My slates are dropping. Is a DIY possible?

[muffking]

Hi gents.
I think that my slate roof might be reaching towards the end of it's life but would like to see it carry on for a couple more years until I can save up for a new one as I've only lived in my current house for 6 months.

Most of the slates are in place, but quite a few have started to slide out of position due to rusted broken nails. And neglect by the previous owners as led to some of the horizontal wooden bars weakening.

I've been round the roof to give it the once over as I'm a keen DIY'er, and found that the ridge tiles are fine with most of the cement still in place and the lead is all ok apart from one having a crack in it, but I'm wondering how I can fix the dodgy tiles back into place as I can't nail some of the tiles back in where they are covered by good ones.
Is there an easy way to fix the tiles in place withough having to remove them all the way to the top?

 

[oilman]

You've probably noticed metal tags on some slate roofs, I think these start off as strips which you slide up under the slate, then go inside and bend the strip down over the batten so it hooks the slate in.

 

[muffking]

Perfect. I saw a dozen of those in total, but thought that it was supposed to be a bodge by the previous owner, but if I can get hold of the metal strips then I'll use them on the ones that I can't nail back in.

Is this a trip to Jacksons then as I doubt I'll get them from Wickes ???

 

[chappers]

you can do this with a strip of lead, if you look through the joint between the two slates, that are under the slate, you are trying to fix, then about half way up you will see a batten. lay your strip of lead over the joint and nail it between the slates and into the batten. Slide your slipped slate back into place and fold the lead up and over the bottom edge to hold it in place.

 

[muffking]

Right, I'm off to Jacksons building supplies later then as I've got to get another fence post to finish my rear fence off anyway. That's assuming I don't run out of petrol in the meantime

 

[Nige F]

Lead strip is called a tingle..seriously

 

[muffking]

ok, they sold me some some 150mm copper repair strips which have a hole in one end. Any ideas how do I fit them?

 

[chappers]

same as i described earlier stick a nail through the hole and nail to the batten below the gap in the slates

 

[muffking]

Got it, cheers.
I'll try to crack on with it when I get back off my hols next week as it's due to rain later and I've got to finish fitting the trellis's that I painted up last night.
++++++++++++++++++++++++

Well the fence took no time at all to finish off and the weather held out so I got my ladders out and went up the roof to have a crack at sorting the slipping tiles.
Thanks to those who helped point me in the right direction, this is another job well done. I ran out of tile straps about half way through sorting the roof as more tiles fell into the gutter whilst working on it, but I've managed to nail down most of the suspect tiles and mainly have only the top tiles from the slipping groups to strap down tommorrow once I've been and bought some more straps.

Thank god for forums like this one. Don't you love the internet

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