Nails should be copper (to BS 1202 part 2) or aluminium (to BS 1202 part 3). In corrosive or marine atmospheres copper nails are preferable and in severe conditions silicone bronze nails should be used. The nail head diameter should be at least 10mm to comply with BS 5534 to minimise the risk of the nail head pulling through the slate. A 10mm head is only possible where the nail shank is 3mm diameter or greater. b) Now place a full-sized slate onto a batten, with an overhang into the gutter of around 50mm, and with the pre-drilled holes lined up with the centre of the batten – then put temporary fixings into the batten. Typically, slate hooks attach to the batten by a spike at the upper end, which is driven into the batten or a hook that wraps around the batten. The use of wrap hooks is not recommended. Only “spike-end” or nail-in hooks are permissible under BS 5534.

Firstly, put the hooked end of the slate ripper underneath the damaged slate, trapping the nail in the hook. Then hammer the handle of the slate ripper, to force the nail out of place. Some metal fixings are flimsy. Others take too much time, are awkward to prepare, and if wrongly prepared the head of the slate could slip off the upper batten. Now the roof has been set out correctly, with the battens at the right distance apart, it’s time to lay the slates. Start by laying the under eaves course, creating a staggered pattern for stability – a 5mm gap between each slate is required to allow for natural expansion. So after experimenting with all manners of ideas and devices, Jimmy solved the slate roof repair problem with the invention of the Hallhook. Fixing SIGA slates is straightforward for an experienced slater. Most SIGA slates come pre-holed at a nominal 90mm headlap. By simply moving the location of the slate on a standard 50x25mm batten, these can be fixed to obtain headlaps between 76 and 96mm, allowing them to be used on a variety of pitches. Nailing Natural SlatesTake a strip of lead and nail it into place against the batten, then push the replacement slate up and into position, ensuring it is level with the other slates. Now fold the lead strip over the bottom of the replacement slate to keep it in place, acting like a hook. This should hold the replacement slate securely in place. Once both nails have been removed, slide the broken slate down and take it out. Now compare the broken slate with the new slate. The replacement slate needs to be exactly the same size, so trim if necessary. To replace a slate on a slate roof, you’ll require a slate ripper, tin snips, and a hammer, as well as a new slate and a strip of lead. a) The next step is to work out the placement of the battens– to do this you’ll need two full-sized slates and an under eaves slate. Place two battens onto the roof on top of the overlay – don’t fix them down so they can be moved around for adjustments easily.

All natural slates can be fixed using slate hooks. The hook method offers considerable freedom in design and can save up to 25% on labour costs and eliminate breakages. The practice is very popular in Europe and is gaining popularity in the UK. In centre-nailed slating, the gauge is the spacing at which the battens are fixed to the rafters, trusses or counter-battens to provide the required head-lap. The margin is the exposed length of the slate measured in the same direction as the gauge. The lap and margin will be the same. In my opinion, the Solar Slate Plate is the best slate fixing solution for solar PV installations on the market. After installing this product I would not consider using any other product currently out there. Couple this in with a very high level of service, there is no reason to go elsewhere. Firstly, find out if your slates are pre-holed. If they aren’t you’ll need to pierce two holes into the slate, one either side of the short width, approximately a third of the way up the length of the slate. To do this, you can use a number of cutting and holing tools. 1. Find out the pitch of your roof After receiving an instruction to proceed with a 33.35kW solar PV installation upon 4 roofs of a private estate, we wanted to find a more cost effective solution for installing the mounting system to the 3 slate roofs in the project.

e) Add a third batten, sliding it from the top downwards to below the top of the slates. Make sure that the top of the full-sized slate is sitting central to the batten. If you are looking for a cost-effective alternative to copper nails yet still comply with British Standard, alloy clout nails are an excellent choice. These nails have been specifically manufactured for use on natural slate roofs and will protect your roof from nail fatigue. Stainless Steel Slate Hooks

c) Next, put the second batten underneath the slate, and slide it upwards towards the first batten. Take the eaves slate and position it onto the second batten, ensuring it reaches the bottom of the roofline.

Slate hooks are common across Europe to fix natural slate roofs, offering a secure and versatile alternative to nails. Due to being secured at four points by four different hooks, these slate hooks are highly effective for wind resistance. The hooked edge at the bottom stops the tile from sliding down, it is supported from turning by the hooks on their side, and the hook at the head secures it to the batten. Repair Fixings