How Ridge Tiles Are Used on Roofs

Ridge tiles were originally made from clay and slate. Some say they have been used since time immemorial to build a shelter from unfavourable weather conditions.

Ridge tiles are the final part of roofing any structure. There are two types of ridge tiles and both types are used very often in the slate-style of roofing. They are angular ridge tiles and half-round ridge tiles. 

In installing ridge tiles, you could employ the use of mortar tile installation or the more modern nail or ‘tap in’ installation methods.

In this article, we will be outlining how you can re-cement ridge tiles and what laying hip ridge tiles entail.

Vented Ridge Tile System

When roofing with ridge tiles, a building owner must determine what type of vented ridge tile to use to achieve passive or mechanical stack ventilation. Vented ridge tiles come in various colours and designs to make them fit right in with the rest of the tiles. 

Types of vents include gas vent ridge and standard ridge vents. They are often fit on the 4th or 5th tile. While standard ridge vent terminals supply natural air to the ceiling and can be used to connect mechanical ventilation systems, gas vent ridge terminals are used to fit gas appliances. Gas appliances fixed to a gas vent ridge terminal must not exceed 60 kilowatts.

Installation of Ridge Vents

For a neat cement joint where two different ridges meet each other, the installation of ridge vent necessitates a cutting of the tiles. This is to create a uniform space of ten millimetres between them.

Wet Ridge System

This is a system where tiles are fixed together using mortar (a mixture of sharp sand and cement). When laying ridge tiles, a mixture of cement and sharp sand is put between the overhanging tile and the lapped one. 

Slate/flat shaped tiles are arranged to hang over other tiles in this way by about seventy-five millimeters from the ridge board down to the fascia board. The mixing ratio is one measure of cement to three measures of sharp sand. Even if some tiles have deep ridges, tiny strips of tiles can be dipped in a mortar before placing them in.

Dry Ridge System

Dry ridge system is a mode of fixing ridge tiles that do not rely on the use of mortar to set the tiles in place. The most common of the various dry ridge systems is the ridge roll ventilation. This involves the use of a “ridge and hip roll” to cover the ridge board and fastening it to the tiles on top.

Each roll is fixed strip by strip overlapping one another facing the direction of the wind to prevent strong winds blowing them open. You can use unions, nails, clamps, washers, and screws to fasten the strips but care must be taken for them not to damage the wooden frame or strips during installation.

The tiles are fastened by the unions, leaving a small expansion gap while the ridge board holds the strips by the use of screws. This method holds the tiles in place while the expansion gap accommodates expansion and contraction due to high temperatures, reducing the chances of them loosening over time.

Dry ridge fitted tiles are hard to differentiate from mortar-bonded ridge tiles when viewed from the ground and require less inspection and maintenance unlike them.

Although dry ridge tile fixing is more expensive than using mortar-bonded ridge tiling system, the fact that they can be fixed irrespective of the weather unlike when using the wet mortar system where you cannot fix before heavy rains and they eliminate the worry of mixing ratios/integrity makes using it a cheaper option in the long run.

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