MAINTENANCE
The Most Frequently Asked Maintenance
Question:
How do I clean my metal roof?
In
most cases, washing the painted surface with a water hose will remove
most dirt and accumulated deposits. For stubborn dirt you can
typically use a mild detergent or a house hold ammonia product. In all
cases, test a small unobtrusive area for color-fastness before
cleaning large areas.
Steel Panels & Roofing:
Galvalume® Maintenance
With a little
care and attention during service, prepainted Galvalume sheet will
provide an extended service life. While durable, factory-applied
finishes for metal building panels will last many years longer than
ordinary paints, they should be cleaned thoroughly on a routine basis
whenever the finish is not washed by rain. Applications where the
paint finish is automatically washed by rain, such as roofing, do not
require this maintenance.
Cleaning restores
the appearance of the building, making repainting unnecessary, and
maintains a pleasing appearance, as well as removing the buildup of
corrosive materials. Applications requiring maintenance cleaning
include soffits, siding under eaves, garage doors and the undersides
of eave gutters.
Cleaning
In many cases, washing the painted surface with clean water from a
garden hose will remove most of the dirt and accumulated deposits.
Ideally, washing should be done at least every six months and more
frequently in coastal areas where marine salt spray is prevalent or
where high levels of industrial fallout occur. In cases where spray
washing is ineffective in cleaning stubborn dirt, mild detergents or
household ammonia solutions can be used as described below. In all
cases, test a small unobtrusive area for colorfastness before cleaning
large areas,
- Use one cup of
Tide (or other common detergent containing less than 0.5% phosphate)
dissolved in five gallons of warm water. NOTE: Detergents containing
greater than 0. 5% phosphate are not recommended for use in general
cleaning of building panels.
- or use one cup
of household ammonia dissolved in five gallons of water at room
temperature. Never mix ammonia with any kind of bleach.
- Never blend
cleaners and bleach yourself. If bleach and detergent are required,
use detergents containing bleach,
Using either
solution, work from the top to the bottom of panels with a well-soaked
soft cloth, sponge, brush with very soft bristles, or low-pressure
spray washer to clean the surface. Washing from the top down avoids
streaking. Application should be gentle to prevent shiny spots.
Scouring powders or industrial solvents are not recommended, since
they may damage the paint film. Solvent-containing cleaners such as
Fantastic are very effective and can be used.
If mildew or
other fungal growth is a problem and cannot be removed as described
above, detergent containing bleach, such as Tide with Bleach, is
recommended. The surface should be thoroughly rinsed with water after
cleaning to remove traces of detergent.
[
Back To Top ]
|
