In a pitched roof, insulation is placed under the roofing tiles. It is important to try to prevent water getting to the insulation, as this can cause the board to become ineffective. In this article, we explain why counter battens might be used in pitched roof constructions.
What are counter batterns?
Counter battens are wooden strips that are installed vertically over pitched roofs to which horizontal tiling battens are attached. They are used to allow rainwater to pass off the tiles and away from your roof.
Why are counter battens important?
Roof tiles are usually laid horizontally and attached to timber tiling battens. Underneath these battens, you will find your counter battens, running vertically, and, beneath these, a breather membrane.
If your tiles are laid without counter battens, rainwater could pass between the tiles and get stuck behind the tiling batten, building up a pool of water over time. As you can imagine, this is not what you want as it can then damage the structure of your roof – as well as the insulation that’s keeping your house all cosy and warm!
To sum up, counter battens:
- Create a clear path for rainwater to run
- Eliminate the chance of water pooling
- Eliminate seeping down into your roof
However, it isn’t always an issue if you don’t have counter battens – in certain circumstances you can survive perfectly fine without them!
Why wouldn't you have counter batterns?
Firstly, you might not need them because of the way your roof structure is built. If the layer of breathable membrane is draped across your roof pitch in such a way that it creates gaps between each rafter, it enables water to run out beneath the tiling battens – meaning that there is no need for counter battens.
Secondly – and this is a bit more technical, but still pretty simple to follow – you won’t need to fit counter battens if you have a timber sarking board with 2 – 3 mm gaps and a breathable membrane with natural slates above. The different shapes and sizes of the slates make it highly unlikely for water to get stuck, meaning there isn’t a need for battens.
