Fixing to new slate roof

[Worcester]

@DomB

That sounds good advice to me.

 

[funboy57]

Not sure where this is going. BruceB picture is the anchor I was referring to, MCS renewable anchor I thought was more for corrugated roofing , like on a warehouse/garage. I would be very disappointed if shucco did not have a certificate for that anchor BruceB put up, but then can a roofer put up a cert for his opinion, why trust the roofer just because he is a roofer, colloquial, 'it works mate'. Good debate though

 

[SRE]

Not sure where this is going. BruceB picture is the anchor I was referring to, MCS renewable anchor I thought was more for corrugated roofing , like on a warehouse/garage. I would be very disappointed if shucco did not have a certificate for that anchor BruceB put up, but then can a roofer put up a cert for his opinion, why trust the roofer just because he is a roofer, colloquial, 'it works mate'. Good debate though

Roofer with 20 years experience working on slate roofs every week, excellent references and member of FMB with experience putting right problems with solar fixed this way to slate 5/6 years ago v 12 months experience installing solar panels mostly on tiled roofs ...... I know who's advice I would take

 

[solarsavings]

So much damage do expect to happen from the ingress of water (if any) around a hanger bolt? mountains and molehills spring to mind.

 

[Ecodan]

DomB
Sounds like the lead option is more work but l would rather leave a job confident it will last. I really don't want to be refiting panels in years to come. All the best for the slate job next week.

 

[Worcester]

So much damage do expect to happen from the ingress of water (if any) around a hanger bolt? mountains and molehills spring to mind.

It's doesn't take a lot of water to cause a couple of grands worth of damage to some of the properties that we work on.

For example for all work inside we put down dust sheets from the entrance to all the work areas, and when wet also put down disposable poly ones on top. The last thing we want is a claim for a few grand because of a messed up carpet or wooden floor.

Same with the roof, seems false economy on a dwelling to me.

Having said all that, we do intend to use them on a garage install, there is nothing in the garage that would be harmed by water damage.

 

[SolarCity]

It's doesn't take a lot of water to cause a couple of grands worth of damage to some of the properties that we work on.

For example for all work inside we put down dust sheets from the entrance to all the work areas, and when wet also put down disposable poly ones on top. The last thing we want is a claim for a few grand because of a messed up carpet or wooden floor.

Same with the roof, seems false economy on a dwelling to me.

Having said all that, we do intend to use them on a garage install, there is nothing in the garage that would be harmed by water damage.

Likewise. We lay dust sheets wherever we tread - things like this get noticed by the customer more than anything....

Having spoke to various roofers, we definitely won't be using hanger bolts and slate tile roofs. They may be ok.... I don't know. The truth is that none of us really know. I'm just a lot happier with using roof anchors with lead flashing.

 

[funboy57]

Ive never used anchor bolts on slate roofs only the slate anchor the BruceB has shown on the first page of this thread. I think this is a good debate. There will always be a difference of opinion which is fair enough. I just wondered what are the objections that roofers have against the Shucco slate anchor? Im definately not a person who wants to cut corners on a job, however I feel that if a anchor that has been designed fit for purpose by a company that manufactures mounting systems it should be ok. Another point is, if it did go belly up 5/6 years down and the customer tries to sue you they have to prove negligence, if you have used the appropriate anchor fixed according to manufacturers instructions and it fails, will that make you negligent ?
The problem BruceB has got the slates on his roof are interlocking, nightmare to work with, ever tried replacing a damaged one? As soon as BruceB gets on the roof the company that has installed the new roof will void their warranty. To me on a brand new roof would it not look a better job if it was integrated, perhaps it cant be for some reason. Interesting one this.

 

[BruceB]

The problem BruceB has got the slates on his roof are interlocking, nightmare to work with, ever tried replacing a damaged one? As soon as BruceB gets on the roof the company that has installed the new roof will void their warranty. To me on a brand new roof would it not look a better job if it was integrated, perhaps it cant be for some reason. Interesting one this.

I am grateful for the replies to date. Funboy57 is right that the slates I cited are modern interlocking slates and are in many ways more like tiles than slates because they are laid with a single lap rather than the double lap of traditional slates. I am concious of the point he makes above and intend for the anchors to be put on as the roof is covered rather than ripping it apart as soon as it is finished. I did offer integrated, but it was more expensive and budget for this client is tight. If it were not for the council insisting on a Code 3 sustainable home and a certain percentage of renewables in order to grant the planning permission, then he would not be doing as much as he is on this front.
Regards
Bruce

 

[Worcester]

Would you do that on a £1m house?

Yes and we have done. These approved fixings will not leak as opposed to cutting slates and bits of lead. They are designed for this purpose and are superb.

MCS registered since 1st April 2010, over 112 jobs on houses worth up to 5.4 million, no leaks yet !

probably get one tomorrow now ..... thanks !

@MCS Renewables, Do you have a copy of the appropriate BBA, CE Certificate etc, plus a detailed installation process? I'd like to see that before I used it..

 

[solarsavings]

It's doesn't take a lot of water to cause a couple of grands worth of damage to some of the properties that we work on.

For example for all work inside we put down dust sheets from the entrance to all the work areas, and when wet also put down disposable poly ones on top. The last thing we want is a claim for a few grand because of a messed up carpet or wooden floor.

Same with the roof, seems false economy on a dwelling to me.

Having said all that, we do intend to use them on a garage install, there is nothing in the garage that would be harmed by water damage.

I fail to see the connection between dust sheets and hanger bolts And for what it's worth I've been putting dust sheets down for 30 odd years with out a claim. I've been using hanger bolts to install solar thermal collectors (and more recently pv) where needed since 2005. We also have them on a training roof where the underside of the tiles is exposed and it shows no signs of water ingress. There is a fixing system I wouldn't use and it doesn't rely on hanger bolts.

 

[funboy57]

I agree about the dust sheets.It would be great if we could just debate this rather than shouting peeps down, surely the point of the forum is to learn from other people experiences and not some sort of professional oneupmanship. if a roofer says he dont like the anchor/bolt it would be better to explain why he dont like the anchor/bolt, if it fails after 5/6 years why did it fail, if we were not looking for guidance or help in areas we are not quite sure about then we wouldn`t be here, or am I being too simplistic.

 

[SRE]

I don't think it was one upmanship, if you have a look at the contributions that Biggs and Worcester make on the forum you'll see they aren't like that, they always make a valuable contribution - I've been helped with their advice no end. I think it was just a point about cutting corners and some people think that drilling and using hanger bolts cuts corners. I'm not saying they're right, but everyone's entitles to their view.

 

[funboy57]

@SRE I agree with what your saying about Biggs & Worcester I am grateful for their contribution,yours and everyone elses, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, however for the purpose debate an explanation as to why someone has opinion would be helpful. I dont want to cut corners but I ( and probably others) would like to know if I have been mis sold something that was alleged to be fit for purpose and would like to draw on other peoples experiences as to why these fixings fail. As in fact not heresy.

 

[Worcester]

As per another post a long discussion with the Hilti rep and they do an identical anchor bolt and won't authorise them for use on slate, (Hilti have neen making pv mounting systems for ages on the continent)

As I say, show me the CE, TUV or BBA certificate for them and the detailed instructions for them and I'll change my mind, until then I won't use them on a house on slate. Wind load, Dead Load, Snow load, something has to flex.

Which distributors are promoting them / saying it's OK ?

And I'll happily discuss it with them *(without mentioning names!)