The primary function of any roof and wall system is to keep the weather out, i.e. rain, snow and wind. This is achieved by using waterproof materials and by sealing joints, junctions and penetrations. Normally in practice it is the roof of the building which is more susceptible to leak risk than the walls because on vertical cladding water simply runs off and is less likely to leak through joints etc. However joints on horizontally laid cladding have to be designed and constructed correctly to avoid weather ingress.

Leak risk on roofs is related to site location, exposure and increases on lower pitches as the roof is drained more slowly. For example tiles can be used on steep slopes and no seals are necessary but on flat/low pitched roofs the material and joints must be 100% waterproof.

Metal Roofs Risk Points:

• Side and end lap joints
• Sealants
• Fasteners and attachment strength
• Rain run-off and wind driven snow
• Penetrations for rooflights and apertures
• Perimeter trims
• Coatings and maintenance

Kingspan’s 30 years of experience in the metal roof systems demonstrates that KS1000 RW roof systems are reliable for roof slope applications of 4 degrees and above.

For roof slopes below 4 degrees, standing seam and low pitched solutions are essential as they have no exposed through fixings, preferably no end laps, incorporate barrel vault rooflights and include pre-engineered ridges, hips, eaves, valleys etc.

Kingspan roof systems are suitable for the following roof slope applications:-

Note: the finished roof slope takes all normal deflections into account.
To achieve the correct finished slope the steelwork will have to be designed with a greater fall, e.g. 2° to achieve a 1.5° finished slope. This is dependant upon span and to be checked with engineer.

*Dependant upon slate or tile specification

Design, Construction & Workmanship

The design and construction details shown in the roof and wall sections have been developed to provide robust and reliable weatherproof solutions using Kingspan’s range of insulated roof and wall systems.

Particular emphasis has been given to selecting sealant and fastener types co-ordinated with dimensions and positions which will be functional given a superior standard of on-site workmanship.

Surface Coatings

The range of surface coatings available on Kingspan’s insulated roof and wall systems are selected for their proven durability when exposed to the UK weather conditions.

Advice is available from our Technical Design Bureau for coating applications which are the most suitable for coastal or close to localised polluted locations.