How to Clean Metal Carport Roof
Owning a metal carport comes with very few maintenance requirements. In fact, one of the biggest selling points of metal over wood for a carport material is the lack of upkeep that is needed over the years. A good metal carport can be expected to provide outstanding performance with almost no ongoing maintenance or repair work.
With that said, you may want to clean the roof of your metal carport periodically. We’d like to highlight some of the keys to keep in mind when performing this job, along with some important safety reminders.
Why Clean a Carport Roof?
It would be easy enough to just leave your carport roof alone month after month, year after year. After all, you probably can’t see it very easily from ground level, so whatever is up there isn’t going to be near the front of your mind. However, there are some practical reasons to make sure this maintenance task finds a place on your to-do list:
- Avoid stressing the structure. If a lot of debris were to build up on the roof of your carport over time, the weight of that debris could start to place undue stress on the building. It would likely take quite a bit of time for this to be the case, but staying ahead of the game by cleaning the roof periodically is the way to go. This is a particularly big threat if your carport is located in a place where it collects plenty of fallen leaves, branches, etc.
- Stay safe. When you let debris collect on the roof of your carport, you’ll be running the risk of having some of it fall off at the wrong time. A leaf falling off the roof and onto your head might not be a big deal, but a tree branch could be dangerous. Keep the roof clean to steer clear of unwanted safety hazards for you and others on the property.
- Longevity. After investing in a new carport, you want to get the longest useful life possible from that carport. To work toward that goal, keep the roof clean to avoid premature damage to the structure.
The Basic Game Plan
The methods you need to use to clean the roof of your carport will depend on what it is that needs to be removed. As a starting point, take an overview of the situation, such as using a ladder to gain a good view of the roof.
What you find to be resting on the roof will determine how you should proceed. If there are large items on the roof, like branches, those will need to manually be pulled down. Use a tool when a long handle and carefully clear the roof of your carport. Be sure to have a clear area around the carport and make sure no people are nearby. And, do not pull anything towards you, especially if you’re on a ladder. You don’t want to accidentally hurt others or yourself.
Once all of the loose material has been cleaned off the roof, you can collect it from the ground and dispose of it appropriately.
At this point, you may decide that you are finished with the job, or you might want to use some water to blast away any dirt and mildew that has gathered on the surface of the metal roofing panels. A standard garden hose with a sprayer attachment should work just fine in this application. Turn the nozzle to a jet setting and spray water up the slope of the roof. Going over the entire roof with this process may take some time, depending on the size of your carport, but it will leave you with a clean roof that is ready to face whatever weather is around the corner.
Stay Safe
You probably won’t need to clean your carport’s roof very often, but when you do, be sure to keep safety as your top priority. It’s never worth risking injury just for a cleaner roof, so play it safe and consider hiring a professional for the job if you don’t have the right equipment to do the work safely.
If you’re looking to replace or build a new carport on your property, feel free to use our Build & Price tool to create your custom carport and get a free quote. Feel free to contact us if you need help with the process. Thank you for visiting Carport Kingdom!
