Here at West Coast Florida Enterprises we have witnessed first-hand, and heard of many other instances of, Metal Roof Premature Degradation. This degradation has been with (3) types of metal;
Galvanized
Galvalume
and Aluminum
Typically it occurs on painted metal surfaces, as opposed to non-painted mil-finished metals.
We have been investigating the concerns and have had our finger on the pulse of the issue industry wide for some time. In our findings it has been revealed that ALL manufacturers’ warranties have a suggested maintenance plan written within the warranty language that requires the owner to “Sweet Water Rinse” the roofing and edges of the roof on an annual basis. This is something that we have never been specifically informed of by a manufacturer, and are convinced that the owners of the projects have also not been formally informed.
Some of the things we are seeing range from simple surface corrosion, to pitted/peeling paint surfaces, to rust or complete corrosion through the metal. Most of the concerns are at the edge of the roof; the fascia, eave and soffit areas. The problems are worse closer to the salt water! Anyhow, ALL metal roof warranties are essentially void within1/2 mile of the beach or other salt water body. Even some of those outside the 1/2 mile zone can be waived of any warranty rights if the annual Sweet Water Rinse is not performed.
As to this rinse…Sweet Water Rinse is nothing more than a tap water or fresh water rinse! No Chemicals or additives. One could argue, especially in Florida, that the rains we get so frequently would constitute as a “Fresh Water Rinse”. While this statement is TRUE of the topside main surface of the metal roof, the areas that have the biggest issues are at the eave and fascia/soffit lines.
Many times, the rain is unable to directly rinse these areas. In fact, some of the warranties specifically point out these areas as…
“Areas sheltered from periodic washing by natural rainfall such as underside eaves and soffits”.
The warranties also specifically state that the owner MUST keep record of said cleanings. In a nutshell… If you ever have degradation of your roof prematurely, the manufacturer could “wring their hands” of any responsibility if you are unable to produce documentation of annual cleanings!
To each of our clients: don’t worry, we’ll make sure to lovingly rinse your roofs with sweet, delicious water from the islands of Fiji. Not really. 😉
Seriously though, we’ll continue to maintain your roof in alignment with each manufacturer’s warranty, provided we know about its stipulations!
-Otey