texasjohn said:
stevenf, I will tell you my experience... maybe some of it will apply to your situation.
We build our house 20+ years ago and I got a metal roof because I wanted it to "last".
Well, the idiots that screwed the roofing down put the screws (yes, built for the purpose with washers under the heads) in the VALLEY of the material, not the PEAK of the corrugations. Corrugations are flat on top. I was distressed at the time but was assured that "that is the way it is done." Bull.... I've visited numerous countries in latin american rain forests... THERE they are smart... put the screws on top of the corrugations, not the bottom. As a result in our case, as the screws backed out of the underlying wood because of heat/cold/time, they began to leak. Lots of leaks.
If your roof leaks, it's not from fastening the metal in this manner. You have to screw the roofing into the purlins in the valleys as this is where it makes contact. You also need at least two screws at each purlin to make it secure. I prefer three. The only way to get this done is to screw them in at the lowest point where you have direct contact with the purlins.
The place where the metal overlaps can cause a leak if it's not screwd together, and on shallow roofs, it needs to be sealed as well. A 1:12 and 2:12 pitch roof needs sealing. Above that, you should have enough flow to keep the water from getting over the lip.
The overlap is screwd to the metal below it, but not into the purlins. You only want to keep the seam tight. If you screwed all the way into the purlins from the tops of the metal, you will deform it and create leaks.
If the overlaps are not screwed together, it will leak. Another common reason for leaks is the screws were overtightened. The rubber gasket needs to be snug and bulged just a very small amount. Take a look at them and see if they are cracked or squeezed down real tight.
It's rare today, but in older aplications, the screws themselves were bad. They rust out and create leaks.
Steve.
I'm not a fan of pathing leaking roofs unless it's just one area. It sounds like your whole roof is junk and needs replacing. calking and sealing will only last for a very limited time. If there is any movement in the metal panels, it will leak all the sooner. Since your roof was nailed on, not screwed, it's very likely that there is considerable movement. All your doing by calking or putting a sealer over the roof is spending money, burning calories and wasting your time.
If you need something right away, then save you money and energy and get a large tarp. They work well and will solve our problems for the next year. They are ugly, but they work.
The price you quoted for the roof is extremly high. Go to
www.muellerinc.com and price out the materials on there website. Figure out how many sqares your roof is and it's easy math. A square is a hundered square feet. Depending on your pitch and roofing features, like dormers, gable ends, hips and valeys, will dictate allot in the number of sqares you need. A one thousand sqare foot house does not take ten sqares. More like 12 to fourteen.
Putting on a metal roof is a pretty straight forward project very similar to putting on siding. The hardest part is dealing with the heat. Work in mornings and evenings and it goes pretty fast. Steph and I did put all the metal on our house in two days. Then the trim took another week, but that had allot to do with how hot the roof got while standing on it. Your feet will literally burn when it gets to a certain tempature.
Fix it right and forget about it. Fix it wrong and you'll never stop messing with it.
Good luck,
Eddie