How to fix failing roofing nails

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duckDecoy

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#295786 23-Apr-2022 11:36

My mother in law has a tin roof that has what I think are roofing nails that are losing their heads. I think they are nails rather than screws as the heads do not look hexagonal. Some have big fat heads, and a smaller number just seem to be nails with a washer (?) Pics below.

I would like to fix the ones with big heads that are broken and want some advice as to how to go about doing it properly (I am not particularly handy)

I assume that I should remove the broken heads, paint with something to help with the rust that is there, and then screw in new roofing screws.

Can anyone recommend the proper paint to use, and link to decent screws for the job?

Overall the roof is kippered and needs replacing BUT it would require the removal of quite a bit of asbestos siding (this roof is above story 1 of a 2 story multi level house) so she's decided to leave it for somebody else to worry about when they get the house. I'll throw new paint on it for her at some stage to try and slow down the deterioration.

k1w1k1d

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#2905625 23-Apr-2022 11:58

This youtube video from 6 minutes on may help.

Don't Throw Away Your Old Roof! - YouTube

Bung

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#2905633 23-Apr-2022 12:55

Scott Brown's video seems to be dealing with nails that are coming loose. Duckdecoy's problem is worse in a way as the nail heads have rusted off. As soon as you start moving around on the roof more leadheads will come off. Without turning it into a major drama I think all you can do is punch the nail out of the way and try to get a screw in as squarely as possible. Get some washers for polycarbonate roofing to cover holes that are enlarged.

One nz ref claims lead heads were used up to 1980 so the roof has lasted well.

gzt

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#2905637 23-Apr-2022 13:34

Press down on the roof slightly to expose more nail. Remove nail with good vicegrips. Works well. Reuse same hole for roofing screw.

nutbugs

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#2905645 23-Apr-2022 14:31

gzt: Press down on the roof slightly to expose more nail. Remove nail with good vicegrips. Works well. Reuse same hole for roofing screw.

This!
I am working through them all on my roof in this way.

duckDecoy

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#2905756 23-Apr-2022 15:52

Thanks for the replies, very helpful.

I ended up getting these screws, the rubber dome on top covers the rusty nail hole nicely. I painted it with a rust remover/primer first.

Found a few holes up there too which I have put silicone in as a temporary measure, I will find some scrap roofing iron and cover it properly when I paint it. Pleased I did the job as those holes will have been letting water in.

raytaylor

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#2905758 23-Apr-2022 16:13

The newer nails will have a twist in the shaft so you need to turn your vice grips/hammer as you pull them out.

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#2905885 23-Apr-2022 22:06

Here's a tutorial on how do deal with exactly this sort of situation (skip past the intro, the discussion starts about a minute in):

Technofreak

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#2905892 23-Apr-2022 22:24

I went through this on my roof. Pull out all the old lead heads Once they start to go they'll all go soon after. I used a hammer and a pinch bar (crowbar) and a 200 mm long piece of galvanised pipe about 25 to 30 mm in diameter.

The pinch bar looked like this. https://www.bunnings.co.nz/trojan-300mm-wrecking-bar_p0206577?store=9481&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9ZyTkfqp9wIVDpNmAh0HiApMEAQYBiABEgKCJPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Use the hammer to drive the jaw of the curved end of the pinch bar under the head of the nail then placing the pipe into the corrugation beside the nail, lever against the pipe to remove the nail. This way you won't damage the iron.

Replace the nails with tek screws like these https://www.dimond.co.nz/products/fasteners

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gzt

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#2905940 24-Apr-2022 09:09

duckDecoy: I ended up getting these screws, the rubber dome on top covers the rusty nail hole nicely.

This screw is intended for polycarbonate roofing. This may not meet code when used with steel roofing. Ie; the washer design may not be rated for this application.

Technofreak

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#2905959 24-Apr-2022 10:04

I endorse what gzt says about the screws you bought. You should get Tek screws suitable for galvanised iron. It might be worth using something like this on the rust before you put in the Tek screws. https://www.crc.co.nz/Rust-Converter/6895-2548b7ca-2a00-4114-b2e1-17eb0e6a576b/

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Gurezaemon

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#2906054 24-Apr-2022 13:34

This is how I've been doing our 60-year old roof, and it's been fully rejuvenated.

1. Get rid of old nail using methods detailed above.

2. Get rid of all rust using a wire brush on a drill, such as this, or an abrasive disk such as this.

3. Use rust converter liberally on any rust remaining. If you're going to do all the rust killing in one session, the aerosol is convenient, but the nozzle clogs easily despite best efforts to keep it clear.

4. Use a primer such as Killrust to paint over any metal and the results of Step 3 above.

5. For larger holes (say 2 cm in diameter), cover with storm washers.

6. For any gaps where you think water might accumulate, fill with Sika Blackseal, which being bitumen based, IMHO works better than silicon (and is paintable). Unpleasant to work with though.

7. Let the gunk cure for a bit, and then paint.

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Hammerer

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#2906618 26-Apr-2022 01:18

That above list is great.

I did something similar on 500m2 of 1960s corrugated roofing. So far it has lasted 15 years without any problems.

Some things I learnt:

Replacing the old lead heads is usually necessary because you cannot tell how close to failure they are unless you look under the lead cap. Further reasons: the hard seal is easily breached whereas newer fasteners mainly use a soft seal; the safest place to walk on is where the fasteners are placed but lead heads are more likely to fail when walked on or near, whereas modern fasteners are easier to walk on or near without the seal failing; and the broken lead heads are not environmentally friendly.

Caulking with silicone is not a good idea unless you can make sure that there are no small cavities/voids where condensation can collect near the underside of the metal roofing. Unimpeded airflow is needed to keep the underside dry. Instead, there are tapes you can use for small and large holes - no mess.

Pay attention to the edges of the sheets where the wind can create a gap large enough for water to blow under.

MikeAqua

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#2906712 26-Apr-2022 10:22

Keep the lead heads. They should have scrap value. Might off set some of the cost of the nails. Or, there are always people looking for lead to make sinkers etc

Mike

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#2914078 14-May-2022 22:59

gzt: Press down on the roof slightly to expose more nail. Remove nail with good vicegrips. Works well. Reuse same hole for roofing screw.

Just saw a YT video of someone using a slide hammer to get them out, being able to reverse-hammer it out would possibly work better than having to pull each one out with pliers.