How Do I Walk On A Slate Roof

December 10 2015 9 33am 3.

How do i walk on a slate roof.

Ive walked a few but usually regret doing it. Also slate is slippery when wet. Experienced slate installers never walk on a slate roof but instead erect scaffolding or prop hook ladders to the side of the building before beginning repairs. Walking on a roof can be an unsettling affair doubly so for tile roofs.

Often the damage is hidden under overlapping slate courses and becomes apparent only when the roof starts to leak. It s important not to introduce too much foot traffic on your roof and when you do a ladder safely hooked onto the roof edge is the best way to carry out a full and detailed inspection as this will help to spread your weight. You can t walk on a slate roof no matter how shallow its pitch. Ideally you would only allow specially trained roofers to work on roofs covered in slate but for emergency repairs or the retrieval of the occasional frisbee it can t be avoided.

Slate shingles do not lie flat against each other and can easily snap under pressure. Before you can start walking you need to understand a little more about roofs in general. Once slate has a sprinkling of rain on it its slippy as hell. Slate roofing tiles are very delicate and can easily crack and dislodge under your weight.

If you don t apply the right technique you can easily cause breaking and even the potential for you to seriously be hurt. Clay and concrete tiles are a great roofing material since they re more durable than shingles but they can break or crack if you apply too much pressure while you re walking on them. If its green its slippy even when its dry. How to walk on a tile roof.