How to stop roof screws rusting?

[Amrad79]

Hi my colorbond roof is 12 years old  . l live 4 km from the coast. Theres no noticable rust on my roof but l noticed about 10%-15%  of the roof screws have some rust on them , All the rest look normal . l think the rust just stated a couple of years ago. l was thinking just replace the rusted screws and treat the remaining screws that are not rusted with some sort of rust inhibitor product or paint to stop them from rusting. Could l do that or should l replace all the screws not just the rusted screws, What is the better option ? and what product to use to prevent the screws from rusting. My concern is if the rust could spread from the screws to the roof, but they have rubber washers under them which would help, how urgent do you think the problem is , could l wait a year to replace them, thanks

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Amrad79,

Stainless steel fixings and fixings containing copper should also not be used with ZINCALUME® steel or COLORBOND® steel. 

The same-size screws are fine to use, and they should be painted COLORBOND® 12 X 65 Type 17 Class 3 Screws. Alternatively, galvanised screws can be used.

Mitchell

[Amrad79]

THanks, , l spoke to the plumber he is putting in colorbond screws, l think theres about 800 - 1,000 screws on the roof and no more then 100 look like they have rust, the rest look normal,  so lm just having the rusted ones replaced which is alot cheaper then a full replacement. What is the normal lifespan of colorbond screws before they should be replaced for people who live a few KM from the coast, l think you said its not normal for them to rust after only 12 years, should they last more like 20 years before they need to be replaced.

[Dave-1]

Evening @Amrad79 

Thinking of your question Id say its very hard to judge, 12 years to me alreay sounds good without any deterioration (But we know that some of that batch have already rusted) 20 years sounds like something it should be. Factoring in the coastal enviroment would be hard to do. I would suggest every year have a look and just note if you see other indicators of screws showing signs of rust. Or whenever you clean your gutters (for me its evry 6-9 months ish) have a squiz and check them out.

Dave

[EricL]

Hello @Amrad79 

If you have authentic Colorbond screws with B8 coating, they come with up to 30 years of corrosion protection warranty. But @Dave-1's analysis and suggestion is a good one, a 20-year life span sounds reasonable, but it is difficult to factor in the coastal environment.

A semi-annual check of the screws when cleaning your gutters is an effective way to keep an eye on your roof screws status.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Amrad79]

l didnt know they had a 30 year warranty, could l try to get them to pay the cost of replacing the screws, How would l go about it, who do l contact,  the company that build my house and installed the roof 12 years ago went out of business years ago so l cannot contact them

[EricL]

Hello @Amrad79,  

That's an excellent question, I'm afraid it will require you to track down the builder who has the dockets for the materials used for your roof. But if the building company that built your house has already closed its doors, it will be a challenge to try and track down where all the paperwork is for the construction of your home. This is on the assumption that they kept all their building records and receipts.

You could probably call Colorband direct, but they would probably ask for proof of purchase. Another thought that comes to mind is what if the builder did not use authentic Colorbond screws to begin with. It's a shame that the building company has already closed its doors, you would have been able to go directly to them.

Let me give Colorbond a call on Monday and inquire for you. as soon as I have more information, I'll get back to you.

Eric

[Amrad79]

thankyou for doing that for me. Just having the rusted screws replaced will only cost me $200 so it would not be worth the trouble just for that, but a total screw replacement costs $2000 so it would be worth tracking down the warranty if l can get a total replacement. The roof itself is still rust free and its only 12 years old  but if the roof itself starts to rust within the warranty period and needs to be replaced then l for sure want the warranty as that would be a $25,000 cost not something most people can afford

[MitchellMc]

So sorry for the delay in our response @Amrad79.

To clarify, Colorbond is a coating; they don't manufacture screws themselves. I've contacted Buildex, one of our suppliers of roofing screws that have a Colorbond coating, to get a better understanding of what the warranty process would be. The first hurdle you'd need to overcome in a warranty process is determining who was the manufacturer of your screws, as your warranty is with them, not Colorbond. For instance, if the screws were from Buildex, then their assessment team would come out and take a look at the screws for warranty purposes. Another one of our suppliers is Lysaght, who can be contacted at lysaghtacabun@bluescope.com. You could certainly send them through an email with your pictures, and they'll be able to identify whether they were the supplier. 

Without being able to identify the manufacturer of the screws and no recourse with the installer, the issue is really that your screws could be from any number of the multitude of suppliers in the market. The painted coating might not even be Colorbond.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Amrad79]

thanks sounds like it would be very hard or impossible to get the warranty, atleast its just the screws and not the roff thats rusted then it would be really expensive , l have booked a plumber to come next week to replace the rusted screws, l think its under 80 that have rust, it will only cost a few hundred dollars, hopefully the majority of the screws that dont have rust will last a few more years