roof leaking between clay tiles after roofing work

[ILikeTurtles]

Hi guys,

Slightly concerned with some work i had done recently on my roof, i had a lot of moss on the roof, the lead was coming away from the chimney and also needed re-pointing and some tiles had cracked due to the moss & frost.

They scraped the moss off tile by tile with a trowel and pointed the chimney, when removing the moss they found around 50 or so cracked tiles so replaced these in the cost of the job (not sure if they were all down to the moss or the roofers walking on the tiles also).

They did this job over two days so being curious i popped up in the loft to check out the work before they returned the next day, i could see some gaps and light coming though the tiles probably up to 1-2cm max, they said this was normal and it wouldn't be a problem.

I have no felt under my roof as it's how it was built in 1935, we have just had some rain so i popped up to check out the job only to see a very very damp beam with water dripping on to my loft boards, and another 2 places where water is dripping down on to the insulation!

The rain is quite heavy and has been going on for a few days, but i don't think this is normal is it?

Can the tiles simply be butted up more to each other? will this not leave more gap on the other side? Do these guys sound like they did a good job and it was just hard to judge the gap or was it a rookie mistake?

I want to know who / what i'm dealing with before i contact them regarding this.

Regards

 

[catlad]

Well if your roof is leaking then it can't be right can it, sounds like you have plain tiles? a few pictures will make it easier to help.

 

[ILikeTurtles]

I'm not sure on the correct name for the tiles, i agree a leaking roof isn't good especially after i pay money out to fix this exact issue

here's some pictures to aid you :

http://i44.tinypic.com/10dtzpj.jpg - here water is dripping from the gap between the tiles

http://i41.tinypic.com/2mnqh6r.jpg - near the wall the beam is wet and water is coming in, in a similar manor

http://i40.tinypic.com/2zf1pjs.jpg - it's not very clear here, but water is dripping from the wood just behind the tv areal .

Regards

 

[Alastairreid]

Pictures of the roof from the outside would be better.

Btw moss does not cause tiles to crack!

 

[tony1851]

It's a plain tile roof, and most of the torching has disappeared; as a resullt, probably wind-driven rain coming up over the tiles.
That roof has had it's day. You will be fighting a loosing battle. It needs replacing.

 

[catlad]

Tony1851 you can be my salesman I like turtles You can get by for a while yet by replacing the cracked tiles as long as you get rid of that last big footed roofer.

 

[Blagard]

Plain tile roofs are pretty good but due to the double lap it is easy for a tile to be broken in half (across the tile) and not be visible with the break under the next course up. It only takes one tile broken like that for a leak. You will not even see the break inside.

Depending on how many courses are nailed I would be inclined to try and slide a few tiles up from the inside by an inch or so, then go and look outside to check the bottom edge has in fact been pulled up - if it hasn't you know the tile is broken.

The tiles to test are obviously those where the leak is and one or two rows immediately above.

Unfortunately going over a tiled roof always carries the risk of a few breaking. It is possible those on the roof would not be aware of a break unless they see it. Butting the tiles up closer at the sides is not going to solve the problem.

 

[noseall]

Firstly, maintenance work on an old plain tile roof carries a high collateral damage risk and is not recommended, as you will likely break tiles once you start clambering around on the roof. More so on an old roof.

Even with the help of a cat ladder.

The risks should have been pointed out to the customer before engaging in frivolous work like moss removal.

Secondly, plain tiles can have 10mm gaps between them and still be watertight.

It is best to use a scaffold platform along with either a padded ladder or create 'steps' up the roof by removing staggered clumps of tiles. The latter method is risky on an old roof due to worn nails or thin roofing battens.