Solar Panels on Slate Roofs

Why slate needs more care

Slate is thin, brittle and fixed with nails rather than hung on a nib. Anchors have to be placed carefully and the slate dressed or replaced around them. A rushed job on slate shows up as cracked slates and, eventually, water ingress.

The Manchester context

Much of the older housing here is Victorian terraces, interwar semis, and large post-war and modern estates around the city, with natural slate on the terraces, concrete interlocking tile on the later stock. Manchester's terraced streets often run in a fixed orientation for a whole block, so whether your roof works usually depends on which side of the street you are on.

Fixing detail

Anchors fix to the rafters, with the slate above dressed over the bracket or replaced with a lead soaker. Done properly there is no reliance on sealant to keep the water out.

Age and condition

Old slate can be sound for decades more or can be at the end of its life with failing nails. A survey should include a genuine assessment of that, because it changes the sequencing of the whole job.