Ridge tiles sit along the very top of a roof, capping the joint where two slopes meet, and that exposed position makes them one of the first things to suffer when high winds sweep across Hanham. A ridge tile that's cracked, loose or missing is a common finding after a significant storm, even on roofs that otherwise look undamaged from the ground once the weather has settled and calmed down again. It's worth noting that a ridge failure can sometimes be heard before it's seen, with homeowners describing a rattling or knocking sound from the roof during particularly strong gusts of wind.
Traditionally, ridge tiles are bedded onto the roof using mortar, and it's often this mortar bedding that fails first, drying out, cracking and eventually crumbling over years of weather exposure, at which point the tiles themselves are only loosely held in place and become easy for strong wind to shift or lift entirely, sometimes sending them sliding off the roof altogether during a particularly severe gust of wind late at night. Hip tiles, which run down the sloping edges on a hip roof rather than along the horizontal ridge, are subject to very similar wear and are worth checking at the same time.
A displaced or missing ridge tile leaves a gap right at the highest, most exposed point of the roof, which can let a significant amount of water in during heavy rain, often running down inside the roof structure along the rafters before it becomes visible as a leak somewhere else in the property entirely, which can make the true cause tricky to pin down without a proper look at the ridge itself first. A ridge that's been repaired more than once with mortar alone is often a sign the underlying issue, usually poor original bedding, has never actually been properly resolved in the first place.
Because ridge tiles run along the very apex of the roof, repairs here usually require proper access equipment rather than a simple ladder, particularly on Hanham's taller or steeper roofs, so factoring in scaffolding or similar access is a normal part of planning a ridge repair safely and properly, rather than something to be rushed or attempted casually with the wrong equipment. Where several ridge tiles have failed together, it can be more cost-effective to re-bed the whole run in one visit rather than returning repeatedly to fix individual tiles as they fail.
Some roofers now offer dry ridge systems as an alternative to traditional mortar bedding, using mechanical fixings instead, which can offer more resilience against future wind damage; it's worth discussing this option if your ridge has failed more than once, since it tends to hold up considerably better over successive storms in the years ahead than a mortar-bedded ridge. This is also a good moment to check whether a ridge vent, if fitted, has been affected, since these can be dislodged in the same way as the tiles either side of them.
If you've noticed a ridge tile out of place or missing after recent weather, it's not something to leave. Brunel Roofing Bristol carries out emergency ridge repairs for homes across Hanham, with 24-hour call-out available when the damage needs immediate attention.
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