Installing Standing Seam Metal Roofing
When you’re installing standing seam metal roofing, you’re utilizing ’state of the art’ roofing. This type of roofing is much more durable, very easily sustainable, and economically friendly. They can provide you with excellent service for up to three to four decades. But a word of warning is called for – if you plan on mounting rooftop equipment, or any type of ancillary mechanical equipment, then you have to be careful not to compromise the strength supplied by the standing seam roofing.
It’s advised by the experts, to put as little as possible on the roof. This will give you a better chance of having no problems down the road. But not roofs can be done without these little problem-makers, so in these cases there are ways to attach them that will ensure that you save as much of the roof integrity as possible. Whether it’s solar panels, lightning protection, HVAC equipment, or fall protection systems, you need to do the job properly to protect your 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.
Improvements have been made to standing seam metal roofing that really has enhanced it’s attachment capabilities. It now contains seam-clamps, which act like little beams, that you can use to attach and secure objects on the rooftop. Walkways and things like solar panels are easily attached without losing any roof integrity. These clamps will help in securing things to the seam and keep the thermal-cycling traits protected.
Like we’ve said, there are times when you just can’t get around penetrating the membrane. This could be in a case where you want to attach some HVAC equipment or some plumbing vents. There’s just no way to mount them and not puncture the roof. So with these, you need to focus on installing a waterproof seal that will assist in keeping the thermal-cycling traits intact.
We’ve dealt so far with regular mounting. For some there are going to be times when something really heavy needs to be mounted. In cases like these, a galvanized metal frame may be used. Usually these are attached to supports that are underneath the roof and fixed to the building structure. These frames are built on round pipes, and when placed, they penetrate the membrane. And this structure is stationary. In some cases, if light enough, you can attach it to the seam clamps and not deal with the pipes at all.
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.
This is just a little insight into standing seam metal roofing and a few of the things that need to be considered during installation. This type of roofing is a really good invention, and has really helped out in the ability to maintain roof integrity. You can find out plenty more by going online and using your favorite search engine. You’ll find that they all agree, that this type of roofing is known for durability and strength, and good protection against roof integrity.
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.
