Lifting slates, cutting through nails with an angle grinder and hoping nothing cracks can quickly turn a simple install into a nightmare.

DEKS has changed that with three new additions to its SolarDek™ range, each designed to make slate removal and replacement quicker, safer and simpler.

First up is the Roof Tingle and HookFlash Retro Kit. Made from marine-grade stainless steel, the one-piece fixing secures replacement slates permanently with no nails required. Its spring design closes gaps and resists wind uplift, which makes it well suited to exposed coastal sites, and it has been tested to BS 5534 Annex J. Each kit contains 12 HookFlash units, 36 Roof Tingles and 24 ply packers.

Getting slates off in one piece is the next challenge, and that’s where the Roof Toof comes in. This slate ripping saw has a bimetallic blade with 24tpi teeth that cuts nails cleanly, so slates come out intact. The flexible blade reaches slates down by the gutter and a soft-grip handle keeps things comfortable on the roof.

Slate Flash goes a step further by doing away with slate removal altogether. Flashing can be fitted without lifting a single slate or putting any pressure on the roof.
“Slate roofs have always been the solar job roofers’ approach with caution,” said Ollie Janes, Managing Director of DEKS Industries EMEA. “We’ve taken the guesswork out of it, giving roofers the tools to work quickly and safely while protecting the roof every time.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on site listening to installers, and slate came up repeatedly. Every one of these products started as a conversation about a problem someone was having on a real roof.

“With the Retro Kit, Roof Toof and Slate Flash in the van, slate roofs no longer need to be the job roofers turn down.”

For more information, contact DEKS, call 01275 858866 or email sales@deks.co.uk. Or view DAKS full range of solar solutions here