http://www.nu-lokusa.com/howitworks.html
http://www.nu-lokusa.com/slideshow.html
Has anyone seen or encountered this product?
Looks expensive. . .
Not trying to beat this product down, but those link channels don’t look like they will work. Maybe if they stayed perfectly clean, but just the smallest amount of debris can clog them up and allow water to get under the slate. That’s why they are saying the underlayment membrane must be totally water tight. But you really can’t do that when it comes to penetrations such as pipes and skylights. One last thing I noticed is that it raises the roof system which creates problems if you are re-roofing, but not a problem when the house is being built.
Steve Boozer wrote:
I would have to agree. Also it would be interesting to know how they handle any water inadvertently entering under the slate? Are they raised at all on the lowest course to allow drainage if it occurs?
Would be interesting to know what the results have been with this system.
Hey Guys,
I realize this thread is over a year old but I wanted to add my two cents. I am the tech. rep. for nu-lok usa. Nu-lok has been in service since 1989 in Australia and nearly as long in the UK and Europe. It’s fairly new to the US but we have several installers who used to install traditional slate roofs but now swear by nu-lok. The materials costs about the same as a traditional roof (or a fake slate roof for that matter). Cost savings can be seen with labor when the project is done by an experienced installer as they can install roughly 1 square per man per hour! Also, Nu-Lok is Miami-Dade approved for 110 mph wind up lift test with 0 moisture penetration. There was mention of the concern of the elevated installation in a previous thread. The elevated deck is actually a huge benefit. The air space provides for a ventilated roof deck which translates to a cool roof system. The cool roof system means less heat is transmitted to the attic space during the summer and less heat is lost through the roof in the winter. The tile roof industry has been doing elevated roofing for a very long time and was already aware of these benefits. Also, any folks interested in utilizing solar energy can use both solar panels and solar hot water heating to offset there carbon foot print. This is an excellent product that carries a 50 year warranty on the installation system and a 100 year warranty on the natural vermont slate. If you would like to talk more about this product I invite you to email me at ian@greenstoneslate.com.
Ian,
How does it hold up to hail impact compared to conventional installation and how could an inspector determine your system is installed?
Barry,
Unfortunately we have yet to do hail impact testing on the system as we are a relatively small company and testing is very expensive. As time progresses we plan to put the system through as many tests as are applicable. I can say that the system is going to perform as well as a traditionally installed roof. The nice part about the Nu-Lok system is that the slate are not nailed to the deck and cantilevered as they are with the traditional installation. The slate are actually fully supported so the roof is actually walkable so if the slate were ever damaged repairs are much easier than the traditional method.
How do you determine if a house has a Nu-Lok system installed? Well, there are a few items to look for and it takes a keen eye: 1) Can you see that the slate is approximately 1.5-1.75" above the roof deck at the eave? You may not see this as many roofers bend vent details to hide the gap and maintain aesthetics. 2)Is there a metal detail along the rake edge? In order to hide the gap along the rake edge, again many roofers will bend a detail to hide the gap. 3) Finally, if you climb up a ladder and look at the roof can you see two hooks at the bottom of each slate next to each joint? This is an indicator as well. Note that most Europeans do traditional slate installations with hooks rather than nails. Also, while your on the ladder measure the exposure of the slate, if it’s 12" long then that’s another indicator that it’s Nu-Lok. And finally, Nu-Lok is designed to accept standard thickness slate only (1/4-3/8"), so if it’s a 1/2" or thicker it’s not installed on Nu-Lok.
Very interesting stuff are they currently installing it in the western states Idaho, Oregon Washington And Cal?
I have never seen this product
Troy-
The US branch of Nu-Lok was originally based in California where the system was primarily used for installing ceramic tile. Greenstone Slate Company bought the US distributorship and started using the system to install Vermont Natural Slate, and subsequently moved Nu-Lok to Vermont. As a result, there are several roofs in California using either slate or ceramic tiles on the Nu-Lok system. There is also a home in Washington, a few hours north of Seattle with a Slate/Nu-Lok system, and I’m currently working with some folks near Mount Rainier who are considering the Nu-Lok system. Our product is known on the west coast, however market growth is slow as shipping costs can be rather expensive and disuade would be customers.
Thanks for the response Ian