The roofing industry has been expanding and along with it the repair business. Do you have a leaky metal roof? If you would like to know how to fix it yourself, it takes basic tools and basic knowledge to get it done. Read on here in this short article about metal roof repair.
If you want to do it yourself, there are a few tools you will need to do the job. A fairly comprehensive list is; tin snips, pliers, soldering gun or iron, solder, flux, sandwich, wire brushes, cleaners, cinder block, and last but not least the metal roofing cement. Once you have all the things you need, your job can begin.
Clean the area thoroughly that you know is leaking and then identify the type of metal that your roof is made of. If you know, get a piece of the same type and shape, but one that is big enough to be two inches larger than the area that needs repair. After the roof is completely dry from your cleaning, also use the wire brush to really get at any tough debris that soap may not be able to get rid of. You can start cleanly to make the whole process work together.
The next step is to cut the corners off the new metal piece you are using to repair the leaky area. Next, fold the outer edges of this new piece under with a half inch lip. Sand this lip until it is shinier or brighter than the rest of the new piece. Put some of the flux on the area you are patching and also on the lip of the new patch. Now, put the new piece over the area you are repairing and weigh it down with the cinder block or brick or whatever is convenient. Your patch job is well on the way to being done.
Now get the solder and soldering gun you will be using. Melt the solder all the way around the new patch. If you leave an open spot, you may have to do this sooner sooner than needed. Once the new patch is held down and the solder has cooled, use some roofing cement to put over the new patch. Cover all the new patch with the roofing cement. You can double or triple the process above, if you think it needed or have a really large hole in your roof. After all this your roof repair should be successful.
One tip is to use noncorrosive flux on steel roofs. You should use the acid flux with copper roofing. For aluminum roofs, you will need fiberglass patch, as there is no solder for this type of roof. To make it easier to remember if there is a next time of metal roof repair, simply make sure you use the same types of metals for the solder to hold.
