A concrete tile roof has a reputation for looking after itself, and the tile mostly does. The part that needs care is the layer underneath it, which you can't see from the yard. The jobs owners reach for first, climbing up to clear it and pressure washing it, are the two the tile makers warn against.
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The underlayment wears out, not the tile
Tile is the roof's outer shell. It sheds most of the rain and shades what's under it. The membrane below it, called the underlayment, is the part that actually stops water from reaching the roof deck, as Eagle Roofing describes it. The tile will long outlive the membrane under it, and that one fact changes what maintenance is for.
Arizona sun and heat are hard on that membrane wherever it's exposed. A tile that slips out of line or cracks lets sun and water reach the underlayment directly. So the job is less about the tile and more about two things: keeping the tile seated where it belongs over the membrane, and keeping water moving off the roof instead of pooling in valleys or behind a chimney.
No amount of upkeep stops the underlayment from aging. Maintenance buys it time and catches the spots that fail early. Eventually it's replaced, and that's a repair, not a maintenance task.
Clay and concrete part ways on weight, cost and how they handle heat, which matters when you're choosing between concrete and clay tile. On upkeep they're the same. The membrane underneath does the waterproofing on both, and both crack under a careless foot.
What you can check from the ground
Your part of the routine is looking, not touching. From the yard, a window or the street, you can spot most of what matters:
- Tiles that have slipped out of line, or a gap where one is missing. Look hardest along ridges and edges after a windstorm.
- Cracked or broken pieces, or a tile sitting at a different angle from its neighbors.
- Leaves, dust and debris collected in the valleys and on the uphill side of chimneys and skylights, where they hold water against the roof.
- Branches touching or hanging over the roof. Trimming them back keeps debris off and stops limbs from striking tile.
Inside, after a heavy rain, look at the ceilings, especially near exterior walls. If you can reach the attic safely, a flashlight on the underside of the roof deck will show a water stain or damp insulation before it shows on a ceiling.
Do this after any big storm and once before monsoon season starts. None of it needs a ladder, and that's deliberate.
Two maintenance jobs that do more harm than good
The first is walking on the roof. Eagle Roofing's advice to homeowners is to avoid it altogether and hire a licensed, bonded roofer instead. Tile carries weight well only where the tile beneath supports it, so even professionals step only on the bottom three inches of each tile, where it overlaps the one below. Eagle also notes that tile manufacturers don't warrant breakage from foot traffic. A tile cracked by someone clearing a valley can sit unnoticed, exposing the membrane, until the next storm finds it.
The second is pressure washing. The Tile Roofing Industry Alliance treats low-intensity washing by a professional as an option for concrete tile, not a requirement. Where cleaning is needed, Eagle's guidance is water only where possible, at no more than 1,200 psi, with chemicals used sparingly, done by a licensed, bonded and insured contractor. A homeowner on the roof with a pressure washer is both jobs at once.
If Phoenix Roofing & Repair installed your roof, there's a second reason to leave both jobs alone. Our workmanship warranty doesn't cover damage from foot traffic, and work on the roof by anyone else can void it, one of the ways to lose coverage set out in our guide to what voids a roof warranty.
That leaves you with less to do than most maintenance lists suggest. It's the right amount.
What the yearly roofer visit should cover
A maintenance visit is about the places water gets past tile. Eagle Roofing's guidance for concrete tile is an inspection by a licensed, insured and bonded contractor at the end of winter and again at the end of summer, checking the flashing, sealants, gutters, drainpipes and attic. Its underlayment guidance adds the eaves, hips, ridges and roof penetrations. Put together, a visit should cover:
- Flashing at walls, chimneys, skylights and vents, and the sealants around it
- Eaves, hips and ridges, and the valleys between roof planes
- Slipped, cracked or missing tiles, and the membrane anywhere they've left it exposed
- Gutters and drains, to confirm water is being carried off the roof
- The attic, for any sign water has reached the deck
Twice a year is the manufacturer's schedule. Once a year is the floor. On a roof we installed, that yearly visit isn't optional upkeep: our residential workmanship warranty requires professional inspection and maintenance once a year by a licensed roofing contractor, documented with dated invoices, and a lapse in that maintenance can void it. Keep the invoices. A warranty claim asks for the maintenance records along with the warranty itself. Our optional Annual Maintenance Plan schedules the yearly visit and satisfies the requirement on its own.
Booking one is a phone call. A team member schedules the inspection while you're on the line, and it usually happens within 48 hours. The inspector gets on the roof wherever it's possible to do so, uses a drone when that's the better view, and leaves you with an inspection report, an estimate, or both.
When does upkeep turn into a repair?
It turns the moment the membrane under the tile is exposed or water has already got past it. From the ground or inside the house, that looks like:
- A tile that has slipped or broken and left a gap
- A ceiling stain or damp patch that appears after rain
- Flashing that has pulled away from a wall, chimney or skylight
- Water marks, damp insulation or daylight in the attic
Eagle Roofing's advice is to act on damage however small it looks, because a missing piece leaves the underlayment open to sun and water, and small gaps become bigger repairs. That's the right default in a monsoon climate.
At that point the maintenance visit becomes a tile repair, and the worry most people have is the bill growing once tiles come up. Any damage we find underneath is documented and priced before added work, and nothing more is done without your approval.