It's Sunday, and I am now hubituated to read Permies.com headlines and post comments...I just can't seem to help myself...
I have corresponded with this young (and very brilliantly creative) young man a few times now, and thanked him for the wonderful, positive and motivational work he is "studying" and "testing" very much in the application of "physical social anthropology." It is simple brilliant work...!!!
I would like to share some insights about some specific observations from above, and listen to others if they seem to have worth and/or merit.
This is so cool (and sooo much work!).
I could not agree more...It is way beyond cool for someone to take such an in depth examination of means, methods and materials to such an enlightened degree.
...You can see daylight around the tiles...
Seeing "daylight" through such a roof is actually normal traditionally. Further, the steeper the pitch is the less likely (hardly at all actually) there is ever with any issues of
water infiltration from heavy precipitation. It would also appear that he has at least a 45° pitch roof which is even more resistant to seepage.
I have been in many vintage structures of such roofing systems and even with holes and disrepair the "sheeting effect" of precipitation under average conditions tends to just move by such "downward sloping" gaps and openings. I was rather taken back by the "cohesion phenomenon" that occurs in such roofs.
This is not to say that leaks do not, or can not occur. They can and do but are less than one would expect and are relatively easily mitigated.
..I wondered if there was anything (pitch, or cob) he could apply from the inside to seal it up...
There actually are many methods, just as you expected. There are traditional
flax oil/oakum caulkins (et al), lime pointing and mortaring systems as found on many traditional roofs. The most common are "
Roof Torching" methods, and the modalities expand from there.
...even fired, the tiles themselves probably wouldn't hold up to perpetual dampness, such as a snow melting in spring...
I agree, yet it all depends on the clay employed, and the firing length, temperature, etc.
It looks like he has a good body in the clay and fired them relatively well for perhaps an average terracotta. These could last as long as 50 to 150 years on such a pitch and method of hanging...
Regards,
j
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