Complying with regulations that are forever becoming more stringent as well as creating a practical solution to a problem is always challenging. When it comes to ridges and hips, Redland has an answer that makes life easy on site as well as complying with BS 5534. The Uni-Vent Rapid Ridge/Hip is a one-box solution for both ridges and hips.
1) Build up the Battens
Ridge: Build-up a ridge batten using 38 x 25mm battens to a height to give at least 15mm penetration of a 100 x 4mm wood screw into the ridge batten. If finishing at a gable-end, where used with a dry verge, the ridge batten should be finished 25mm beyond the end of the tiling battens.
Leave underlay 30mm short of apex on both sides of the ridge. If rigid sarking is used, leave short of apex on both sides of ridge to allow a 10mm gap and extend the counterbattens to form an apex.
Do not fix the top tiling batten at this stage.
Hip: Build-up 38 x 25mm battens to a height so that the optional hip tray rests on the hip batten and the slates and tiles either side of the hip.
2) Install Batten Straps
Secure the built-up tiling battens to the ridge and hip by wrapping batten straps tightly around the battens and mechanically fixing to every rafter intersection using 30 x 2.65mm stainless steel annular ring shanked nails.
Ensure the nails pinch the batten strap tightly against the ridge/hip batten at the base. Use two nails on each rafter on either side of the ridge/hip.
After the batten straps have been fixed both at ridge and hip, fix the top tiling batten. For top tiling batten position at ridge.
Ensure all the remaining tiling battens are fixed at the correct gauge and that the ends of the tiling battens are supported where they meet the hip batten.
3) Complete Ridge/Hip Tree
Nail the built-up tiling battens together through the hole in the batten strap using 65 x 3.35mm galvanised steel nails.
A longer nail may be required in special circumstances depending on the number of tiling battens used to form the ridge/hip batten (a 65mm long nail is adequate for three 25mm thick battens).
4) Install Tiles
Lay and mechanically fix the slates and tiles as per Redland’s fixing recommendations. Ensure small tile cuts that cannot be mechanically fixed in the normal way at hips are secured using a single Redland Kro-Clip on the cut edge of the tile.
Try to keep the length of wire between the Kro-Clip and securing ring-shanked nail as short as possible. On the left side of a hip, where the cut tile is not supported by the adjacent tile at the head, fix the Kro-Clip near the head of the cut tile.
Secure the wire and nail to the hip batten above the cut tile so that tile is raised at the head (to avoid gapping with adjacent tile cover-lock).
5) Lay Rollable Membrane
Ensure that the slates and tiles are dry and free from dust and any other surface contamination.
Lay rollable membrane centrally along the ridge or hip batten, securing it to the ridge/hip batten using either staples or underlay nails.
Remove the protective backing from the butyl edge sealing strip and press the crimped edges of the rollable membrane neatly down onto the surface of the slates and tiles either side of the ridge/hip to produce a continuous surface contact.
Where a ridge meets a dry verge the rollable membrane should be neatly rolled down the vertical face of the dry verge and tucked back under the verge system.
6) Ensure Ridge/Hip Membrane Overlap
Where the hip intersects with a ridge, ensure the rollable membrane on the ridge overlaps the rollable membrane on the hip by a minimum of 50mm.
7) Install Optional Hip Tile Support Tray
A Rapid Hip Tile Support Tray can be used to support the hip tiles in order to keep the hip tiles straight and level when screw-fixing to the hip.
This is not required for concrete or clay plain tiles and is optional for flat interlocking tiles, depending on setting out of hip tiles. However, a Rapid Hip Tile Support Tray is recommended for profile interlocking tiles.
Where used, cut the Hip Tile Support Tray to suit at eaves and secure it to the hip batten with a single clout nail at its centre point to hold it in place.
Where more than one tray is required to complete the hip, overlap on top of the one already fixed by 200mm. Where two hips meet at the ridge, mitre the hip trays together.
8) Secure Ridge/Hip Tiles
Secure the ridge/hip tiles to the ridge/hip batten using the wood screws and clamping plates. Place a Universal Flexi-Seal and clamping plate assembly between each pair of adjacent ridge/hip tiles.
Ensure that the ridge/hip tiles are butted up tight to the seal with the clamping plate on top of the ridge/hip tiles and ensure that the ridge/hip tiles line up with the centreline of the ridge/hip batten.
Depending on the profile of the ridge/hip tile, the ends of the Universal Flexi-Seal can be trimmed to suit. Screw the fixing screw into the centre of the ridge/hip batten, until the washer will not turn between the fingers.
Where two hips meet at the ridge (at a plan angle of 90 degrees), the intersection should be weathered using a hip/ridge junction piece (supplied separately).
9) Complete Ridge/Hip Installation
Continue along the ridge/hip ensuring that the ridge/hip tiles and seal assemblies are butted together tightly and screwed to the ridge/hip batten. Also ensure that no individual ridge/hip tile is less than 300mm long. Any cut ridge/hip tiles should not be within 900mm of the ridge/hip end.
Where a ridge meets a dry verge, the block-end ridge tile should be installed tight against the dry verge system whilst ensuring that the fixing screw lines up with the centreline of the ridge batten.
The end of the hip is finished using a purpose-designed Block-End Hip Tile. The Block-End Hip Tile is finished flush with the eaves course of slates and tiles and secured with an additional wood screw and washer at the tail of the Block-End Hip Tile. If necessary, adjust the height of the ridge/hip tiles with a screwdriver to give a true line.
