Pitched Roofs DRY VERGE SYSTEMS: QUALITY PRODUCTS ARE KEY TO SUCCESS The team at Manthorpe Building Products discuss the guidance around dry fix roofing products and explain why specifying and installing quality products is crucial to a pitched roofing project’s success. With the publication of BS 8612 in 2018, the UK roofing industry finally got a British Standard for its dry fix roofing products. Prior to its publication, dry fix products had been used in the UK for over 40 years, but their design, manufacture and installation had been largely unregulated. There are many advantages to dry fix, such as being essentially maintenance-free. No matter how well a contractor installs a mortar bedded verge, ridge, or hip, eventually the elements and natural building settlement will erode the mortar, making it ineffective. By contrast, dry fix systems can cope with settlement by allowing a degree of movement in the surrounding materials. During installation, mortar work may be ruined if it rains or there is a frost before it has had time to set. As soon as a dry fix system is installed, it is ready to face the elements. Requirements of dry verge BS 8612 sets out specific requirements for dry verge systems; they must remain durable and perform the following technical functions – 1) resist predicted wind loads; 2) close the gap between the tiles/slates and wall or bargeboard top; 3) drain any water from the roof away from the gable wall; and 4) act as one of the fixings for the roof tiles or slates. The Standard provides test methods to determine the resistance of a dry verge system to horizontal and vertical wind loads. The methodology can be used by manufacturers to ensure that a dry verge system will resist predicted wind loads and provide a secure fixing for itself and be one of the two required fixings for the verge tiles. Images: Manthorpe linear verge units. For verge systems to be compliant with BS 8612, they must prevent rainwater from the roof running down the gable wall which can lead to staining and mould growth on the wall. This is particularly important where there is no fascia, and the dry verge is installed directly against the gable wall. Manthorpe expertise At Manthorpe Building Products we specialise in dry fix roofing products. The company has been developing innovative building products for the construction industry for over 30 years and has extensive experience in the use of plastics, as well as the expertise to develop and manufacture virtually all our products in-house and continues to invest heavily in new technology and production processes. All Manthorpe dry verge products have been independently tested at the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to ensure they fully comply with and, in many cases, go beyond the requirements of the relevant British Standards. Dry verge products At Manthorpe we offer several systems in our SmartVerge range. The Linear Dry Verge System provides a secure mechanical fixing solution for many types of roof coverings including Fibre Cement Slates, Natural Slates, and Interlocking Plain Tiles. The Linear Verge Units can be easily fitted to the verge of the roof in succession and preserve the continuous line of the verge, providing a neat and attractive finish to the verge, as well as draining moisture away from the gable wall to prevent staining. The system is available in Slate Grey, Black, Terracotta and Dark Brown to compliment any roof design. For a stepped appearance to the dry verge system, i.e. to carry the tile coursing through to the verge edge, The SmartVerge Ambidextrous dry verge system provides an attractive finish to the verge detail of a roof for most makes and profiles of interlocking tiles laid between a batten gauge of 255 mm to 345 mm. Being comprised of individual verge units, one per tile course, the ‘stepped’ appearance of the roof tiles is preserved. The dry verge units provide a neat capping over each tile in succession, and once fitted they are weatherproof and maintenance free. The ambidextrous design of the system allows the units to be used on either side of the verge, making it ideal for roofers and stockists wishing to minimise their stock of dry verge components. For those wishing to preserve the stepped appearance of the roof tiles whilst maintaining a continuous line on the underside of the verge, at Manthorpe we offer two versions of the SmartVerge Handed Dry Verge System. The verge units are supplied handed to suit left and righthand roof verges, with the original version being available in PVCu and suitable for tile gauges Continued on page 22 20 TC DECEMBER <strong>2022</strong>
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