Although metal roofs have continued to gain popularity, there’s still a fair deal of misinformation out there, surrounding this roofing material. Unfortunately, this misinformation could even dissuade someone from installing their own metal roof, no matter how good of an investment this often is. Before coming to any hard conclusions about metal roofs, including their strengths and drawbacks, make sure that you’re using reliable information, rather than hearsay.
In This Article
5 Metal Roofing Myths
We’ve decided to compile a few of the most common metal roofing myths that we’ve heard. Additionally, we’ve explained why each of these myths is false and what the actual truth looks like.
1. If I Install a Metal Roof, My HVAC Bills Will Go Up
This is a particularly untrue myth, in that metal roofs actually do the opposite—more often than not, they can help to bring down HVAC bills, leading to considerable savings, over time.
Still, many individuals believe that a metal roof will heat up their home in the summer, as well as cool it down in the wintertime.
This misconception typically comes from what happens to the surface of a metal roof, in these extreme weather conditions. Beneath the hot summer sun, the surface of your metal roofing system is going to grow hot. On the other hand, in the winter months, your metal roof is going to be icy to the touch. Doesn’t this mean that these temperatures are being transferred into your home?
Well, let’s compare metal roofing to shingles, for a second. Shingles are an extremely popular roofing material; they’re also a material that can have a negative impact on temperature within your home. In the summer, for instance, shingles absorb heat from the sun. This heat is then transferred into the home—and this transfer doesn’t even end once the sun goes down. Instead, shingles hold onto his heat well into the night.
Metal roofs have a very different response. In this same scenario, heat from the sun is reflected off of the metal roof’s surface. It isn’t absorbed. So, while this will affect the surface temperature of a metal roof, it isn’t going to lead to a hotter home. Since metal doesn’t hold onto heat like asphalt shingles, you’ll notice that the surface of the roof immediately cools down, once the sun has set.
Thus, your HVAC system won’t need to work as hard, in order to keep your home at a desirable temperature.
2. Metal Roofs Are Noisy During Rain Storms
Again, the basis of this misconception seems to make sense: Rain hitting metal can be noisy. For instance, if you’ve ever been inside an old barn during a storm, the metal roof leads to a loud noise within the structure.
Nonetheless, the metal roofs that are installed on homes have some key differences, when compared to the metal roof you’d find on an old barn. Many barn roofs are uncoated and thin, leading to strong reverberations as soon as the rain hits.
Modern metal roofing is coated in a way that stops these reverberations. For instance, whenever a metal roof is stone-coated, you won’t even need a soundproofing layer, in order to quiet noise from the rain. A standing seam metal roof, like you’d find on an old barn or other structure, would require an extra layer of sound installation. Otherwise, it is unable to dampen the reverberations.
3. Metal Roofs Become Rusty, Over Time
As you’re surely familiar with, metal tends to rust, if it’s exposed to the elements. That’s definitely true. However, this is mainly the case for raw materials—not the kind of metal you’d have installed over your home.
Manufacturers of metal roofing systems tend to mix aluminum and zinc, in order to prevent rusting of standard metal roofs. Additionally, many manufacturers will utilize a metallic alloy coating, which is applied to the metal’s surface.
This sort of coating is made up of silicon, zinc, and aluminum. This way, aluminum’s rust resistance can be effectively combined with the considerable strength of steel. Thus, it’s far easier for your metal roof to successfully endure the elements, even over long stretches of time.
4. Metal Roofing Attracts Lightning
Yes, it’s certainly true that metal is a conductor of electricity. However, keep in mind that this doesn’t mean metal attracts electricity—it actually doesn’t. Compared to any other popular roofing material, there’s no reason that metal would increase the possibility that someone’s home will be struck by lightning during a storm.
Taking this point a step further, metal roofs may actually be the most reasonable option, if you reside in a lightning prone region. Unlike many other traditional roofing materials, metal is non-combustible. So, if you’re looking for effective fire prevention, metal is a logical option.
Asphalt shingles and wood shakes, for example, are both highly combustible materials. Although they’re no more or less likely to be struck by lightning than a metal roof, in the event that they are struck, a fire is much more likely to occur. In this instance, whether or not the surface of a roof conducts electricity is irrelevant.
5. Metal Roofs Are Expensive
Technically, there is some amount of truth to this one. If we’re looking solely at upfront costs, then, yes. The cost of installing metal roofing can be more expensive than traditional roofing materials. This can lead individuals to believe that another kind of roofing material would be the cost-saving option instead. That’s actually far from the case.
While the upfront cost of metal roofing may be higher, metal roofs allow homeowners to save considerable amounts of money over time. Through their extreme durability and infrequent need for repairs, metal roofs beat out asphalt shingles, the much more fragile and easily damaged choice. Metal roofs tend to last for a much longer time than traditional roofing materials as well. Also, as we’ve already mentioned, metal roofs are a fantastic investment if you’re looking to cut down your HVAC bills—that’s even more money that you can save.
Unsure whether or not you’d like to install a metal roof? Well, just make sure to do your research first and be skeptical of where you get your information before you make your choice. Otherwise, just consider the installation one way to stave off the need for another replacement anytime soon. If you need help, a roofing professional can help guide you through your options.