Repair holes in metal roof?

[Snobdds]

Another revival, lots of holes in the roof of the barn sheetmetal. My biggest concern is that I can't get on the roof, it has 2x4's every 2 feet holding up the roof,
and the wood isn't in good shape, so I can't climb on the roof. It is about 14ft long from eave to peak. So what I have been thinking is put a brush or roller on a stick
and paint over the hole with roofing sealant. I have a pail of silicon roofing sealant. Is this going to work? thanks, jack

It should only be viewed as a temporary fix, if that. I don't think that roofing sealant is going to seal up any sizable holes a screw makes. It might work for a while, but you know the proper fix and that means fixing the underpinnings of the roof.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

So, it definitely isn't what I would do, but, my neighbor built a 30 x 40 barn with a 3/12 pitched roof. He put down 5/8" plywood, coated it with the mobile home "elastic roof coating" with 3 coats. I figured it might last about 6 months. So far it's been 4 years. No leaks at all. I would never have believed it if I didn't see it every day!

 

[nimblemotors]

There is different kinds of roofing sealant, the silicon stuff is expensive and has lifetime warranty, the other stuff maybe 10 years.
The guy I bought this coating from (he buys 55 gallon drums from roofers), has it on all his trailers used for storing his stuff,
and he says they've never leak.

The barn is being rented, so can't invest TOO much to fix it, but it can't leak onto the drywall ceiling they put inside, so gotta do something.
If it last 5 years, I'd say that is plenty!

 

[EddieWalker]

...and the wood isn't in good shape,

If the wood isn't strong enough to support a person, then nothing you do to the metal is going to last since the roof is either moving, or about to fail. Fix the structure first, then you can focus on the holes in the metal.