Years ago I put up a steel truss building with wooden girts and purlins. I did the work myself and I was a complete novice. When it came time for the metal roof and the siding my gut told me to put those screws in the flat part of the panels. I knew I was “going against the grain” with that choice. But that is what I did. That property was sold and for years I have worried that my choice was a major screwup, dooming the next owner to a bunch of problems. That uneasy feeling I had over the placement of those screws is now gone thanks to your explanation. I am revisiting this concern because I now own property with a pole shed that was here before my ownership. It has nails with most in the ridges and some in the flats by the overlaps. Almost all the nails are pulled up some and there are leaks all over. I have a trusted friend who has a lot of experience building his own sheds and he is telling me to just seal those nails with silicone. But my gut is telling me something different again which is to pull those nails and replace with “nail replacement screws”. Even though the nails are lifted, they are hard to pull out with a pry bar without damaging the metal roof sheet. So I made a nail grabber out of a blunt nose style vice grip and attached a slide hammer to it. It has 100% success so far on a test run of about 30 nails. So now only 3330 more to do!
That's awesome! The trouble with using silicone on a roof is that silicone isn't always rated for UV resistance. In my experience, silicone breaks down in less than five years on hot metal roofing, that is being heated by the sun. Even when I'm flashing a chimney or skylight window, I try to keep my silicone in behind the flashing joints. I still put some on the face too, but more so as a second line of defense and to keep customers happy.
@@mylittleredbarn8712 Thanks so much for your reply to my comment! An update on my “nail grabber” is that I made a second one using a “cat’s paw”. It lets me go a lot faster and I can use it from a standing position. As I have worked my way across this roof I came to an area that has some light tree branch hit damage. The panels are fairly straight. But there are cracks in the high part of the panel ridges on several panels about 6-8 feet from the edge of the roof. So naturally I am wondering what the best practice would be for dealing with those? Another concern is that I think the fiberglass ridge lite panels are about done for. Is polycarbonate better?
Thank you for the interesting video I didn't know that about the tin expansion and to put the screws in the flat. ***I'm reusing some old roofing tin on a tractor carport. Do you have any recommendations would I can use to fill in the old screw holes? I was thinking just to dab some caulking of some sort from underneath the tin. But each old screw hole has a downward metal divot which is directing water in like a little funnel. Maybe I should tap down each metal screw hole so it's flat from underneath and then put in the caulking? Was wondering if there was any particular caulking which is better to use as there is a bewildering variety Thank you
After an ice storm, here i am wondering if i can even get my barn roof repaired. Second story, oak limb bounced its way down my tin roof. :( broke a 2x6 as well.
Maybe I missed something regarding screw placement. It looks like the new sheet you installed has screws in the ribs. But I thought you said not to install in the ribs but rather the flat area?
Sorry for the confusion. I should explain a bit better. In a new project, I certainly wouldn't place any fasteners in the ribs. But when it comes to replacing a few sheets in a patchwork of an old roof, I simply follow what is already there. If I were to make it different, the customer might see it and make a big deal of it. Any old sheets that have holes in them from previous fasteners, should also have those holes refastened to keep moisture out.
These screws were special ordered, from AB Martin in Ephrata, PA. Check your local roofing supplier, or farm store to see if they don't have these screws. They are commonly called, "Nail Replacement Screws".
