Abstract
In south Florida, mortar-set roof tile applications are commonplace. This type of installation, when completed properly, can perform as a durable and long lasting roofing system. A properly installed system includes the tiles having been rigidly affixed to the roofing underlayment by mortar paddies. Problems can arise, for a homeowner experiencing an improper installation, when they discover that the tiles are not rigidly attached and that many individual tiles are loose and easily lifted by hand, during inspection. This is usually discovered sometime after a hurricane event and well after the original installation. Subsequently, the homeowner's insurance company may be called upon during a roof related property loss claim and tasked with determining what, if any, loose roofing tile is categorized as damage due to winds from a presumed and associated storm and/or other causes, unrelated to storm events. Mortar-set installation of roofing tiles is generally covered by the Concrete and Clay Roof Tile Installation Manual. The mortar paddy is intended to provide the necessary bond between the tile and the roofing underlayment, in order to create resistance against wind uplift forces. Uplift resistances for available properly-installed systems are documented with published values obtained through rigorous testing, which is required prior to a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) being issued for each and every roofing system included on the product approval list in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Each approved system has a corresponding NOA that provides documented values, in tabular form, which indicate resistances for an individual tile due to self weight alone, as well as the resistance provided by the mortar-set fastening/attachment method, which has been documented to provide anywhere from 3 to 5 times additional uplift resistance. This resistance helps to prevent wind forces from removing the tiles from the roof. The NOA is a valuable resource to aid in determining if/that an existing tile condition, being loose/not bonded on any particular home, is not automatically or necessarily the result of storm induced wind uplift forces. The fact that the loose tile remains on the roof, in its original position as installed, helps to affirm that the wind forces in question were not large enough to overcome simply the tile's own weight.
Published Version
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