Understanding Standing Seam Metal Roofing

It's good to know some facts about standing seam metal roofing if you're considering using it on your roof. There are a lot of benefits to be enjoyed by this type of roofing. In the first place, it's one of the most durable forms of roofing available. You can expect three to four decades of good service from this type of roofing. The thing that needs to be watched, is for installers to be aware of the costly mistake of penetrating the membrane of your roof.

The experts say to always attach as few things as possible to the roof. This can save you plenty of headaches down the line. But there are circumstance when you have no choice but to attach some equipment to your roof. If the installers know what they're doing, then there are little tricks that will enable them to attach the equipment and maintain roof integrity. No matter if it's lightning protective gear, or HVAC equipment, or solar panels, it can all be put on in a proper manner and leave you with a solid problem-free roof.

Protecting the membrane of the roof is key, and the number one goal when attaching rooftop equipment. For some reason, many workers seem to feel that a metal roof offers a good secure way to anchor things down, so they violate the metal roof's integrity and attach things by penetrating the sheet. But if they know what they're doing, there are lots of ways to attach things to the roof without penetrating and compromising the roofing.

This is what makes standing seam metal roofing so great. They've created a seam-clamping hardware to grip the seam without putting a puncture into the membrane. The seam acts like a 'beam' in order to provide a solid and convenient way to anchor things like solar panels or walkways without compromising the integrity of the roof. These clamps allow you to secure objects to the seam and maintain roof integrity, as well as the thermal-cycling factors. And they do it with excellent strength.

As we know, there are times when it just isn't possible to not attach something that needs to penetrate the membrane. This could happen with HVAC equipment, or in the case of plumbing vents. You simply can't mount them without puncturing the roof. When you're faced with this type of situation, you just have to stay focused on getting a waterproof seal that helps you in dealing with the thermal-cycling factors.

Most of this information so far has been in regards to regular equipment mounting. But sometimes you have to mount something that has a lot more weight than usual. This means you'll be mounting to a galvanized steel frame. Many of these are attached to legs, which are made out of round pipe. These pipes go through the roof, penetrating the membrane and attaching to something underneath for support. It's a stationary mounting. According to the weight involved, it may be that you can still use the seam clamps and stay away from using the pipes.

If what you're attaching is round, then you're going to need some flashing. Usually this means using EPDM flashing around the pipes. Black is the best color for resisting the UV rays and lasting longer. You stretch the rubber over the pipes and then secure it at one end with a metal clamp, just like securing a radiator hose for the car. This flashing needs to be anchored to the roof panel only, and kept away from the main structure of the building.

I hope this article gave you a little insight into standing seam metal roofing and what's involved in installing it. They are a very useful creation for roofs that call for attachments that need support. And when done properly, they can give you the support you need, with the durability and strength that they were made for.


Want to find out more about standing seam metal roofing, then visit Jack Hanley's site on how to choose the best metal roofing for your needs.
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