9 Metal Roofing Concerns Answered In a Nutshell

A metal roof will not block the Wi-Fi signal inside a home, usually, the Wi-Fi signal inside a house arrives through a cable or a satellite signal, in both situations the Wi-Fi signal arrives directly to the house through a cable, so the metal roof does not constitute any kind of blockage.

Once inside the house, any material can interfere with the Wi-Fi signal, the wall materials such as concrete, bricks or even marble can block the Wi-Fi signal.

The widespread belief that metal roofs can block Wi-Fi signals is actually a very valid and true concept, as metal is the material with the highest level of interference on wireless connections.

But since metal roofs are located in relatively elevated areas of the house, once the Wi-Fi connection is inside the house through a wired connection, the metal roof will not represent any blockage.

In the case of Wi-Fi signals coming from outside wirelessly, the Wi-Fi receiver should ideally be located near a space where there are no obstructions by materials such as walls, glass, or metal.

2-Do metal roofs block cell phone signals?

Metal roofs can weaken the mobile signal, in fact, all building materials have the ability to block the mobile signal to some extent, but metal is the material with the greatest ability to interfere with the mobile signal.

Obviously, there are other factors that can affect the mobile signal inside a house with a metal roof, such as the distance from the mobile signal tower to the house.

Even the use of many other metal elements inside the home such as metal cabinets, decorative metal panels, and refrigerators can block the mobile signal, the idea is to keep all these elements organized so that there is always free space in the center to avoid signal blocking.

An efficient way to deal with this problem in a house with a metal roof is to use a cell phone signal amplifier, which has the ability to receive the mobile signal coming from the outside, amplify it and then propagate the strong signal around the house.

3-Do metal roofs attract lightning?

It is possible for lightning to strike by chance on a metal roof, but metal roofs do not attract lightning because of their material quality, many people have the notion that because metal is a good conductor of electricity it is also capable of attracting it, this is not the case in relation to metal roofs and lightning.

Metal roofs do not attract lightning, the main element that attracts lightning has nothing to do with the quality of the material, but rather with the landscape, lightning always looks for the fastest point to reach the earth, and that is why any element that protrudes vertically in the environment attracts lightning, whether it is a metal element, concrete, or a tree.

If your house is the most pointed element of the whole environment and you have a metal roof, then there is a slight probability that it will attract lightning, but not because of the metal roof, but because of what I just mentioned previously that lightning seeks the highest and most pointed element of the environment to reach the ground quickly.

But considering that lightning can strike any material, a metal roof is even safer, because it is not flammable, so if a metal roof is struck by lightning, it is less likely to cause a fire than other types of roofing materials

I wrote a complete topic if you want to know more about which elements attract lightning and how to protect your home.

4-Do metal roofs attract heat?

Metal roofs do not attract heat, on the contrary, one of the great advantages of metal roofs is their ability to dissipate heat, which reduces overall cooling costs inside a house. This is due to the high degree of reflection and emissivity (ability to give off heat). This quality makes metal roofing useful in both warm and cold climates.

You should keep in mind that most metal ceilings are made of steel and others are made of aluminum alloy, both materials have different heat behavior.

Metal roofs made of steel have a high heat capacity, the heat capacity is the energy needed to increase the temperature, i.e. a metal roof made of steel is very difficult to heat up.

Aluminum, on the other hand, is a material with a good capacity to conduct heat, it heats up very easily and also loses heat very easily, that is why cooking elements are mostly made of aluminum.

In any case, every metal roof functions as a built-in “radiation barrier” that reflects a large amount of heat away from the house.

5-Do black metal roofs absorb heat?

The concept of black absorbing heat is widely known and cannot be denied, and of course, a black or dark-colored metal roof will absorb more heat during the day in direct sunlight than a light-colored roof, but thanks to the heat capacity of metal and the reflective capacity of metal, the heat build-up is not excessive compared to other types of roofs.

Metal roofs are available in various enamel colors for several reasons, the first reason is aesthetic and the second reason is to reflect or absorb heat, dark colors in metal roofs can be dark brown, dark gray and black.

These colors absorb heat energy from sunlight and increase the temperature of the interior of the house. However, unlike black tar shingles or roll roofing, metal has a higher heat-absorbing capacity and stores less heat by absorption. However, due to the nature of dark paint, slight temperature increases are possible.

Aside from the aesthetic appearance, you should ideally use dark metal roofing in cold or temperate climates to maximize the absorption of the sun’s energy during the day, but in hot climates, the temperature difference in a metal roof is not so great that it should not be used.

6-Is a black metal roof hotter than shingles?

No, metal roofs do not heat up more than dark shingle roofs made of asphalt, the difference being that although metal roofs can absorb more solar energy, their ability to lose heat faster and in the case of steel roofs to not accumulate and conduct heat easily, means that metal roofs do not heat up more than dark shingle roofs or other standard materials such as slate.

7- Do metal roofs fade over time?

The color of the metal roof tends to fade over time, this is mainly due to the exposure to ultraviolet light from solar energy, this is something I have witnessed in many of the constructions I have managed, I usually buy terracotta-colored metal roofing, at the time of installation, it is a vibrant color, over the years the color fades a little, although it is still very aesthetic.

This wear in the color of the roof is due to the fact that these metal roofs use pigments that tend to suffer wear with the passage of time and to the direct and prolonged incidence of sunlight, in addition to periods of rain, other elements of the environment.

Lighter colors in metal roofing, such as yellow-brown, gray or white, are less likely to fade than brighter dark colors. This is directly related to the incidence of sunlight and the reflective capabilities of the roof.

8-Are metal roofs slippery?

Metal roofs are really slippery when wet or covered with snow. It is never a good idea to get on a metal roof when it is wet, or when the snow is so slippery that “falling” snow from the roof is a certain danger in areas with heavy winter snowfall.

This has some advantages, as it prevents snow sliding off the roof from accumulating on the roof. People who own asphalt shingle homes in areas with heavy snowfall may have to rake snow off their roofs in winter. However, this is not a problem in a house with metal roofs.

9-Can you climb on a metal roof?

You can climb on a metal roof, they are strong enough to support a person’s weight without a problem, but extra caution should be taken, even when dry, metal roofs are more slippery than other types of roofs, if you have to climb on a metal roof, your first line of protection is a good pair of boots that will adhere to your type of metal roof.

When doing major roof work or moving materials, you should use standard fall protection equipment, including a harness with a roof anchor attached to a lanyard. Standing seam metal roof anchors hold the seams so you don’t have to drill holes in the roof.