detergent, and a soft sponge or cloth are recommended. The structure should then be rinsed with clean water and then thoroughly dried. No form of abrasive should be used at any time. All concentrated cleaners should be diluted as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Never use bleach, solvents, abrasive paste, or cream cleaners as they could damage the surface of your structure.
To maximise the life of a painted surface, it is highly recommended that no cleanser that contains chlorinated solvents, ketones, or esters is used. These will cause the paint to soften and a further issue will be created that will require a major refurbishing project to be undertaken. Pressure washers or steam cleaners should not be used on any part of your structure.
If in doubt, please contact your supplier.
IMPORTANT – Caring for your product in the snow:
Although all structures are wind and snow calculated it is mandatory that a build-up of snow on the structure, particularly roofing, is removed as soon as possible. When doing this, individuals should follow the required health and safety regulations to help prevent damage to themselves or others, or to the material.
At all times with any of the steps detailed in this document please follow Health and Safety regulations carefully for any repair products used, to ensure safety and the best-finished results.
Aluminium Frameworks
To clean Aluminium:
- Firstly, remove loose dirt/dust with a soft brush.
- Wash carefully with a low pressurised water wash- such as a hose pipe.
- Wipe down with a soft cloth.
Powder Coating
Powder coating involves the application of a powder finish onto galvanised or shot-blasted substrate. Once this has been done the material is then oven cured to form a hardwearing outer layer. However, in an attempt to preserve the appearance as purchased, in conjunction with ensuring life expectancy, it is required that all powder-coated surfaces are subject to a regular visual inspection. The frequency of inspection should be judged based on the product’s environment. For harsh environments such as industrial, coastal, or where products have high usage, inspection should be every 3 months. Areas that have low usage, are non-industrial, non-coastal, or not near any water are classed as General environments and the inspection can be every 6 months.
General – at six-month intervals
Harsh – at three-month intervals
At inspection take care to look for any visual defects and damage to the powder-coated surface where it has broken through to the galvanised or original base metal underneath. If any defects are noted the following advice should be adhered to as a minimum:
- For light chips or scratches which have exposed the base metal apply an appropriate Zinc Rich primer carefully to the defective area followed by a topcoat finish in a matching acrylic-based paint
- Where chips or scratches have exposed only the galvanised surface, then a top coat finish should be sufficient and should be applied as stated above (without the application of Zinc Rich primer).
- The damaged area can be filled to bring it back up to the remaining powder surface if required using a proprietary car filler system. This can then be sanded back to the finish and level desired.
- For large areas of damage, coating breakdown, or vandalism, the area should be sanded as such so that the edges are smoothed to allow for feathering in (to create a smoother transition from the old paint to the new). A Zinc Rich primer should be brushed or sprayed onto the area and a topcoat should then be applied, in a similar manner.
At all times with any of the steps above please follow the manufacturer’s instructions and precautions carefully to ensure safety and the best-finished results. If repairs are carried out using spraying it is strongly recommended that the surrounding area is fully protected and masked off.
At the time/frequency of inspection, thorough cleaning of the powder-coated surface should also be carried out.
It is recommended this clean-down is done by one of the following methods:
- Washed with mild, warm soapy water using a soft cloth; then it should be rinsed with clean water
and then dried. - Washed with a proprietary car wash and wax system, rinsed, and dried thoroughly.
- Water wash- such as a hose pipe.
An annual treatment with car wax may help to enhance the appearance of the powder coating but this is not considered to be mandatory.
If graffiti is present this should be removed by a specialist contract cleaner or by using a car “T-Cutting” compound. It is not recommended to use any solvents, abrasive cleaners, or other chemicals to clean the surface at any time. Below is a list of some of the products which you should not use (this list is not exclusive):
- Nylon scouring pads
- Thinners
- White Spirits
- Methylated spirits
- Cream household cleaners etc
Whichever repair technique is used, it is highly recommended that the instructions of the manufacturer of any cleaning products used are followed all the time whilst taking into account the safety and health requirements of the products and individuals undertaking the task as well.
Polycarbonate Roof Sheets
Every Polycarbonate sheet should be subjected to visual inspections on a regular basis. The frequency of inspection should be judged based on the product’s environment. For harsh environments such as industrial, coastal, and where products have high usage, inspection should be every 3 months. Areas that have low usage, are non-industrial, non-coastal, or not near any water are classed as General environments and the inspection can be every 6 months. Recommended minimum frequencies should be:
General – at six-month intervals
Harsh – at three-month intervals
When the inspection is completed, it would be beneficial to clean the surface of the sheeting to remove any dirt or dust. Cleaning should be carried out with the use of warm soapy water and a soft cloth. The use of a broom or similar is not recommended on Polycarbonate as it may scratch the surface.
It is not recommended to use any solvents, abrasive cleaners, or other chemicals to clean the surface at any time including:
- Nylon scouring pads
- Thinners
- White Spirits
- Methylated spirits
- Household cleaners etc
In addition, it is not recommended that steam cleaners or pressure washers be used on any section of your installed structure at any time.
In the event of the appearance of any cracks in the Polycarbonate surface or if holes are created as a result of misuse or vandalism then:
- The structure should be isolated immediately
- The sheet or sheets that are faulty must be taken away either by removing the TekScrews or drilling out the rivets
- For replacement sheets please contact your supplier.
The reasons for following the above actions are to prevent possible injuries which could be caused as broken sheets may be sharp.
Care should be taken around areas that contain polycarbonate as constant impact with the material, such as impacts by football, may result in damage that requires repair. Repairs should only be made by replacing the panels affected. These replacement panels can be sourced from your supplier. Failure to replace damaged panels will ultimately result in:
- The structure not performing as required
- The structure presents a Health and Safety hazard
Snow
Although all structures are wind and snow calculated it is mandatory that a build-up of snow on the structure, particularly roofing, is removed as soon as possible. When doing this, individuals should follow the required health and safety regulations to help prevent damage to themselves or others, or to the material.
Glass Doors
If you have a Simplicity structure with sliding glass doors, it is essential that you regularly clean the door tracks to ensure a smooth running of the door panels.
Guttering
It is very important to carry out gutter maintenance on Simplicity systems on a regular basis in order to avoid unnecessary expenditures or future concerns.
This maintenance may require persons to work at height. This can be undertaken either through the utilisation of powered access equipment such as boom lifts, scaffolding, ladders, etc. It is the sole responsibility of the maintenance person and/or customer to make sure that all of the training needs, safety precautions, and supervision are undertaken correctly and utilised correctly.
The manufacturer cannot be held responsible for any type of injury that may occur as a consequence of carrying out any maintenance or as a result of the nature of personnel or equipment that is used.
- The first step in gutter maintenance is to remove all of the debris, including twigs, leaves or any other objects from the roof of the structure. In winter, it is also essential to get rid of any considerable build-up of snow as the extra weight of snow and the possible impact force of falling snow build-up can cause severe damage to the gutters that are beyond repair. Plastic guttering systems are particularly fragile so care must be taken to not cause damage to this when clearing snow and debris from the roof.
- Once the roof is clear of debris, the gutter runs should be inspected. Look for, twigs, leaves, stones, rocks, etc. which may cause damage, and remove them carefully without applying pressure to the gutter.
- Examine the gutter fittings which connect to the downpipe and remove any debris from these as well. Water must be able to move freely through the system- if any part of the system becomes clogged, the weight of the blocked water may cause damage to the system. If your structure is sited in a location that may be subject to considerable amounts of leaf litter, we would recommend that a leaf guard is fitted at the top of the downspout.
- To complete the gutter maintenance, check the gutter supports and downspouts again. Once everything has been thoroughly cleaned, flush the gutters with water. Also, wash the roof with a standard water hose and make sure the water follows from the roof and into the gutters effectively. This process is very important to make sure that everything is working efficiently.
Other General Maintenance
A full annual check should be made of all fixings present on the structure and all ground fixings to ensure that they have retained the tightness required and are providing the required support.