cedar shake shingles problem solving

[gunnarliden]

does anyone have any solutions to mounting a dish on a roof with cedar shake shingles? I have been trying to give advice from half way across the country to my family, directv says they can't mount a dish on a cedar shake roof (the only place with a LOS) without a waver and building something in the attic to attach the dish to. can anyone post a picture of their solution?

[Canis Lupus]

My father has cedar shake, and it's a no-go and I can understand why. He had his attached to the chimney.

[Talos4]

As a Roofer, it cannot be done, don't do it.

There is a long list of reasons not to,

the #1 reason, it WILL leak.

There is no way to secure the base plates of the mount flat against the shingles. Because of that, the mount will be very unstable and is very difficult if not impossible to create a watertight seal..

An installer that say's he'll do it should be turned away and reported to his supervisors.

A pole mount or Chimney mount would be preferable.

[gunnarliden]

thanks for your advise. I will pass it along so they don't make a mistake. Unfortunately for my family, there isn't any other place on their property that has a LOS other than a 10 foot span across the top of their roof. thanks

[K4SMX]

thanks for your advise. I will pass it along so they don't make a mistake. Unfortunately for my family, there isn't any other place on their property that has a LOS other than a 10 foot span across the top of their roof. thanks
I have this type roof. Obviously there are existing vent pipes, fan vents, etc. that have flashing. I would think someone adept at shake roof repair could remove enough shingles so that the mount could be secured through the plywood, possibly by mounting the plate to a somewhat larger stainless steel plate to allow for wider flashing margins. Then the area could be patched with new shakes and flashing. I have bought thick s.s. plate at sheet metal shops, where they use it to construct custom truck boxes. I had it drilled precisely to accommodate the Slimline mounting bracket. Since it will be mounted at an angle, care must be taken drilling holes in the roof so that the mount, when installed, will allow the mast to be plumb when it is rotated in the mounting bracket. Never give up - anything is possible. Lay it all out first....

[eakes]

Obviously one cannot attach the antenna mount directly to a wood shingle roof. However, skylights are installed in such roofs on a regular basis. What would be needed is a mount similar to that of a skylight except smaller. Using 2x4s or 2x6s construct a small box that is attached to the rafters and extends through and above the roof. Attach flashing and sealant around the box (just as sealing a skylight) and installing new shingles as necessary. Secure the antenna mount to the top of the box, sealing all mounting hardware. The above roof projection of the box would only need to be slightly bigger than the antenna mount 'shoe'.

[Talos4]

Ok, Let me clarify my answer here,

I said cannot be done because I assumed the homeowner or a D* installer was going to perform the work.

My mindset was the average installer coming out screwing the feet into the roof slopping come kind of caulk down and calling it good.

This situation should be handled by a roofer who does cedar shake installations, repairs, maintenance etc.

Yes, it can be done (sorry for the confusion) just not by the local D* installer or the homeowner if they do not have the appropriate roofing skills or knowledge.

And I will admit my cedar shake knowledge is far outweighed by my low slope skills and knowledge. However I will endevour to get some info to the OP by talking to our steep slope guy's in the office.

Again apologies for my jumping to conclusions.

[K4SMX]

No worries. I knew what you were saying all along. This is obviously a "special installation" situation, but nevertheless one which can in fact be accomplished. Where there's a will (and $'s), there's a way.

[gunnarliden]

this is all very helpful. Where would one go about finding someone skilled and reliable enough to do this sort of work? How expensive of a process would this be do you think? I have been pushing my dad to switch to D* for years now, but i am sure there is a limit to the finances on this. he is in Pittsburgh and i am in Minnesota, and i am trying to give him the best and most reliable options so that he can stop his hassles and frustration with Comcast.

[K4SMX]

Since I just had my roof replaced in the last couple of years, there's a couple of suggestions I can make:

There is a website that you can dig up which is maintained by an association of cedar shake roof manufacturers. I'm sure they maintain a list of their dealers and installers.

You could possibly find in the online yellow pages a Pittsburg company that specializes in shake roofs, but it would be more helpful to have the actual Yellow Pages so you can read the display ads.

Although theoretically any roofer could do this, I would stick to people who specialize in this type roof installation. The company in West Palm Beach who did mine had one guy, a recent German immigrant, who did all the re-flashing of the sunlights, vent stacks, etc. They'll also have the stainless steel nails which should be used. If I had to guess, I'd say this could cost upwards of $500 for a one-time "repair" job like this. But it would be an excellent solution to the problem. I'd make darn sure that the proposed location does not and will never have a line-of-sight problem. I don't know how you'd go about the mounting plate issue, but you could always buy the dish online yourself and have a mounting plate made locally. Then you could re-ship the whole mess to Pittsburg.

You really do need a plate under that mounting bracket, since you won't be able to use monopole support arms in this case. You'd probably want it to be about six inches wider all around than the foot of the mounting bracket, which is 8.75" x 6". You could then drill an extra hole in each of the four corners of the plate, and you could probably forego using anything but the outside four holes on the bracket foot. That would have it secured in 8 places, at least some of which need to go through a rafter. In that connection, you might want the roofer to add some wood on the bottom of the plywood between the rafters.

You've also got the issue of what to do with the coax. That needs not to go through the roof. You need all 4 lines run down to the ground and 2 dual grounding blocks along with a ground wire from the dish to an electrical service ground or an 8' ground rod which is also connected to the electrical service ground. #6 copper.

[fwlogue]

You could get something like this to use. You would still need a roofer to install first.

http://sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Commdeck/Commdeck_Dish_Mount.htm

[csunflip]

I am not trying to thread jack, but would this be the same issue with composite shingles?

Had mine installed two weeks ago, the installed used lag screws directly through my shingles and now these heavy So Cal winds knocked the plum off.

D* is coming out today to redo the install.....better do it right this time. My shingles look like they are about to rip off.