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- 23 Jun 2026
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My question boils down to this: Can water penetrate a slate roof that is in good condition?
Background...
We just had our slate roof and underlay renewed.
The house is in Oxfordshire UK and built in 1905.
The new underlay is Boost'R Hybrid Roof by Actis - installation instructions here: https://www.insulation-actis.com/fi...ROOF-installation-guidelines-PZ725-102018.pdf
I was expecting the roofer to install the underlay over the eaves tray (as per the text on page 4 and the diagram on page 5 of the above instructions).
But the roofer installed the underlay under the eaves tray and over the over fascia eaves vents.
This means the underlay comes down with the pitch of the roof then rises up to go over the "lip" created by the over fascia eaves vents just before the edge of the roof - see attached image.
I am concerned any water running down the underlay will pool in the area behind the lip instead of running straight out to the gutter.
The roofer says there is no problem as no water will get through the slates, and in the past slate roofs did not have underlays and they did not leak.
Is the roofer correct or do I need to ask him to change the design so any water running down the underlay will go straight to the gutter and not pool in the area behind the lip?
I am aware that in the past mortar was used with slate roofs. Is it possible his justification of "in the past slate roofs did not have underlays and they did not leak" only applies if mortar or some other characteristic (not in my roof) is present?
The slates are Gallegas 39 by CUPA T1 Slate 5mm x 500mm x 250mm
Many thanks in advance.
Background...
We just had our slate roof and underlay renewed.
The house is in Oxfordshire UK and built in 1905.
The new underlay is Boost'R Hybrid Roof by Actis - installation instructions here: https://www.insulation-actis.com/fi...ROOF-installation-guidelines-PZ725-102018.pdf
I was expecting the roofer to install the underlay over the eaves tray (as per the text on page 4 and the diagram on page 5 of the above instructions).
But the roofer installed the underlay under the eaves tray and over the over fascia eaves vents.
This means the underlay comes down with the pitch of the roof then rises up to go over the "lip" created by the over fascia eaves vents just before the edge of the roof - see attached image.
I am concerned any water running down the underlay will pool in the area behind the lip instead of running straight out to the gutter.
The roofer says there is no problem as no water will get through the slates, and in the past slate roofs did not have underlays and they did not leak.
Is the roofer correct or do I need to ask him to change the design so any water running down the underlay will go straight to the gutter and not pool in the area behind the lip?
I am aware that in the past mortar was used with slate roofs. Is it possible his justification of "in the past slate roofs did not have underlays and they did not leak" only applies if mortar or some other characteristic (not in my roof) is present?
The slates are Gallegas 39 by CUPA T1 Slate 5mm x 500mm x 250mm
Many thanks in advance.