Tile structures

Tile roofing structures secure the panels to a pitched roof made of ceramic tiles, concrete or slate, using hooks anchored to the battens or joists and aluminium profiles mounted on top of them.

How do you ensure that no water gets in?

The hook does not rest on the roof tile: it clears it. It is anchored to the wooden roof structure and passes through the groove in the tile without placing any load on it. The tile beneath the hook is usually cut down with an angle grinder so that it sits without being under tension, because a tile that is forced into position will eventually break.

That is the critical point of the whole installation. A leak does not become apparent on the first day: it only becomes evident two winters later, by which time the installation has already been paid for and damp has spread throughout the floor structure.

What should the spacing be between hooks?

It is the standard for calculating wind and snow loads, not a matter of custom. It depends on the wind zone —Cartagena and much of Murcia are in Zone B—, the height of the building and the position of the panel on the gable.

At the edges and corners, the suction is much greater than in the centre of the cover: more anchor points are needed there. See also the floor structures and the rest of structures.