New roof or Foam seal

fudge · 30-12-2009, 16:20

I need to get the roof of my house overhauled , The under felt is completly torn and is falling down and the tiles them self leak water .
My problem is Do i go for a complete new roof ie new tiles ect or do i go for the spray seal where you keep your tiles but a spray is pasted on the underneath and holds them tight during any storms we might get and you get a 25 year gaurantee. The spray seal is also ment to be a good insulater and is chaper than a complete new roof.
Has anyone had this spay seal and what do you think of it.

papa smurf · 30-12-2009, 16:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by fudge

I need to get the roof of my house overhauled , The under felt is completly torn and is falling down and the tiles them self leak water .
My problem is Do i go for a complete new roof ie new tiles ect or do i go for the spray seal where you keep your tiles but a spray is pasted on the underneath and holds them tight during any storms we might get and you get a 25 year gaurantee. The spray seal is also ment to be a good insulater and is chaper than a complete new roof.
Has anyone had this spay seal and what do you think of it.

i have seen it on a tv program looks amazing -but your tiles need to be in good order.

fudge · 30-12-2009, 16:35

Yes , all the tile are inspected and if needed replaced with new ones before the spray is installed , I have just been looking at a site and it says you could save up to 70% cost wise

papa smurf · 30-12-2009, 16:42

on the tv program is saw -foam was sprayed onto the inside of the roof , it then expanded and set like a shell ,this made it almost impossible to lose a tile ,and sealed any leaks .

Charlie_Bubble · 30-12-2009, 16:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by fudge

Yes , all the tile are inspected and if needed replaced with new ones before the spray is installed , I have just been looking at a site and it says you could save up to 70% cost wise

Looks like you've answered your own question!

Have a look round the web to see if there are any commonly reported problems before you go ahead.

fudge · 30-12-2009, 16:48

Iv been looking on web , seen a few companys . It sounds so good it makes me wounder is there any addvantage of a new roof to the spray system.

Matthew · 30-12-2009, 16:57

Is there anyone that you know who has had the spray stuff done, ask for their opinions see what they would recommend.

fudge · 30-12-2009, 17:00

no i dont know of anyone whos had it done , i was hopeing someone here might of had it.

joglynne · 30-12-2009, 17:29

The thing I would worry about would be condensation and rain seepage. With every nook and cranny sealed and the battens which support the tiles being hidden from view under a layer of foam how is the wood protected from rotting when it is in danger of being saturated.

Before having this done I would want to know whether there was any form of air gap left so that the rafters don't rot and what treatment they carry out on any wood that they cover up with their foam.

martyh · 30-12-2009, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by joglynne

The thing I would worry about would be condensation and rain seepage. With every nook and cranny sealed and the battens which support the tiles being hidden from view under a layer of foam how is the wood protected from rotting when it is in danger of being saturated.

Before having this done I would want to know whether there was any form of air gap left so that the rafters don't rot and what treatment they carry out on any wood that they cover up with their foam.

quite correct joglynne ,very good advise ,and factually correct, being in the trade i would add that using this foam is 100% dependant on the roof being in good order first,you say that the felt is gone in places ,this MUST be replaced before any foam application wich entails a re-tile This foam has been widely used for various applications in the us for years but was NOT developed to repair a roof it is purely a insulator with the side effect of being able to fix things in place

my advice is get your roof re-felted and re-tiled that will last up to 50 yrs if done correctly
the foam application is also wide open to abuse from the "cowboy" section of the industry

**Rob** · 30-12-2009, 19:42

Before getting any work done to use the foam insulant as a waterproofing you must ensure the system is designed and tested for that purpose. Is the foam itself waterproof? I doubt it. The foam is a gap sealant and insulant. I've seen use of these systems to overcome failures in the fixings of tiles and slates (nails have corroded), but even that is a dubious practice.

When you say the tiles leak water, is that through gaps between the tiles, or because the tiles themselves are failing. In either case I'd be wary.

If you do go down this route you must ensure the system has been properly tested and warranted for this use. You need to ensure that the guarantee is independently backed by insurance, not just reliant on the trading status of the installer.

If all your insulation is on the underside of the tiles, you wouldn't need much ventilation of the roofspace, but don't insulate at ceiling level. The aim is to ventilate air spaces once they have been cooled, and moisture is at greater risk of condensing, not the warm air spaces.

If I saw a roof with this type of stuff present I would be putting some significant warnings into any survey report I was providing for a purchaser that many further checks were needed before proceeding to buy. It may seems a cheap solution but what about the longer term resale of when those tiles, their fixing battens or even the tops of the rafters do fail?

martyh · 30-12-2009, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

Before getting any work done to use the foam insulant as a waterproofing you must ensure the system is designed and tested for that purpose. Is the foam itself waterproof? I doubt it. The foam is a gap sealant and insulant. I've seen use of these systems to overcome failures in the fixings of tiles and slates (nails have corroded), but even that is a dubious practice.

When you say the tiles leak water, is that through gaps between the tiles, or because the tiles themselves are failing. In either case I'd be wary.

If you do go down this route you must ensure the system has been properly tested and warranted for this use. You need to ensure that the guarantee is independently backed by insurance, not just reliant on the trading status of the installer.

If all your insulation is on the underside of the tiles, you wouldn't need much ventilation of the roofspace, but don't insulate at ceiling level. The aim is to ventilate air spaces once they have been cooled, and moisture is at greater risk of condensing, not the warm air spaces.

If I saw a roof with this type of stuff present I would be putting some significant warnings into any survey report I was providing for a purchaser that many further checks were needed before proceeding to buy. It may seems a cheap solution but what about the longer term resale of when those tiles, their fixing battens or even the tops of the rafters do fail?

excelant point Rob ,i do know through experience that this foam is a very good fixing medium BUT when repairs are nescesary it makes the job twice as hard and hence more expensive ,large areas of this type of foam are very hard to dispose of as it does not rot and does not burn so that must be a concideration as well

31-12-2009, 04:03

I've seen it used on the TV by Mike Holmes, it looks the muts nuts but I don't know of anyone who's had it done.

alferret · 31-12-2009, 09:01

I know of someone who has used this foam. As stated the roof does need to be in good order and the company you employ for the task should make sure of this with a survey before they start.

I adds to the overall thermal insulation value as well. He had his done around 10 years ago and as far as I know everything is hunky dorey with it.

soup dragon · 31-12-2009, 12:37

My dad had this done to our roof while i was still living at home. I have been married for 20 years now and he has never had a problem with the roof. From what i can remember they replaced a few tiles and made sure the roof was ok before spraying. it made a bit of a mess in the loft but it is only the loft!!! You can still see the wood so they don't completely cover it.