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Why Do Roof Tiles Slip?

Despite being our first line of defence against the elements and covering the most valuable assets we possess, it’s shocking the reason why most roofs go unnoticed for years. However, when a damp patch suddenly appears on the ceiling or water starts to leak into our home, the condition of our roofing suddenly becomes of huge importance to homeowners.

In the UK, we get a fair share of harsh wind and heavy rainfall across the year which over time can lead to a plethora of roofing issues. One of the most obvious to identify is when roof tiles slip. If you’re also facing the same challenge, then you’ll most likely be interested in knowing the reason behind this occurrence. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the reasons why roof tiles slip.

Roof tiles can slip as a result of a corrosion of the nails that’s in place to secure your tiles to your roof. This happens especially during strong storms, whereby several roof tiles can be dislodged by rain and winds. If the affected tiles are just a few, then it may actually be a little issue to resolve. However, there are also times that the tiles slippage can be caused by a more serious issue. What’s more? You can also discover slipped roof tiles if the wood of your roof is corroded or weak. However, this applies a lot more to older homes than new or recent constructions. Any of the above reasons may be the main cause of your roof tiles slippage, but if you really want to know the exact cause for sure, you’ll have to call in a professional roof company to inspect your home.

A Velux window is a brand of roof window, but the brand is so popular that people often use the name to describe the entire type of window. They are windows that are installed at the same orientation and ‘in plane’ with the surrounding roof, and they’re usually installed at a minimum of a 15-degree pitch. You can buy roof windows that offer completely frameless internal views for a really clean look in your loft conversion, while some come with built-in shutters.

Velux windows aren’t to be confused with rooflights which usually refers to a glazed unit that’s installed on a flat roof. It might also mean a window that’s been installed on a pitched roof out of plane with the level of the tiling.

People also confuse roof windows with skylights, which normally can’t be opened or closed and are usually smaller than Velux windows. Skylights, therefore, only let daylight into the room whereas roof windows also help with ventilation.

If you’re using your loft as a room in your home rather than simply for storage, you must have a roof window installed. Skylights won’t be enough as they don’t allow for ventilation. It doesn’t have to be a Velux window – it can be any type of roof window. Luckily, they tend to come in standard sizes and they must be CE marked if they’re sold as a roof window, so they should be easy to find.

How To Replace Roof Tiles

If your roof tiles is cracked, missing or damaged in one form or the other, you may want to read up to see if the replacement is something you can do by yourself. The answer is yes, roof tiles replacement can be done as a DIY project especially if you’re an experienced DIYer or confident enough to tackle the project. However, if you lack the confidence needed to take on this task, then we’d strongly recommend you get in touch with a professional roofer who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we’ll show you how you can replace your roof tiles with relative ease. Let’s take a look!

✓ As you would have rightly guessed, the first step to replacing your roof tiles is to remove the existing damaged roof tile to create space for the new tile. In the event whereby the roof tile is nailed to down, you will have to pry the nails off before proceeding with the broken tile removal.

✓ Once the damaged tile has been removed, the next step is to replace the roof tile as there’ll now be a gap in the roofing area. Simply position the new tile rightly into the space that was formerly filled by the old damaged tile.

✓ After successfully placing the new tiles in spot of the removed tile, you’ll now have to replace the overlapping tiles to their correct position to secure them. To this with a hammer to lift the overlapping tiles a little bit, so you can pull them back into the appropriate place.

✓ This final step is not a necessary one. However, if you’d like to secure your roof tiles further, you can simply nail it into place with a hammer.

Fibreglass, or GRP, flat roofs are very durable and should last you years, but over time they can become brittle and you might see some cracks or holes forming. Luckily, you can repair a fibreglass flat roof and it doesn’t have to be too difficult. Cracks in a fibreglass flat roof If you notice long cracks in your fibreglass roof, you can often use a fibreglass crack sealant. Simply clean the area, squeeze the sealant into the crack, then smooth it off. If you want it to look neater, you could coat the entire roof with a restorative coating which will make it look new again. Hole in a fibreglass roof If you notice a hole in your fibreglass flat roof, you’ll want to get this repaired as soon as possible to avoid any rainwater getting into your home. There are lots of fibreglass roof hole repair kits on the market, both online and in DIY stores, so you shouldn’t have trouble picking one up. They usually contain a mouldable UV cured patch that you can stick onto the hole. It will harden and become instantly weatherproof, so is the perfect emergency repair solution. Fixing pin holes in a fibreglass flat roof Unfortunately, if you find pin holes in a fibreglass flat roof it’s often because the installer didn’t use enough resin during the fibreglassing process. Luckily, if you can’t get back in touch with the installer or you only notice after a few years, you can fix this yourself. Sand down the roof back to the clear resin layer. Clean the entire roof with acetone and reapply some GRP roofing resin. Ensure that all the pinholes are filled – you might need two coats.

You should inspect your roof at least once a year, to check there are no leaks or infestations. It’s best to do this just after it has rained, so leaks are as obvious as possible. You may find over a period of time there is a build up of moss on the roof, this should be cleaned so rain water has a clear path to the guttering.

Velux windows, or roof windows, are very easy to clean. Regular cleaning helps to keep them looking bright and shiny for years to come. So how should you clean Velux windows?

If you want to clean the air filter, you can remove it and wash it with your normal household cleaners. Velux windows have a cleaning position, so rotate and secure it into this position then remove the filter. You should be able to buy new filters from the manufacturer of your roof window.

To clean the outer pane, there’s no need to lean out of the window and risk falling out. Simply rotate the sash (the opening part) 180 degrees and secure it into position. Then you can clean the pane with a soft, lint-free cloth, sponge or squeegee and clean water. If you live in a hard water area, add some detergent to the water and wipe the window dry when you’re finished. You can also use normal non-abrasive household cleaners.

It’s recommended that you clean the flashing around your roof window at least once a year. You can use a brush to do this. This will allow rainwater to flow freely and stop any leaves from collecting.

If you’re in any doubt about using certain cleaners on your Velux windows, get in touch with the manufacturer who should be able to help. You can also do a patch test on an inconspicuous area if you’re unsure.

Strong winds can cause extensive damage to unprotected rooftops and in fact tiles act as very suitable protection. The extra weight they provide is great at countering high wind loads and if anything is damaged during severe weather, replacing tiles is straight forward for professional roofers.When you compare this to lightweight materials there’s a significant difference. If you wish to have extra protection, experts recommended having sarking fitted.

It can be a huge headache, but cleaning of gutters is a task that needs to be done and even more so when it’s a stained white gutter. Nobody want to do it, but everybody has to. If you happen to lack the required confidence to pull this off as it has to do with working at heights, then we’d strongly recommend that you get in touch with a reliable professional who can guarantee the best results for help and also save you some time and money from potential costly errors. In this post, we’re going to show you some of effective way in which you can tackle stained white gutters effectively.

Firstly, you’ll have to take out the ladder with a pair of rubber gloves. Simply position the ladder safely, climb up the roof and start removing the leaves and other debris clogging up the gutters. You can also make use of a garden trowel to remove the very thick debris. Once done, spray the gutter using a garden hose to flush out the dirt as this will make the stains visible. Then prior to cleaning, ensure to cover the plants or landscape underneath with tarp or plastic sheet since the cleaning solution may negatively impact the vegetation.

Start to clean by spraying an all-purpose cleaner on the stains and srub them off using a scrub brush. You can also try a mixture of 1/4 of water with 1 cup of bleach and 1 teaspoon of dish soap. Dip your scrub brush in this solution to scrub off the stains. The bleach mixture is guaranteed to eliminate any mold or mildew that growing on your gutters with ease.