A Complete Guide to Commercial Metal Roofing Care and Maintenance

With a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, commercial metal roofing is one of the most durable, long-lasting options you can choose for your Wisconsin property. When correctly installed, the amount of upkeep it takes to keep your roof in good condition isn\’t much.

It\’s important to perform regular maintenance tasks to ensure your commercial metal roofing system lasts as long as possible.

At Yutzy Roofing Service LLC in Marshfield, Wisconsin, we understand your time and money are important to you. We offer a variety of quality services and want to help you understand how to care for your metal roof to better protect your property and your bottom line.

Why Should You Perform Regular Maintenance on Your Commercial Metal Roofing?

Be thankful if you\’re one of the lucky people who has never experienced an issue with your roof. These issues can be expensive to fix. They can also lead to a host of other problems and result in damage to the property beneath.

Regular, yearly maintenance can help identify issues before they become much larger problems. When discovered early, these issues can be easily repaired. If not, they might become serious and threaten the integrity of your entire commercial metal roofing system.

How to Care for a Metal Roof: Surface Maintenance

Surface maintenance can be done without going through the process of scheduling a full inspection of the roof. That being said, if you\’re more comfortable having your roof inspected, that\’s fine too.

Below are several tasks you can do yourself to help maintain the roof of your property:

Clean the Roof

To help extend the life and appearance of your roof, there are a few things you should regularly check for. These include dirt, mildew, stains, and other foreign elements that can accumulate over time.

Cleaning your roof is a relatively simple task. But, there is a process for how to clean your metal roof so that you don\’t accidentally damage it, your building, or yourself.

Remember to pay attention to your gutters and drains. These are common areas where leaves, sticks, and other bits of detritus can get stuck. Stuck materials can lead to water pooling, which can in turn damage your roof.

Check for Leaves, Twigs, and Other Debris

When leaves, sticks, and other pieces of material get stuck on your roof, they can scratch the paint system, dent the metal, and lead to a generally unappealing appearance.

Check areas on the roof that contain horizontal planes, valleys, or low slopes and remove anything you find.

Should your roof have overhanging trees or branches, make sure they\’re not touching the roof of your building. It can be helpful to trim branches to ensure they\’re not dropping leaves, sticks, seeds, or other plant material.

Make Sure No Foreign Metals or Materials are Touching Your Roof

Finding foreign pieces of metal or other materials on your roof might not seem like a very common problem, but it does happen. When this occurs, it can speed up the process of degradation, staining, and metal corrosion, or even lead to a complete failure of your metal roofing system.

This point is especially important if you have someone doing work on or around your roof. These jobs typically include things like installing a satellite dish, performing electrical work, and plumbing.

Never, for any reason, let someone other than a professional roofing contractor, such as Yutzy Roofing Service, perform the work.

How to Care for a Metal Roof: Structural Maintenance

Structural maintenance is a lot more intricate, and will usually require the expertise of a professional roof maintenance service. You should have structural maintenance performed roughly every other year unless you notice any significant issues beforehand.

Wind, precipitation, humidity, frequent temperature fluctuations, and the type of commercial metal roofing you choose will all play a role in the condition of your roof. If you\’re ever unsure whether or not your roof needs maintenance, don\’t hesitate to ask a professional:

Fasteners, Rivets, and Screws

The metal panels that make up your roof are attached using fasteners, rivets, and screws. All of these are designed to withstand years of elemental exposure (even in Green Bay, WI). However, they should still be checked to make sure nothing is loose, missing, or sitting at an odd angle.

Check the Flashing

A leaky roof often results from damaged flashing (weatherproofing) materials. Checking to make sure that flashing materials are not damaged, loose, or missing altogether can help protect your property from costly water damage.

Sealant

Sealant is used to keep out water, air, and other small particles from penetrating your roof and getting into small spaces where they aren\’t supposed to be. Sealant is designed to last for years and withstand significant exposure to the elements.

Sometimes, though, the sealant in some areas may need to be replaced or touched up.

Loose or Separating Panels

Checking the status of panels is a critical part of commercial metal roofing maintenance. If anything has moved, been dislodged, or loosened, it can compromise the structural integrity of your roof.

Only a specialized, professional roofing contractor has the know-how to make sure all of the seams are aligned and undamaged.

Check Penetration Points

Penetration points are areas of your roof that have been intentionally penetrated to allow something else to pass through. These can include chimneys, skylights, various types of air vents, and solar panels.

These points have their own type of flashing material that is required, including rubber, used to waterproof a metal roof.

UV rays from the sun tend to break rubber down over time and can dry out and eventually crack. Cracked flashing can in turn lead to a leaky roof.

Hire a Professional

Your commercial metal roof is an investment that needs to be protected. Performing regular maintenance can improve the lifespan of your roof, save you money, and keep the interior of the property protected from damage.

Yutzy Roofing Service LLC has been serving Wisconsin since 1995. We install the highest-quality roofing materials available and we never, ever compromise on quality.

If you\’d like to learn more about how to care for your commercial metal roofing or to schedule a consultation, please feel free to reach out to us.