Roof Maintenance is some thing that is rarely thought about by the home owner. It only becomes a priority when it is leaking and is in need of repair. Most slate roofs a long with clay & Concrete roof tiles require very little maintenance, although this does increase with tile age. You should expect a minimum of 30-50 years before any work should be required.
Most roof maintenance issues that arrive before this are most likely caused by poor installation when installed a faulty product or the most common issue is other trades tap dancing on the roof, be it painters plumbers, sky aerial installers to name a few. If you want to prevent roof maintenance as much as possible keep people off your roof is the best place to start.
This guide is to help maintain a trouble free roof for years to come.
1.1 Process Overview
Once installed the tiles themselves require no regular roof maintanance provided some simple rules are adhered to:
1.2 Do not allow any tradesmen or persons to gain access to the roof under any circumstances.
1.3 If a sky aerial is to be installed it can be installed on the fascia or the wall of the house.
1.4 If a plumber needed to gain access to a pipe outlet on the roof a mobile scaffold tower should be used then a 50mm foam sheet laid on to the tiles with a plywood board with steps fixed to the foam sheet. This helps minimize the chance of breaking tiles.
1.5 If access steps are followed as per 1.4 the foam board should never be placed near a hip or ridge as if this is disturbed then the ridges can come lose or break a tile which will need parts of the mortar work replaced which can be expensive to fix.
1.6 If access steps are followed as per 1.4 it should never be placed near an un-supported valley tile as they can break more easily.
2.1 Roof painting or sealing.
2.2 Under no circumstances is a clay roof tile to be painted or a sealer coat applied, as this will trap moisture permeating up from the inside and trap it in the tiles causing the tile to delaminate over time, it will take a good 5-20 years off the life of the tile.
3.1 Cleaning out spouting.
3.2 This is fine provided it is carried out from a ladder not from the roof for safety and to prevent tile damage.
4.1 If damage does occur.
4.2 Make sure a person competent with working at height and with clay tiles before they attempt to repair it.
Roof maintenance Auckland
Roof maintenance Auckland