Tilers - help please!! How do we attach downpipes on to tile hung exterior walls?

Question

Our tiler has never re-appeared after my OH stupidly paid him in full before he had completed the work - grrr! So now we need to attach downpipes soon - do we drill through to the wall, or to the battens - or is there another way?

Please help, this is causing so many rows...!!

Answer 1

If you are unsure about drilling the tiles i would recomend that you glue them using builder`s adhesive such as gripfil or sticks like s**t i have done this many times and all the pipes are still in place now even after many years of use

Answer 2

As fireman4 says, but you could try putting masking tape over where you intend to s***w, stops the tiles from cracking.

Answer 3

As a builder I have had this situation a few times now and have got over it the same way each time, one example was seven years ago and it is still perfectly secure and functional.

Whether you have concrete or clay tiles, they are both vunerable to breaking and as you are probably aware if you break one it is very difficult to replace it properly.

You don't have to fix your downpipe brackets to the batten or the wall behind; just fixing it to the tiles is sufficient. Downpipes don't weigh much and the water doesn't hang around for long!

Vertical tiles are normally at about 100mm centres and each tile nailed twice. If this has been done and the top finished with a lead apron under the eaves, then this should be stable enough to fix directly onto.

The trick is to use a ceramic tile drill bit to drill the holes in the tiles. They are inexpensive and available from any diy store or tile shop. Do not use the hammer action on your drill as this will most likely break the tile. I would get a 6mm ceramic drill bit and use a red plug and a 1" size six or eight s***w, try it on a spare tile first to make sure it fixes ok. You only need to drill through the first (top) tile don’t try and drill through the tiles behind the overlap. Try and fix the brackets so the holes in the tiles are as far away from the edges as you can.



I wish you the best of luck, it is a bit un-nerving having to drill tiles, but have a practise first and you will see that with the right tool for the job, and (hopefully) some good advice....it's easy.

Answer 4

You may use a good quality 1/4 inch masonry drill with plastic tap in anchors and 1 inch sheet metal or stainless screws.