Why Is There Red Clay In My Roof Stack

Clay tile roofing offers the longest life expectancy of any traditional roofing material according to the national parks service and can easily last for a century or.

Why is there red clay in my roof stack.

One of my sisters couldn t eat enough red clay when we lived in alabama but she was ok when we moved away she didn t seem to like the blackland prairie clays of central texas. Due to their high level of durability and class a fire resistance they also increase your home s appraisal value more than asphalt shingles. The clay tile roof shown at left located near xotolar guanajuato mexico is more than 40 years old and shows only minor damage. Our photo of broken clay roof shingle tiles above right was taken during an inspection made without walking on the roof surface for obvious reasons.

We didn t want to shoulder the blame for this damage. Red clay roof tiles have been around since the days of the ancient greeks and romans. Manufacturers produce clay shingles in a wide variety of colors and styles to match any architectural style. In latin the material was known as terra cotta baked earth and the tiles could be made glazed or unglazed.

The classic half pipe shape of a roman roof tile was said to have been produced by bending the flat tile over the maker s thigh. Treatment if the roof is in good condition the shingles aren t worn buckling or brittle i usually recommend that moss and lichen be removed and the roof surface be treated and cleaned. Cleaning clay roof tiles. Red or rust stains on building chimneys roofs walls swarf stains on metal roofs.

This helps the tiles resist the bleaching effects caused by the sun and corrosive elements. From my own observations this algae doesn t seem to cause any damage to shingles but it can sure make a quality roof look nasty dirty and worn out. Most often red roof stains around or below metal components or chimneys are rust easily tracked to corroded metal components. Sometimes roof stains around chimneys are indeed from ingredients in the exhaust from the chimney particularly sulfates.

These red brown or even black roof stains are often caused by corrosion of on rooof or above roof metal components but may also be the result of improper combustion of wood coal or oil fired possibly also gas fired heating appliances vented above the roof. Clay resists roof fading because of the way the tiles are created. You can see examples of rust stains in the photos and article above. You can purchase clay shingles that look like slate wood or the traditional red color.