Is this considered OK, see photo.

[mattiker]

Currently got a half finished job over the weekend (due to freezing conditions which slowed work progress) so I've had the chance to take a look a the work so far- partly cause I have some other roofing work to complete whilst the scaffold is up. Please look at this photo and tell me if this normal or ok?



I guess rosemary tiles are quite fragile and I'd guess the odd breakage is expected and around the brackets must be tricky - quite a few of the brackets are like in the picture. I guess if the work had been completed on schedule I might never have seen this, sometimes it's better that way! Appreciate your comments.

Cheers!

 

[danesol]

IMO, as a temporary fix OK until they come back, but this needs a new TILE ASAP as it cant be left like that unless you have cowboys !!

 

[dansk]

oh dear, why o why.

 

[JulianC]

Certainly not acceptable in my opinion. Gobbing up a broken tile with a bit of bituminous mastic is unlikely to last 25 years. Replacement tile required. Perhaps more of a concern is that fact that it appears to have broken due to pressure on it from the hook. If that's the case, I would be concerned.

 

[SolarCity]

It's a common issue with rosemary tiles. As the bracket sits flush on top of the tile, there is always a slight bit of pressure as the array moves. Rosemary tiles, as you know, don't need a fat lot of pressure to break them in half.

To combat this problem, we use brackets which sit above the tile and use a couple of sheets of lead to maintain weatherproofing.

To answer your question, I would say repairing a tile as shown above is not a very good idea.

 

[Earthstore]

I do not think you need to ask really...
They should have replaced the tile, it is a pain when they break because you have to go and buy some the same, so you can spend half a day driving around.
Also the bracket looks very rusty for stainless, oh yes, and the cable has not been tied up yet and is rubbing on the tiles.
Hope this helps.

 

[dansk]

anyone doing rosemarys should know to bring 100 spare tiles and few rolls of lead!

there not SS hooks, look like cheap china, Caymax kit TBH.

 

[Earthstore]

Looks like the installer will be in for some grief on Monday...

 

[moggy1968]

On a roof like this if I couldn't get hold of my preferred bracket (which is wider and thinner so conforms to the tile), which is less prone to breaking tiles I would remove the tile underneith altogether and replace it with lead, leaving the bracket 'floating'. The risk is that even if they replace the tile it'll break again at some point in the future with the flexing of the bracket. The mastic won't help at all as the leak will be where the crack is. The mastic is just stopping the broken bit falling off.

If that is rust rather than mud on the bracket then the mounting kit doesn't meet the required standards, which are a legal requirement. If thats rust then in a few years time your panels will fall off the roof!!

 

[SRE]

Moggy are you using the k2 hooks for rosemarys? We've got our first rosemary job on Thursday and haven't used them before. Such joy ..... a rest from slate ... to do rosemarys!!!!!!!

Where are all the tiled roofs!

 

[moggy1968]

HI, yes, k2, but the wide ones. I do still lead between the bracket and the tile and lap the lead over the lower edge of the tile, then if it breaks in the future the lead will hold it in place and maintain the waterproofing. It's not the cheapest way of doing things, but I like a quiet life. I don't want someone ringing me up in 2 years moaning that their tiles are falling off!

put the brackets on from the bottom up, put the bottom rail on then use that to stand on to place the others spreading your weight with a foot between 2 brackets rather than over the bracket itself.
If they're clay, take plenty of spares! if you just look at them wrong they break!
Concrete are much easier.

 

[JD6400]

HI, yes, k2, but the wide ones. I do still lead between the bracket and the tile and lap the lead over the lower edge of the tile, then if it breaks in the future the lead will hold it in place and maintain the waterproofing. It's not the cheapest way of doing things, but I like a quiet life. I don't want someone ringing me up in 2 years moaning that their tiles are falling off!

put the brackets on from the bottom up, put the bottom rail on then use that to stand on to place the others spreading your weight with a foot between 2 brackets rather than over the bracket itself.
If they're clay, take plenty of spares! if you just look at them wrong they break!
Concrete are much easier.

We did 89!!!!! clay tiles on our third install , and most of them were by the roofers .
It was on a 2-3 hundred year old farm house and they were so brittle that we even broke two just from the weight of placing one of our 18v makita grinders on it ?
Luckily our roofers were from the next village and had more than enough spares from similar property's in the area .

 

[fiardor]

200-300 year old tiles?

Err.........never mind...........:waving:

 

[JD6400]

200-300 year old tiles?

Err.........never mind...........:waving:

Good one fella ! The point of me mentioning the age of the farmhouse was to highlight the tiles were not made last week ?

 

[fiardor]

LOL i know. Sorry.

Forgive me for i know not what i do........mostly :29:

 

[moggy1968]

yep, our first one was a new garage building but with reclaimed tiles, we did about 60! I broke one just resting my elbow on it!!
we replaced with concrete ones under the panels so they didn't show when we ran out of the owners supply of spares!.

 

[SRE]

That's why we always use a roofer, his yard has an endless supply of matching slate or tiles. He just brings them to the job with him anyway.

 

[moggy1968]

since that first one, we've learned our lesson. I bought about 2 dozen spare tiles and still have half of them left with the new mounting techniques we use.
roofers proved to be too expensive for us and offered us no benefit, usually I had to solve the problems for them!!!

 

[jupestar]

do it the same way as moggy, often the brackets rest against the lower tile. in this case even if i didn't break them i know they will break over time, so take it out and put some lead in. krannich hooks are better, but still lead needed below smetimes... if i can walk in them (15stone) then i figure the tile will hold. if the tile breaks.. lead..

 

[mattiker]

Thanks for all the replies - you are all extremely helpful.

I've managed to get the installers to fix it - and they've installed all the brackets using lead, taking out part of the tile where the bracket rests - looks a lot better.

Also, some of you noted rust on the bracket- this was just clay coloured mud, so no worries there.

Thanks again.

 

[SIIVION]

Lucky you looked. Get back to the forum with progress.

I have been an Electrician for many years but never ventured into PV.
Just wondering about that mock stainless support; Do they extend under the tile much?

Had assumed that arrays were fixed through to the roof structure somehow.

 

[SRE]

roofers proved to be too expensive for us and offered us no benefit

We're lucky we've got good guys and it means we can do 2 jobs instead of one. Also means we didn;t have to pay them during Dec/Jan when we were all waiting to see what happened.

 

[moggy1968]

I ended up using the carpenter brother of the lad who has worked as a sperky with me for 3 years and a guy who does office fit outs. tHey are great, never looked back since! And, as with SRE, because they are subbies if there's no work I don't have wages to pay.

 

[SolarCity]

We use roofers on slate jobs and not much else now.

 

[VMan]

I would say a new tile would crack too, on rosemary tiles we always lead ontop of the tiles, That bracket don't look stainless to me, there's going to be rust streaks appearing down the roof soon