Wet verge or dry verge for first timer?

[Tagged]

Hi folks.

Almost ready to redo my garage ridge after felting the top half and still a few bits to fix such as renew some cement board.

Im very undecided weather to do a dry ridge or wet ridge. First time doing any roof repair so this is all new to me. Dry ridge I've heard can have problems if not done correctly but a nice modern alternative.

Wet ridge will last years and years if done correctly but I need to carry the mortar up a ladder after mixing it in a bucket by hand and I hear I may need quite a lot I've got between 10+ tiles to bed.

Can you give me your advice and suggestions please as I've put this off for weeks longer than I should have now out of fear of failing and due to weather as its currently covered in plastic lol.

Thank you for the replies!

 

[RandomGrinch]

Dry ridge for me!
It limits your exposure to risk when working at height.

 

[Tagged]

Dry ridge for me!
It limits your exposure to risk when working at height.

It's my garage roof so not actually that high in the grand scheme of things. Also I live in a chalet bungalow so I'm pretty happy with the height I'm at, different story on a 2 story house haha!

 

[RandomGrinch]

As a diy'er I would probably go with the dry ridge given ease of installation. A garage roof is low risk if it does fail, compared to your home and the cost of a kit is so little.
I would give it a go, accepting that I may have to redo it in a few years if it fails!
But that's just me!
Good luck!

 

[Tagged]

Apologies I realise I've written verge instead of ridge in the title.

After some deliberation I think I'm going to go for a dry ridge installation. I have a few questions.

Are the kits of amazon any good? And I think I need to lay a piece of timber across the batten straps...

1. what wood do I use for this just the same as the tile battens?

2. Does anything get screwed or nailed into my actual roof ridge itself or just the rafters?

Thanks

 

[RandomGrinch]

1). Yes, treated tile battens.
And
2). It depends, for retrofit, I've seen them fitted just to the existing ridge because that's all that could be exposed without removing many tiles.

There are plenty of good installation videos on YT, and the kit manufacturer's instructions are pretty good as well.

Also to note, the kits can vary slightly depending on the tile/slate type and ridge tiles to be used. Other kits are 'universal' - check suitability first!

 

[Tagged]

Thanks very much appreciate it

So basically universal I understand

1. I take tiles off,
2.Run a length of batten across the ridge

3. put the metal straps on over the wood (kits I'm looking at seem to show this)

4. Nail into rafter alongside battens to hold it all in place

5. Clean tiles and spread across the membrane ensuring its all stuck down

6. Put on ridge caps and clip them together screwing into the wood I laid down.

Done

 

[RandomGrinch]

As far as I can tell, yes!
Some kits don't batten directly onto ridge, but allow the metal to stand-off.
If your felt runs continuously over the ridge, it can be cut back to allow the dry ridge ventilation to work - but this is optional, if you don't have any ventilation issues.
The membrane is usually nailed to the new ridge batten as well.
Some kits reccomend two batten strips to match the height of the ridge tile being used.
Your end ridge tiles may need an additional hole drilled in them to allow two mechanical fixing points per tile.
Basically, follow the instructions!

 

[Tagged]

Thanks very much great info. Im undecided now whether to get a kit of a roofing store or just a basic 1 off amazon for half the price.