Demonstrating its commitment to product innovation, Marley Eternit has become the first roofing manufacturer to introduce a mechanical fixing system for mortar bedded ridge and hip tiles, helping house builders and contractors meet current NHBC technical standards.
Since the beginning of 2012, the NHBC has required all homes that it guarantees to have mechanically fixed ridges and hips – either through a complete dry fix system or using mortar bedding with additional mechanical fixings. However, a recent NHBC survey of 3,000 ongoing sites found that where ridges and hips were still bedded in mortar, a third of them had no mechanical fixings.
The increasingly volatile weather conditions in the UK means that ridge, hip and verge tiles bedded with mortar are more likely to become displaced due to strong winds, unless they are also mechanically fixed using screws, clips or nails. However, at the moment there isn’t a commonly applied method for the mechanical fixing of mortar bedded tiles, so Marley Eternit has decided to take action now to clear up confusion and help contractors to meet the NHBC standards.
Gavin White, marketing project manager from Marley Eternit, explains: “Despite the fact that the NHBC encourages the use of dry fix systems, unfortunately it still accepts mechanical fixing of mortar bedded ridges and hips. We recognise that there is widespread confusion about a consistent way of doing this alongside issues surrounding ventilation as, unlike many dry fix systems, mechanically fixing mortar bedded ridges and hips does not provide the required ventilation at high level which is required for the majority of pitched roof designs.
“Marley Eternit, like most other roofing manufacturers, believes that a full dry fix system is the best way of securing ridges and hips. However, we recognise that some house builders and contractors still favour the traditional mortar route, whether that is because of beliefs about cost, tradition or aesthetics. We are therefore introducing a mechanical fixing system for mortar bedded ridge and hip components to help contractors and house builders who are struggling to meet the NHBC standards, as well as offering a durable and secure alternative to mortar bedding alone on other housing and commercial building projects.”
The new Marley Eternit fixing kit, together with purpose-made clips for securing small cut tiles, offers a consistent and fully tested system for mechanically fixing mortar bedded ridges and hips. It offers a durable and secure alternative to mortar bedding alone but unlike a dry fix system, high level ventilation is still needed to meet the requirements of BS5250 and NHBC Technical Standards.
Marley Eternit will be following up the system launch with a series of ‘how to’ videos, which will be available on the website and at www.youtube.com/user/MarleyEternitLtd
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