In fact, tile roofs are so effective at maintaining a home’s internal temperatures that when a leak or moisture-related wood rot occurs, the tiles themselves are seldom at fault. Usually, the blame lies in the components underneath the tiles of a roof — namely, the roof’s underlayment. If this sub-layer has become dry, brittle, or if battens stick into the attachment point of the nail-fastened tiles, the structural integrity of the roof may become compromised. The water damage — most likely to occur during a classic Scottsdale monsoon season — is caused by rainwater aggregating and trickling down under the tile, where it then becomes trapped against the various components, nails, nooks and crannies of the roof underlayment.
If a client has had the same tile roof structure on their property for 13 or more years, we recommend annual inspections. If we find that a tile roof’s underlayment is damaged or decayed, we will remove it and replace the compromised underlayment with two new layers of fresh, fiberglass-reinforced insulating material. Once our job has been completed to the utmost degree of your satisfaction, we will then reinstall the tiles on your roof.