A Metal Roof Maintenance Schedule You Can Follow From the Ground

Your new metal roof is on, the crew has done the magnet sweep, and the warranty papers are somewhere in a drawer. A metal roof asks less of you than shingles, and the Metal Roofing Alliance says a gentle wash every so often is most of what it needs. It still asks for something: eyes on it a few times a year, clear gutters, and attention to the places where water can get in, which on any roof are the penetrations, the edges and the fasteners.

Start with the drawer. Put the contract, the estimate, the product data sheets, the color name, the manufacturer's finish warranty, the workmanship warranty, the permit and the crew's photos of the decking and flashing in one folder, paper or digital. MRA says to follow the manufacturer's specific instructions to help protect roof warranties; you cannot follow them if you cannot find them. Write the installation date on the folder, and add every inspection report and repair invoice from now on.

Everything below is done from the ground, from a window, or from the attic hatch. This site's older maintenance schedule post describes climbing up for gutter work; this guide does not, and neither should you. Anything that needs a ladder is a job for someone with fall protection.

NRCA suggests inspecting a roof during the fall and spring, and IBHS says frequent visual inspections matter for catching loose or missing roof covering. In spring, after winter wind and before summer storms, walk the full perimeter and look for:

• Panels and trim. Any panel edge, ridge cap or gable trim that looks lifted, bent, or out of line with its neighbors.
• Fasteners, on an exposed-fastener roof. Screw heads that look raised or carry a rust ring; washers that look cracked or squeezed out. Concealed-fastener standing seam roofs hide their clips, so look instead for seams that look open or panels that look wavy.
• Penetrations. Pipe boots, chimney flashing, skylight curbs and vent caps. IBHS says to check around chimneys, pipes, skylights, exhaust fans and vents for gaps or signs of missing sealant.
• Gutters and fascia. Gutters pulling away, sagging, or overflowing in rain; IBHS lists rotting fascia boards as a warning sign.
• Inside. From the attic hatch with a flashlight: daylight, water stains on the decking, damp insulation, or rust streaks under fasteners. IBHS says water stains on decking or ceilings are leak warnings. The ventilation guide covers what sweating panels mean.
• Scuffs and scratches. Places where a branch rubs or a ladder once leaned. Note them for touch-up by the installer with the manufacturer's paint.

The Upstate gets hail, straight-line wind and the inland remains of tropical storms. After any of them, look from the ground and from windows before you do anything else. IBHS says to inspect flashing before and after storms, and that you should always consult a professional if the roof is damaged by a severe storm or falling limbs. Look for panels or trim that have moved, dents in a pattern across a slope, branches on the roof, gutters knocked loose, and anything in the yard that came from the roof.

Then photograph everything from where you stand, with the date, and check the ceilings and the attic for new stains. Do not go up, even to pull a branch off; wet metal has almost no grip, and OSHA requires fall protection for construction workers on roofs six feet or more above a lower level for a reason. If you see damage, read what a roof inspection covers and call for an inspection. Anderson Metal Roofing and Shingles can inspect and document roof damage and give you photos and an itemized estimate for your insurer; the claim itself is yours to file.

Fall in Anderson means leaves, and the site's leafing season post explains what a layer of wet leaves does to a roof. On metal, most leaves slide off; the trouble is where they stop.

• Valleys and behind chimneys. Leaves pack into valleys and on the uphill side of chimneys and skylights, where they hold water against sealant and seams. Look for dark mats of debris from the ground.
• Gutters and downspouts. Watch during a rain: overflow at the eave or a dry downspout means a clog. Clearing gutters above ground level is a job for someone with fall protection; CPSC's outdoor-repair guidance says a helper should hold any ladder and it should stand on stable ground, which is one more reason this is crew work rather than solo work.
• Branches. IBHS says to remove tree branches that overhang the roof, because they can rub in wind and do real damage when they fall. Call a tree service for anything above the roofline.
• Fasteners before winter. A second look at exposed fasteners after a summer of thermal movement; expansion and contraction can loosen them over time.
• The fall inspection. NRCA's fall-and-spring timing exists so that problems are found before winter rain, not during it. Book it while the weather is still dry.

Winter is mostly watching. Metal sheds snow in slides, so keep walkways, vehicles and the gutters under eaves in mind during a rare Upstate snow, and look afterward for gutters that were pulled by sliding snow. Look again from the attic for condensation on cold mornings; dripping that stops when the sun comes up is usually a ventilation question rather than a leak.

Cleaning is the job people overdo. MRA's guidance is to clear gutters and large debris first, rinse with a garden hose attachment, and, if needed, use a mild detergent in water with a soft cloth, sponge or soft-bristle brush, then rinse. MRA says never to use a power washer, and never steel wool, wire brushes, scouring powders, paint removers or thinners. The site's posts on whether a metal roof needs cleaning and cleaning metal roofs and wall panels go into more detail; read the manufacturer's cleaning instructions first, because the wrong product can affect the finish warranty. Anything beyond what a hose reaches from the ground is crew work.

Touch-up paint is for scratches, not for fading, and it should be the manufacturer's product in the roof's color. Ask the installer to do it during an inspection rather than reaching for a hardware-store can.

Here is the honest split. From the ground you can see lifted trim, debris mats, overflowing gutters, rust rings and stains in the attic. You cannot safely check sealant by touch, reseat a fastener, clear a valley or reseal a pipe boot, and you should not try. Those are inspection and maintenance items for a roofer with fall protection, and they are the small jobs that stop a leak before it starts.

Anderson Metal Roofing and Shingles offers roof repair and preventative maintenance for homes and commercial buildings; its roof repair and maintenance page describes the service and the records it produces. Whether you use us or someone else, ask for a written report with photos after each visit and put it in the folder. Read your warranties, too: some ask for periodic inspections and proof that they happened.

And if the roof is leaking now, maintenance is not the question. Contain the water, photograph the ceiling, and call. If you are deciding whether to look yourself or book someone, the DIY versus professional inspection guide draws the line.