Low Pitch Steel Roof Leak

Isolate areas when you run the hose.

Low pitch steel roof leak.

If a leak is difficult to find enlist a helper and go up on the roof with a garden hose. Failed sealant or butyl tape sealants and butyl tape are used to seal out water dirt and other debris that could compromise a metal roof. Actually when a standing seam metal roof has a leak it is commonly at some type of flashing area. The piece that s going to allow us to join the panels on the lower slope and the panels on the higher slope is the pitch transition flashing or the pitch change trim.

There are some opinions that standing seam metal roof minimum slope is 12 but it increases the possibility of leaking on the few first days of snow arrival. Full length sheets should always be used where possible. It s the same piece. Metal roofs can handle lower pitches anywhere from 12 on up.

If you look here at the lower slope roof you can see that we ve already put panel on it and installed z trim as we have been doing elsewhere on this project. Low slope roofs are not totally flat their roof slope generally ranges from 1 4 12 to 3 12. In my experience even low pitched kliplok roof with valleys are prone to leakage along the valleys. On a low pitch roof an end lap can easily leak though as water will be driven back up the sheets in strong wind.

Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house. For example soak the downhill side of a chimney first then each side then the top on both sides. Their fasteners are either concealed or screwed at the top of a ridge which makes them less likely to leak. Fairly steep pitch roof an end lap will not leak providing there is sufficient lap.

In country with heavy snow and tough winter days the metal roof minimum slope is recommended to be 1 12. Low slope metal roofs require less material which reduces the overall load on the building s structure. A low pitched corrugated roof with many valleys is a problem. Low slope metal roofs have simple geometries and are easier and less expensive to install that medium to steep slope roofs.

Metal roofs also have seams but many manufacturers recommend connecting their panels with screws and sealant. I would not contemplate trying to modify the existing roof. But the taller profiles like standing seam and pbr shown below can be installed on roofs with as low as 1 4 or 1 2 in 12 pitch. The major issue is the low pitched valleys more that the roof itself.