I have some roof deck damage on a small shed. It's a standard plywood deck with asphalt shingles, and I'd have repaired it the same way by now if access weren't a bit tricky.

But it got me thinking.

When we lived in Europe courtesy of the Army all the roofs were clay tiles. They didn't have a roof deck covered by moisture barrier covered by shingles; the tiles were wired to the battens or rafters (I'm not sure of terminology) and they could be worked on from underneath. A mechanic would unwire a section and step through from the attic to fix an antenna, etc., then wire it back. They never leaked. They did sometimes blow off in a big storm, or get cracked if something hit them.

Not that I would put a tile roof on a shed.

But you could almost simulate a tile roof just by splitting some plastic pipe, maybe in the 4 to 6 inch diameter range, and overlapping. Roof tiles are about 20 inches long normally, but there'd be no reason you couldn't use standard ten foot pipe lengths. Alternate face up and face down, and there should be nowhere for water to get in.

On Monday, April 21, 2014 8:42:30 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
I have some roof deck damage on a small shed. It's a standard plywood deck with asphalt shingles, and I'd have repaired it the same way by now if access weren't a bit tricky.



But it got me thinking.



When we lived in Europe courtesy of the Army all the roofs were clay tiles. They didn't have a roof deck covered by moisture barrier covered by shingles; the tiles were wired to the battens or rafters (I'm not sure of terminology) and they could be worked on from underneath. A mechanic would unwire a section and step through from the attic to fix an antenna, etc., then wire it back. They never leaked. They did sometimes blow off in a big storm, or get cracked if something hit them.



Not that I would put a tile roof on a shed.



But you could almost simulate a tile roof just by splitting some plastic pipe, maybe in the 4 to 6 inch diameter range, and overlapping. Roof tiles are about 20 inches long normally, but there'd be no reason you couldn't use standard ten foot pipe lengths. Alternate face up and face down, and there should be nowhere for water to get in.

and if you used black pipe, you could get solar heat by blowing air through the inverted pipes and trickle water through the U channels.
I like it
Mark

On Mon, 21 Apr 2014 05:42:30 -0700, TimR wrote:

...snip...
But you could almost simulate a tile roof just by splitting some plastic
pipe, maybe in the 4 to 6 inch diameter range, and overlapping. Roof
tiles are about 20 inches long normally, but there'd be no reason you
couldn't use standard ten foot pipe lengths. Alternate face up and face
down, and there should be nowhere for water to get in.

not sure it can stand up to the UV

for example: it is recommended to paint your pool piping to prevent UV
damage.

On Monday, April 21, 2014 10:07:21 AM UTC-4, Robert Macy wrote:



not sure it can stand up to the UV



for example: it is recommended to paint your pool piping to prevent UV

damage.

Good point, I'd want to be sure it was UV stable. I've had PVC pipe sit outside and get so brittle you could crumble it. Isn't black pipe protected by the carbon?

It seems like rain water should shoot right off smooth plastic pipe, rather than the slow roll off the rough surface of a shingle.

But you could almost simulate a tile roof just by splitting some
plastic pipe, maybe in the 4 to 6 inch diameter range, and
overlapping. Roof tiles are about 20 inches long normally, but
there'd be no reason you couldn't use standard ten foot pipe
lengths. Alternate face up and face down, and there should be
nowhere for water to get in.

not sure it can stand up to the UV

Ordinary white PVC pipe isn't designed for exposure to sunlight. I think
the UV will break down the plastic, potentially cracking or otherwise
failing.

I don't know about black ABS pipe, but would assume it's not engineered for
sun exposure either.

However, grey PVC electrical conduit is designed for outdoor use with UV
protection built-in. That would be my choice if I was going to use it for
roof tiles.

Plastic pipe will also expand and contract with temperature, so shorter
length tiles would be better in that respect.

You would need to work out a way to secure the tiles so you don't have
leaks around the fasteners.

Overlapping shorter tiles would be problematic as the inside of the upper
pipe is smaller than the outside diameter of the lower pipe. Clay tiles
have a bit of taper to them so each row can overlap the previous row.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On Monday, April 21, 2014 10:56:09 AM UTC-4, TimR wrote:
On Monday, April 21, 2014 10:07:21 AM UTC-4, Robert Macy wrote:







not sure it can stand up to the UV







for example: it is recommended to paint your pool piping to prevent UV



damage.



Good point, I'd want to be sure it was UV stable. I've had PVC pipe sit outside and get so brittle you could crumble it. Isn't black pipe protected by the carbon?



My first thought was the UV thing too. But a bit of googling and it looks
like the effects of UV are to make the pipe somewhat more brittle and
to discolor it. In the case of plumbing, it looks like it doesn't affect
the ability to handle pressure at all. For a roof, even if it gets more
brittle, it probably won't make much difference, unless it gets some
major hail, etc.

In article ,
wrote:

Use rigid non-metalic conduit and you should be fine. That is the gray
PVC and it is UV protected. It still has to be installed over a
membrane tho.

For sheds or outbuildings. The concern I'd have to this is the fire
code. Would either of these provide the necessary protection or would
you run the risk of a code violation and maybe having your insurance no
good.


--
"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive,
but what they conceal is vital."
-- Aaron Levenstein

On 4/21/2014 8:42 AM, TimR wrote:
I have some roof deck damage on a small shed. It's a standard plywood deck with asphalt shingles, and I'd have repaired it the same way by now if access weren't a bit tricky.

But it got me thinking.

When we lived in Europe courtesy of the Army all the roofs were clay tiles. They didn't have a roof deck covered by moisture barrier covered by shingles; the tiles were wired to the battens or rafters (I'm not sure of terminology) and they could be worked on from underneath. A mechanic would unwire a section and step through from the attic to fix an antenna, etc., then wire it back. They never leaked. They did sometimes blow off in a big storm, or get cracked if something hit them.

Not that I would put a tile roof on a shed.

But you could almost simulate a tile roof just by splitting some plastic pipe, maybe in the 4 to 6 inch diameter range, and overlapping. Roof tiles are about 20 inches long normally, but there'd be no reason you couldn't use standard ten foot pipe lengths. Alternate face up and face down, and there should be nowhere for water to get in.


From what I've seen for plastic pipe prices over the past few years I
wonder if it would save any money over using 'regulation' roofing. I've
seen a friend roof his small (maybe 6X8) shed using what were essentially
scrap and mistake bits of standing seam metal from from a roofer; as cheap
as my friend is I'm sure that he didn't pay much more than a case of beer
for the privilege of hauling it away from the worksite.

On Monday, April 21, 2014 12:23:14 PM UTC-4, BenignBodger wrote:
From what I've seen for plastic pipe prices over the past few years I

wonder if it would save any money over using 'regulation' roofing. I've


Well, until you mentioned it I hadn't priced plastic pipe.

Yeah, it's going to cost at least double what a good quality conventional roof would.

Oh, well, I guess I was right about the wacko part.

It would look cool though.