Repair holes in metal roof?
- Thread starter jfh0jfh
- Start date
- Views: 86909
MikeD74T
Veteran Member
Someone on Farm Show Magazine advertized 1-1/2" round aluminum disks with an elastomeric adhesive backing that would form fit to corregated roofing. Seemed reasonably priced & easy to apply. I have a similar roof yet to be plugged. I'll try to find a name/website. MikeD74T
Iplayfarmer
Super Member
My detached garage has a tin roof that must have been recycled metal. It leaks.
I'll have to try some of the suggestions on here. I think I'd be able to silicone the holes. I doubt any of them are too big.
I'll have to try some of the suggestions on here. I think I'd be able to silicone the holes. I doubt any of them are too big.
Eagleview
Veteran Member
We also have a Neutral cure Silicone branded "Roof & Gutter" .
Just another snippet of info I learned in the school of Hard Knocks , never use Galvanised roofing/nails or screws with Zincalume guttering/down pipes/tanks etc and vice versa as the chemical reaction between the two dissimilar metals will rot one or the other out as the water runs over them , just as quick as Acidic cure Silicone will .
backdoor
Silver Member
I have used a caulk called "through the roof" several times, with complete success. Google up through the roof caulk. I like it much better than silicone or blackjack.
ElDorado
Silver Member
I have installed 3 metal roofs on different builds. Around here the lumber yards almost all stock Fabral brand. The installation instructions call for nails to be one the ribs and the screws to be on the flats. I have used the screws exclusively and not had any issues with them being on flats.
You might want to check them out on the web. If my crusty mind is correct they have a number of different screws, all with neoprene washers, for different applications. Maybe if you are lucky one of them will have a large enough washer to seal the hole.
If you use screws in new locations do yourself a favor mark and drill them on the ground. Take a couple vise grips or c-clamps, with rags to prevent scratches, and pinch the sheets all together, mark them with a sharpie, and drill them before putting up. This makes it easy to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and drive the screw in. Magnetic driver required. Good Luck.
Thanks to all for the comments. This was really helpful. I have the old 40x80 building down (it collapsed under our Feb-2010 snow) and I think I'm in decent shape: I'll be able to cut the nail holes off the ends the old tin and have some decent sheets to install.
I'll try to summarize here rather than post separate replies:
- I didn't know there were two kinds of silicone cures. I'll get neutral-cure if I go that way.
- I'll look into the various caulks.
- Home Depot has (5-gal) Henry's $72 and Elastometric (sp?) $55. Oddly Lowe's doesn't have either.
- I have a lot of extra tin so I won't try to patch holes/ cuts. Those can go on the side away from weather.
- I will be using screws. Working by myself they're easier than nails.
- Re the gent who suggested drilling: what I usually do is put 5 sheets together and punch a line. It penetrates the top 3 anyway and leaves dents in the rest. But this is tricky as I used some cull lumber opn the rof and looking down the purlins it's a bit like spaghetti. I hadn't thought of drilling. I'll try a couple of sheets and see.
- I didn't know there were different kinds of sealing washers on nails/ screws.
- Bolts w/ gasket and/ or rivets are a good idea for larger holes.
- Sealing under a screw/ nail isn't an option for the old holes as my purlins are 2' OC and the other gents seem some semi-random 1-meter+ OC starting in the center. I'm using his wall tin on my roof.
Hope I didn't miss anything. Thank you all again.
I'll try to summarize here rather than post separate replies:
- I didn't know there were two kinds of silicone cures. I'll get neutral-cure if I go that way.
- I'll look into the various caulks.
- Home Depot has (5-gal) Henry's $72 and Elastometric (sp?) $55. Oddly Lowe's doesn't have either.
- I have a lot of extra tin so I won't try to patch holes/ cuts. Those can go on the side away from weather.
- I will be using screws. Working by myself they're easier than nails.
- Re the gent who suggested drilling: what I usually do is put 5 sheets together and punch a line. It penetrates the top 3 anyway and leaves dents in the rest. But this is tricky as I used some cull lumber opn the rof and looking down the purlins it's a bit like spaghetti. I hadn't thought of drilling. I'll try a couple of sheets and see.
- I didn't know there were different kinds of sealing washers on nails/ screws.
- Bolts w/ gasket and/ or rivets are a good idea for larger holes.
- Sealing under a screw/ nail isn't an option for the old holes as my purlins are 2' OC and the other gents seem some semi-random 1-meter+ OC starting in the center. I'm using his wall tin on my roof.
Hope I didn't miss anything. Thank you all again.
chopped
Veteran Member
I was just reading this post and am doing a bit of metal roofing myself and learned the hard way how to cut the panels.
I wanted to pass this along, and maybe save some people from troubles. I use a circular saw with a metal cutting blade. (aval at walmart 5 bucks for three). When you finally cut Ive found that I secure the panel with a clamp and then start the cut and move the saw backwards.It cuts great this way. I found going forward it would bounce ,as it tried to be pulled up into the saw.
So much like cutting with a backwards mounted blade on a saw for vinyl siding ..
I wanted to pass this along, and maybe save some people from troubles. I use a circular saw with a metal cutting blade. (aval at walmart 5 bucks for three). When you finally cut Ive found that I secure the panel with a clamp and then start the cut and move the saw backwards.It cuts great this way. I found going forward it would bounce ,as it tried to be pulled up into the saw.
So much like cutting with a backwards mounted blade on a saw for vinyl siding ..
pat32rf
Veteran Member
I've been using a newer (?) type of caulking recently called thermoplastic. Sticky as all getout and will stretch with thermal expansion, plus it will stick to itself, whereas new silicone won't stick to old silicone. Sticks to brick, steel and wood just like urethane....
Gonna try it on my woodshed nail holes (steel off my garage)
Gonna try it on my woodshed nail holes (steel off my garage)
I have just had a new metal roof put on a metal garage and I had the type of roof changed. It originally had an A type roof and had the metal with the ridges running the length ways of the building. Where the metal overlapped the people that put it up never used anything to seal between the metal joint and water ran in between the metal and rusted holes out in it where the metal overlapped. That roof lasted about 4 years and I thought I was having condensation problems but when I took the insulation down I saw what the problem was.
The roof now is a slant roof that runs the water all off on just one side and I have an overhang all the way around the building. The ridges of the metal run from the eve to the top on about a 3 1/2 to 4 roof pitch.
Now to my question, where the old roof rusted the rust stain ran down the metal on the sides of the building on the inside of the metal. I can clean the stain off but I want to also primmer it and put a finish top coat on the inside side of the metal using rustoleum paint. I have a gravity fed sprayer that I can use to put the paint on with but rustoleum is an oil based paint, it said to use acetone to thin it with and to clean up with, if I use my sprayer can it be cleaned up so that I can later use it to spray automotive paint? Is the factory paint on the underside of the tin as durable as the outer paint on the tin?
Some on tbn mentioned that my having a steel frame may have had some part on it rusting through so quick [but in this instance I don't believe is the case], however I used pressure treated wood and boxed around all of the roof framing and I intend on doing this for the walls also before I re-insulate it. When I took down the insulation there was absolutely no condensation on the metal roof, I have a plastic vapor barrier in it and that would catch the water from the holes and when it built up enough it would start dripping. I hope someone knows for sure about my spray gun. Sorry for being so long winded, the next reply hopefully is shorter.
The roof now is a slant roof that runs the water all off on just one side and I have an overhang all the way around the building. The ridges of the metal run from the eve to the top on about a 3 1/2 to 4 roof pitch.
Now to my question, where the old roof rusted the rust stain ran down the metal on the sides of the building on the inside of the metal. I can clean the stain off but I want to also primmer it and put a finish top coat on the inside side of the metal using rustoleum paint. I have a gravity fed sprayer that I can use to put the paint on with but rustoleum is an oil based paint, it said to use acetone to thin it with and to clean up with, if I use my sprayer can it be cleaned up so that I can later use it to spray automotive paint? Is the factory paint on the underside of the tin as durable as the outer paint on the tin?
Some on tbn mentioned that my having a steel frame may have had some part on it rusting through so quick [but in this instance I don't believe is the case], however I used pressure treated wood and boxed around all of the roof framing and I intend on doing this for the walls also before I re-insulate it. When I took down the insulation there was absolutely no condensation on the metal roof, I have a plastic vapor barrier in it and that would catch the water from the holes and when it built up enough it would start dripping. I hope someone knows for sure about my spray gun. Sorry for being so long winded, the next reply hopefully is shorter.
