Slates become brittle with age. Fact or fiction?

[Restoration man]

I've broken a few slates while on my roof with a proper proffesional roofing ladder.

I thing I've heard slates become brittle with age. Is this true?

Mine are 90 year old welsh. Would this be old enough to be brtitle?

Why arent roof ladder feet much bigger to spread the load. Or even a complete flat panel like that light weight aluminium staging completely covered on the back with a camping mat?

 

[KenGMac]

Restoration man, good evening.

I recall being told that Slate is good for 100 Years + + + ?

What is not so durable are the nail fixings which we all know will rust and expand and make the Slate fail the so called "Nail Sick Roof"

How have your slates cracked? near the nail holes or elsewhere??

 

[Restoration man]

From me dragging my carcass up it!

The other year I was sorting a valley. Where the ladder feet sat slates cracked.

 

[^woody^]

Fact

 

[noseall]

I'll never forget having to "just pop up there and change that slate, would you......."

Shi******ll! Wished I'd never been born. The giveaway was that the slates had started to curl away from the roof. The instant I wheeled the cat ladder up the roof, the bloody things started to snap. Oh Lordy, in for a long day.

By the time I'd finished replacing the one broken tile, there were about 20 lead tingles holding in the other new slates. The customer was a good egg and rather wealthy and was understanding when I told her that she needed a new roof before anyone goes near that roof again.

 

[Nige F]

Why arent roof ladder feet much bigger to spread the load. Or even a complete flat panel like that light weight aluminium staging completely covered on the back with a camping mat?

Those feet crossing the "run" of the ladder are the problem - You can see the weight of a person on the ladder is across a small length rather than along the Stiles, or edges, of the ladder. Great for allowing you to get a toehold on the rungs ( because the ladder is kept off the roof) but not so good for fragile roofs. In the old days a normal ladder had bags of "softening" (sacks filled with straw or rags) tied across it @ intervals (no hook or wheels ) and it was carefully wiggled up the roof working off a ladder from ground to eaves that was lashed to the fascia or soffit or rafter feet which had a big screw eye fixed . Then the Roof Ladder was laid behind the lashed ladder . One person climb the roof ladder and turn + sit on the rungs The other person goes up + down with tools and slates/tiles. So 2 men and their handcart @ 5 bob an hour

 

[Restoration man]

Sounds great bring back the good old days.


At least I'd be able to nip somewhere and buy individual welsh slates back then.