Maintaining your roof includes maintaining your walls, foundation, furnishings, electrical, flooring, etc., because it shields everything beneath it. The expense and inconvenience of roof repairs and replacements are the main reasons people put them off. However, putting off, postponing, and ignoring minor roof issues leads to worse future disruptions and expenditures.
Now is the to fix your metal roofing because the colder winter months are coming. A strong storm or a lot of snow can cause significant roof damage if it is not in good shape. Although ice and snow are usually the enemies of all roofs, home metal roofs offer significantly better protection from winter weather damage than many other types of residential roofing.
This post will examine five common problems with metal roofing and why you may need metal roof restorations.
Leaks
Leakage is among the most typical problems with metal roofing. If left neglected for too long, leaks will damage the foundation of your building and the other items inside, effectively raising the expense of repairs.
Cold weather, which causes ice to freeze and thaw quickly, typically makes leaks in a metal roof worse. The following are some typical uncontrollable triggering situations or factors that may cause a leaky roof:
- Heavy rain
- The melting or heavy snow
- Frost damming (consistent freezing and thawing)
- Wind
- A structural problem
- Other weather-related events
However, leaks might develop over time because the seam on your roof—which connects numerous panels—was not originally planned properly. That includes failed fasteners, seams, flashing, sealant, and use of inadequate detailing.
The flashing on your roof could also be a problem, which prevents water from going into the roof gutters. If you ignore your leak, it will just complicate the situation. An inexperienced eye cannot identify the leak’s true source and may exacerbate a preexisting problem. So don’t be reluctant to hire a specialist for metal roof restorations.
Corrosion
Metal structures are more equipped to resist corrosion than other roofing types. However, rust is, unfortunately, a potential problem for metal roofing over the roof’s lifetime (the lifetime of a metal roof can be 60+ years).
If the underside was improperly sealed, water could become trapped between the insulation and the panel itself, leading to corrosion on your metal roof. Additionally, rust can weaken the roof panels over time, resulting in a collapse from the inside out. Note that some metals combine in unfavorable ways leading to galvanic corrosion, and degradation may happen quickly when metals with different properties interact.
Therefore you should beware of the following:
- Underside corrosion.
- Dissimilar metals corrosion.
- Salt water corossion.
- Cut edges (rusting on the cut edges).
During the lifespan of the roof, corrosion will occur occasionally. A knowledgeable specialist, however, may assist you in preventing and resolving issues by identifying the potential for different metal comparisons or spot galvanic corrosion zones.
Wrinkling under stress or oil canning
Are some of your metal roof sheets wavy or wrinkled? If this is the case, your issue is most likely related to oil canning. Oil canning, one of the most frequent problems with metal roofs, can happen with different metals, but the building’s structural stability has little to do with it. Oil canning can result from various causes, including:
- Excessive production, such as using a lot of pressure when coiling the metal
- Coil slitting (cutting) and roll-forming panels put a lot of strain on the system.
- The inadequate room provided for the panels’ thermal expansion and contraction
- Modifications to the original design of the building that cause strain or movement of the panels.
Fortunately, there are steps you may take to lessen the risk of oil canning, some of which include:
- Increasing the number of ribs on a panel to reduce the amount of flat space
- Choosing a matte or low-gloss surface will cut down on reflection, which can make oil canning less visible
- Purchasing tension-leveled (stretched) metal is advisable because this coil has already been extended past the point at which it can no longer return to its initial state.
To fix the problem, you might need to replace your roof with thicker metal. Most importantly, get an installer with expertise in preventing oil canning.
Scuffing and scratching
Metal roofing could have scratching or scuff at any point during its lifespan, just like anything else with a paint system. Most producers of metal coils take additional care to prevent scratching of the coil during slitting, recoiling, or transit to the customer.
Additionally, most contractors and installers commonly treat coils and panels with care during the roll forming and installation processes. Still, there is always the chance that one or more of these parties will mishandle the metal and cause surface-level harm. This might occur if:
- Incorrect coiling or recoiled metal could cause it to rub against each other and wear away the coating.
- Edge guards are not employed to protect the sheet edges during shipping.
- Carriers don’t use the required lifting equipment when handling the coil.
- The coil is put through a roll-forming machine, but one of the parts is broken. Or the coil accidentally scraped up against a piece of the machine.
- A panel has been brushed against, or other objects dropped on it.
- Once erected, contractors or others walk on panels leading to scratches in high-traffic areas like flashing points or ladder entrances.
Bring a scratch or scuff to the attention of a roofing expert if you see it on a metal panel, particularly if it extends to the metal substrate.
Chalking and fading
The yellowish residue on painted or coated metal panels is referred to as “chalking,” and it results from the paint resin deteriorating from UV exposure. Fading is the process by which the pigment of paint applied to a metal substrate degrades (due to UV radiation, water, pollution, chemicals, etc.), changing the color.
Every panel on a roof may not always be equally exposed to the sun and other elements, which increases the possibility of uneven fading. Whatever your location, fading, and chalking will occur. But the atmosphere and substances that the roof is exposed to determine how much chalking and fading occurs.
Thankfully, most respectable manufacturers provide paint warranties that cover chalking and fading that exceed a specific measurement over a certain period. Also, evaluating the roofing materials beforehand is advisable.
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