# gap in roof tiles at peaks



## atomz4peace (Oct 18, 2016)

Hi,

We have several roof peaks where two tiles are supposed to meet at the top, right on the edge of the house. They were just placed together and had some type of sealer to hold them together.

Now, years later, the tiles have split apart so that the rain can fall between. You can see the pictures attached.

The question is do we need to be concerned and fix this? I see mostly that black stuff underneath, but also some wood. Just worried that the black stuff might be the felt paper and lead to a leak.

Thank you!


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## nealtw (Oct 18, 2016)

Do you have other gables and do they all look the same?
Even when it was solid it wouldn't have stopped wind driven rain.


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## Snoonyb (Oct 18, 2016)

The should not have been just placed and a mastic used to secure them. They should have been nailed and a ridge cap, as seen in the 1st photo, mortared in place to cover the joint.

You can drill them with a masonry bit and if you have any of the ridge cap remaining, it's a DIY project.


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## atomz4peace (Oct 18, 2016)

Thanks for the replies. Yes, we have about 3 others, all built the same way. We bought the house new many years ago so they never did have another ridge cap over the ends, they just mortared the two pieces together. We never noticed any leaks, but here in CA it doesn't rain very often.

It looks to me like a place that should not have water on it, but not sure if they have some type of waterproofing underneath. 

It sounds like we probably should do something to cover this up?

Thank you!


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## Snoonyb (Oct 18, 2016)

The base sheet for most cement, S pan and clay tiles is 30lb felt, but the 2nd sentence in post #3 is the repair for your situation.


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## nealtw (Oct 19, 2016)

I think it is mostly decoration and water proofing is accomplished below.


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## atomz4peace (Oct 24, 2016)

Thank you all of your replies! If we were to put a ridge line over, it seems a good idea to cover the seams with some sort of mortar or cement to prevent wind-driven rain or in case things crack again. What would you suggest we use for that sort of sealing mortar?

Thank you!


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## Snoonyb (Oct 24, 2016)

Home desreado and probably Lowe's have similar aggregate impregnated caulking in the mortar/cement section. HD has two products, one by Paragon and the other by Sikaflex.

I spoke too soon. Paragon Building Material no longer make their product, however, if you can find it, it's superior to sikaflex.


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