Chart and photo courtesy of Muller Inc.

Metal Roof Maintenance

Just as car maintenance is important, so is roof maintenance. Metal roofing requires the least amount of maintenance and with these simple steps will protect your investment and extend the life of your metal roof.

Maintenance can either be a DIY project, or one that you can hire out.  Here are some simple steps to take with metal roofs:

Step 1: Keep a clean roof. Debris such as leaves and dirt retain water, and increase your chances of rust. Checking the areas around rivets and seams is especially important, as these are common areas where water can penetrate the roof.

Step 2: Paint Paint Paint.  The right type of paint can keep rust away, reduce color fading, and maintain solar reflective properties.  There are three types of paint that are generally used on metal roofs. These are polyesters, silicone or modified polyester, and fluoropolymers.  Kynar 500/Hylar 5000 is a fluoropolymer which is considered the Lexus of paints. It is the most expensive, but generally resists color fading and chalking, and maintains gloss and solar reflective properties longer than other options.

Step 3: Look for holes and open seams. Because holes and open seams are the primary culprits of water damage, repairing them right away is important. Depending on the size of the hole, elastomeric or a solder patch should be able to help you make these repairs. There are numerous sites on the internet, including youtube, which give detailed steps on the process of repairing holes.

Step 4: Watch out for chemical reactions. Remember way back when we were in school and the science teacher told us about corrosion? Corrosion on metal roofs occurs when different types of metal touch each other and have a chemical reaction.  Most of these problems can be avoided in the installation process, however, always keep in mind that to avoid corrosion use fasteners and attachments that work with the substrate material. If the roofing system consists of steel roof panels, the fasteners should be made from carbon or stainless steel. If aluminum is used, the fasteners should be stainless steel.

Although metal roofs may cost more initially, the long term savings are evident. Combined with available tax credits for qualified metal roofs, now is the perfect time to make the move to metal.