Leak in slate roof, use JD4310/430 + to access

[JB4310]

The way it is installed is to lay down horizontal strips of galvanized strips and nail that to the roof. They have stainless steel wires with hocks on the end. Over this you put foot or so wide continuous roll stiff plastic sheeting.

This plastic is the waterproof membrane. Then starting from the top down, you stick a piece of slate up under the one above, place it a bit behind the hooks and slide it down to contact the hooks. Repeat as needed.


The manufacturer claims 100 year life. The problem that is developing is that the slate is shedding layers. It is not tight enough and freeze/thaw seems to be deteriorating it. So far it has not caused major obvious problems. And the slate is not the waterproof layer.

It has been through wind with 60 - 70 mph gusts without difficulty. It has also had a fair amount of snow with depths unusual for this area. I have no idea what the years will bring.

That is as unconventional as it gets, never heard of anything like that for installing a slate roof. is this a proven method or something that was designed just for your specific situation ?

If the slate is already delaminating, it is not a high quality material.
Not all slate is the same of course. Some softer slate, usually considered Pennsylvania slate, is so soft you can poke your finger thru it after 40 years.
Most high quality slate will ring like a diner plate when tapped on after 100 years.

You mentioned you used slate for it's fire resiliency. That was a huge part of it's market appeal back in the day, even more so than it's beauty or longevity.

I don't know what all this talk about liability working on slate is all about :confused2:
Sounds like they just don't have experience in it. Personally I enjoy working on slate, you can tell by my showing off the pictures. Slate roofs are mostly found on historic and high end homes and institutions. Working on those types of places sets me apart and above all the other roof monkeys, at least by a little

JB

 

[alternety]

I told you you had never seen one like it.http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

The slate is from China or India. The materials were actually cheaper than the fake slates people are peddling. It is not my design. It is marketed. No idea if they are still in business.

Just got a call from a guy who is willing to come up an look. He is talking sealing methods that probably will not work, but he seems to be able to think and be flexible. Of course it is now raining again. We are stuck in March. A lot of the area has not hit 60 degrees yet.

 

[alternety]

It is fixed.

One of the people I called, called me back and came out this morning. He actually seemed to understand.

The problem was exactly what I thought it was. The initial installation of flashing was done incorrectly and with the wrong materials. Other than that, it was fine.

Lead flashing was used, but ran into the same issue I had repeatedly with the original contractors. They simply did not understand water runs down hill. The flashing was installed OVER the drain plane of the roof rather than under it. Water was being directed directly into the hole in the roof since day one.

An incorrect attempt to improve performance was the application of silicone sealer. It would not, and did not, bond to the materials being used.

I have another vent that I am certain is done the same way. I will get that one fixed in better weather. The fact that the attic was spray foamed kept the leaks from showing up until now. I still have not seen water from the second vent.

 

[MarkV]

I told you you had never seen one like it.http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif

The slate is from China or India. The materials were actually cheaper than the fake slates people are peddling. It is not my design. It is marketed. No idea if they are still in business.

Just got a call from a guy who is willing to come up an look. He is talking sealing methods that probably will not work, but he seems to be able to think and be flexible. Of course it is now raining again. We are stuck in March. A lot of the area has not hit 60 degrees yet.

The link shows me a smiley face, did I miss something? I am still interested to learn about the system used.

MarkV

 

[alternety]

Sorry, that link was supposed to be a winking smiley face not a link to the manufacturer. I would need to look around to find that if you want it.

I think I have the HTML option turned off in my account because it kills my spelling checker. So I see graphics, but apparently can't include them.

The roofing guy that came out (in my opinion) charged too much for his time, but given he came up here on a Saturday morning in the rain I did not argue.

His comment after fixing the flashing, replacing a couple of broken tiles, and putting back the ones I had removed was that it sure was a simple and easy system and had great waterproofing (if you did not have someone screw up flashing).

He crawled up on my foam rather than on the wooden ladder I had on top of the foam. So his knees effectively negated the purpose of the foam, but it did not appear to break slate. He did not stand up, but sat without the foam when he was working. Again, seemed to work. It is kind of the luck of the draw. The thickness of the slate varies over quite a range. Some very fragile; some not so much.

I have no idea what current pricing is like (or if they still exist) but when I bought the stuff, it was cheaper than fake (rubber tire based) slate. Certainly looks better. It has the potential as a dealer to be a low bid winner.