mounting systems for welsh slate roof

[pembrokeshire]

Not wishing to be piccy but really you need to know the size, spacing and condition of the rafters, to determine the anchor spacing at the time of survey. Can be a leap in the dark otherwise !!
You can strip a section to have a look , better safe than sorry
Mark

 

[SRE]

Are people really using hanger bolts for slate roofs????????? Unfortunately 70% of our roofs are slate and we'd never use hanger bolts, our roofer and customers would be horrified. MEP - there's a knack for walking on tiles, roofers have learnt through bitter experience others haven't. Employ the appropriate trade and you'll have a few cracked slates ( we did a Spanish slate roof yesterday - known to be the most brittle. 4kwp install 10 broken tiles replaced) do it yourself and you'll have loads more even if you're 8 stone wet through

 

[sre2011]

unirac sounds good but if all else fails you cant fall of with lead slates dressed over the brackets, like martin says not pretty but totaly hidden by the array and in my opinion weather proof is better than pretty, theres a training company in york who run a good panel instalation course covering all scenareo's

 

[sparkesroofing]

These bolts are NOT good!. As a roofing contractor for many years with about twenty installs under my wing i would not recommend the use of these bolts. Drilling holes in slates without the correct knowledge of how to make the penetration water tight doesnt make good sense to me. When the EPDM washer and roof bolt fall dead in between two slates, there is no way that the washer can make the penetration in the slates water tight. If you have to use these bolts then i suggest that you get either a roofer or plumber to make a lead slate similar to a siol pipe flashing and use the EPDM washer to seal the top of the pipe upstand, the other way is to use a roof hook and cut the slates around the hook and flash with a piece of lead, then cut slates around the top of the hook to create a neat and tidy finish.

 

[TheMightyGusset]

Check out what Baxi recommend for installing their thermal panels

http://www.baxi.co.uk/docs/Baxi_Sol...t_Plate_Solar_Collector_Mounting_36005977.pdf

If you're going to use hanger bolts, this method satetment looks probably like the best you'll get. (Slate starts on page 12)

Hi guys, I was reading this thread with interest, and my contribution was going to be to post that Baxi article, as it does seem to be the most comprehensive set of instructions out there.
Nice to see I've been beaten to it !

 

[Ramjam]

There is no need for lead on a slate roof if you do it properly, position the right brackets correctly and you'll be able to cut them perfectly to make a weathertight seal that is almost invisible. When I get a chance I'll photograph the process. It's a bit like one of those ornamental puzzles but when you get it then it's easy!

Hanger bolts excerpt pressure down on the slate to make the seal. slates are very weak in that plane and will crack, if not immediately then at some point down the line. Hanger bolts are for tin roofs! I wouldn't want to be one of those installers who's put loads of systems up with hanger bolts, time to close the company and re-open with a different MCS or you'll catch the warranty claims further down the line.

 

[TheMightyGusset]

There is no need for lead on a slate roof if you do it properly, position the right brackets correctly and you'll be able to cut them perfectly to make a weathertight seal that is almost invisible. When I get a chance I'll photograph the process. It's a bit like one of those ornamental puzzles but when you get it then it's easy!

I'm definitely interested in seeing what method (and brackets) you use.
Slate is tricky stuff to work with, so anyone who has any neat tricks please pass them on.
I like the Baxi method, purely because it's a neat and simple solution, and as Baxi are hardly a tinpot fly-by-night concern, then their I'd think that their method is certain to meet with approval from any certification body.

 

[Andrew Picton]

Not possible in our experience...love to see the photographs.

 

[dansk]

me too

 

[TheMightyGusset]

Another alternative might be the Unirac two-piece standoff and flashing solution :

It doesn't look the easiest, or cheapest, method, but might turn out to be the most robust.

 

[simon1982]

I use a thick aluminium roof anchor, fix the anchor flat to the top of the slate over a rafter carefully drilling through the slate with a masonry bit with the hammer drill-action turned off (like you would a ceramic tile). Sandwich a flash-band pad between the slate and the anchor and use lots of roofing sealant (from the roofing supplier) Use your favourite coach bolts and don’t over tighten. It helps to make your cable entry first then you can measure off from the inside and find the rafters from the outside. You’ll defiantly need a slate ripper, to replace Brocken tiles and you’ll need at least two good roofing ladders which you may have to modify with extra padding to protect the sates.

 

[TheMightyGusset]

Let's see if this works.
I've uploaded a Unirac pdf onto Google Docs that shows their 2-piece standoff and flashing solution :
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...2UtNTgyNWEyZTFkZDZl&hl=en_GB&authkey=CO-egt8G

 

[SRE]

Sorry, still not convinced - 70% of our jobs are slate - we'd never drill them. Just building problems a few years down the line.

 

[simon1982]

I have pictures if you're really interested, I live on the Dartmoor national park all the local installs are on slate roofs. It's a really unpleasant task but it works a lot better than you would imagine. We’ve never had trouble with leaks on slate installations because they’re so much easier to seal up.... You can still give me a tiled bungalow any day !!

 

[simon1982]

How do you go about it SRE ?

 

[SRE]

We're in a national park too, on slate roofs - agree with you about the tiled bungalows, urban installers don't know they're born ;-). Our roofer just takes the slate out fixes the hook and flashes it all back in with lead. None of it a problem just more time consuming and a bit of extra cost for lead and replacement slates. The only problem we've had was with cambrian slate which gave us problems with the hooks and flashing it back in. I wouldn't expect you to be having problems with leaking after such a short period, it's after a few years of the slate moving with the wind that the leaks wil appear and need to be resolved. None of our customers would let us near their homes if we were drilling through the slate.

 

[simon1982]

You don't find many properties in urban locations where the builder has used pine trees as rafters which seems to be very common here specially in houses built just after the war As a family we've been installing solar products on our houses we have built since the 90s, no problems yet. Thankfully.

 

[Worcester]

Time to share the photo's guys!

 

[TheMightyGusset]

Time to share the photo's guys!

I've been trying to !
Well, I've been trying to post some images, and a link to a Unirac solution, but my posts are awaiting approval from a Moderator.
I assume it's because I'm a Newbie.

 

[Worcester]

@TheMightyGusset

Why not load them up to http://picasaweb.google.com/home or Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket or Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing and then share the album tada! (just give us the link )