mounting systems for welsh slate roof

Apologies to MarkC, my last posting was to Mark D.

I'm losing the plot now - Apologies to Mark C again I meant Mark W

solgen said:

I'm losing the plot now - Apologies to Mark C again I meant Mark W

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No problem Solgen. These things happen to us all.

Thanks

Well said GPack.

I think you have summarised and hopefully diffused some of the tension around this subject. If anyone does have any reference to manufacturers instructions for the use of Hanger bolts I would appreciate if they could post it on this forum.

Solgen.

The only thing I can find is this.

We used this system on our Mcs assessment and discussed it at length with the assessor he was more than happy with our install and took a lot of pics of it . We know a consultant for BRE and he recommended it, this same person has Pv installs numbering in the hundreds having installed Pv for 9 years .Its a system which is also used on solar thermal a lot ,but its horses for courses you have to decide whether its the right mount for the roof ,we looked at other mounts first but on some jobs the spacing between battens was too tight to use a hook or fixed mount ,also the rafter size needs checking as these bolts are quite thick and should only be used on rafters of suitable size

solgen said:

Mark C,

I find your attitude to the people on this forum rather aggressive and abrupt! You seem to take peoples questions as some form of personal critism which in my opinion isn't the case. I believe we are just trying to learn from one another the best possible approach to challenging problems whilst keeping within MCS rules and manufacturers specifications. You have stated in a previous reply to MarkC ...

"This is an approved method of installation and the hanger bolts get bought from segen for this us"

I have looked on the Segen website and cannot find any documentation which states they are approved for slate roof mounting so I was rather hoping that you could direct me to where this is mentioned. I was incorrect in my previous e-mail using the word "recommended" I meant to use your word "approved" so my apologies for that.

All I and others are trying to do is exchange ideas and it seems that slate roofs are problematic and there isn't an ideal solution. Perhaps the method you describe is the best offering.

If anyone else has some considered opinions on this subject great!

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Solgen

I apologise if I come accross abrupt, it's my personality!

I accept that we are here to discuss ideas, but I don't actually see anyone coming forward with any......! I mentioned that I have done many slate roof installs and this is the best method I have found.

All anyone can say is they don't like the idea of rubber seals or they don't like drilling through roof tiles, wind loading and stability, when they haven't seen it or felt it. No reason as to why they don't like the rubber seals or drilling through tiles.

I just wish I had a forum like this to ask for advice before I started installing. I had to find out the hard way, many hours spent on the phone to suppliers discussing various methods, and yes it does feel like my installs are being criticized.

Trust me I would not go drilling through customers rooves without doing my homework first.

Anyway best of luck to all you installers,

Cheers
Mark

No one is criticising your installations. Don't take things personally!

We were just discussing methods and showing an interest in yours. I do have concerns about the rubber seals, although as I've already stated, probably without justification.

For what it's worth, I think I'm going to try your method when we get a slate tile roof job

Hi All

Funny how things happen. Saw our PV Supplier today and in the boot of his car he had one of these! Hasn't now as I have it!!

Hopefully will make this post make a little more helpful now we can see the entire hanger.

What did he think of them. I take it sells a fair amount of them?

He said he sell's lots of them and has known them to be used on a multitude of different roof structures. I mentioned the "big debate" on here and he wasn't surprised. It's in powering trust into the rubber washer which he said is the issue. Obviously from their construction they are designed to be water proof and be drilled through the finish roof structure. Can be used on slate, metal roofs, flat roofs and others. He recommended use on a fixed material rather than a movable one like pan tile. He also said other installers use the same method as described in earlier posts, so it seems its a case of having some faith in the product. An idea he put to me to sell it to a concerned client is to fix one though the bottom of a lunch box or Tupperware box as a sample and then fill the box with water. Seems a fairly easy thing to demonstrate..........unless it leaks!!!

I also questioned the issue on build regs on the size of the bolt. He did agree the 10% rule but hasn't come up against issues regarding that point so far. We discussed the possibility of applying additional timber to side brace the rafter and fix into that rather than the rafter itself. I will be seeing a build inspector next week on a different job so may ask the question to him and see what his take is.

My opinion now see it is, it looks like it will do the job. Still not looking forward to our first slate roof job but fortunately not to many of them are around this way.

Thanks Mark. Some fair points. I Like the idea of fixing a length of timber to the rafter to avoid issues with building regs. It'll be really interesting to see what the building inspector thinks about it. I think after that meeting you will have gone a long way to exhausting all aspects of this type of fixing and should be in a good position to advise future customers. Would love to know what he thinks.

Thanks for the pictures, Mark. I think it'll definitely be the method I use on our slate tile PV installs.

Regarding the 10% rule, it is possible to use bigger fixings but you must supply engineer calculations to prove that it won't affect the roof structure too much. We had to take this route on an unusual loft conversion where we had no choice but to drill holes for cable runs.

Been looking into slate roof mounting methods again briefly today and found these hooks:
Solar PV roof fixing slate - £9.99 : Solar PV Systems, The Best Online Store
The benefit from my point of view is that we can standardise on the K2 mounting rails that we use for concrete tile roofs as they are part of the same range.

I am still unsure on the hanger bolts. Neat as they undoubtedly are, I can't ignore our roofer's opinion. Also just read that the flex inherent in the bolts (quite normal) can, over time, stress or crack the slates. Not seen any proof of this though. Oh, I dunno!....

Hey, I got my first call today to install a system. Went around to have a chat and take a look at its suitablity and came across asbestos slates. Like welsh slates but asbestos!
Any ideas if these are okay to work on? The building is an old cobb cottage. Chap says it may have had a thatch before these tiles were put on. I'm going to talk to a local roofer in a few days and will ask him what he thinks. Any one here had any experience with them. I can't believe having worked out how to deal with welsh slate I get interest from someone with asbestos slate! Unbelievable!