Tile Roofs and Weather

Fire

Every year, regardless of the part of the country, wild fires devastate hundreds of homes. In independent testing, concrete and clay tile roofing has proved to be safer than traditional roofing materials such as shingles, wood shake or metal. By design, a tile roof is allowing air circulation under the tile, which reduces heat transfer to the attic during a fire.

Tile roofs achieve the highest attainable fire rating for both the product & installed system. The Class A fire rating includes tests for spread of flame, intermittent flame, and the burning brand.

Wind and Rain

For homeowners living in an area prone to tornadoes, hurricanes or extreme winds, roof tile provides one of the best defenses against weatherrelated property damage.

One of the best attributes of concrete and clay tile roofing is its resistance to severe storms and hurricane-force winds. Its design and construction provide high air permeability, which helps relieve wind stress. Independent testing sponsored by the Tile Roofing Institute has shown that with proper attachment, clay and concrete roof tiles can sustain winds in excess of 125 miles-per hour that would have stripped off most other roofing materials.

Engineers use a multi-million- dollar wind tunnel to subject roof tile to hurricane force conditions. Tiles past tests with winds at one hundred miles per hour, during a driving rainfall of up to eight inches per hour.

Hail

Different parts of the country are susceptible to devastation from extreme hailstorms. Clay and concrete roof tiles can resist damage from hailstones as large as 1.5”, just larger than a golf ball.

A tile roof system provides two layers of protection from the elements. The tile itself provides a tough water-shedding outer shell. An underlayment of asphalt roofing paper over the roof decking provides the inner shell if the tile was struck by extremely large hailstones.

This is real protection that few other roofing systems can provide.

An ice cannon is used to impact a roof with simulated hailstones. Tiles are mounted onto test panels that simulate real-life conditions. The cannon produces terminal velocities that real hail would achieve in free-fall or wind-driven conditions.

Earthquakes

Independent testing at the University of Southern California has shown that clay and concrete tile roofing systems, when installed according to building code standards, exceed current seismic load requirements for building materials. Although earthquakes are not preventable or predictable, homeowners can lessen their impact through emergency planning and proper building design.

Tile is the only roofing product in the world to have been tested for seismic loading. Recently complete seismic testing, proves that roof tile could, in fact, withstand forces two to three times those generated by the 1994 Northridge, CA earthquake.