Things You Need To Know About Lead Roofs

Lead is a soft, heavy metal and its resilient and malleable characteristics make it the perfect item in construction, especially in outdoor construction that is used to keep the rain water out.
It has been used in the construction industry for a very long time and is one of the most durable metals.
Usage: With different weights and thicknesses, you can use lead sheets for a number of purposes.
If you intend to use them for a long time, heavier sheets of lead are recommended.
However, if the use is temporary or short-term, lighter sheets may be used.
These days lead is largely found in:

• Access hatch covers
• Apron Flashings
• Bay windows
• Chimney Flashings
• Parapet wall clapping
• Rainwater down pipes
• Rainwater outlets
• Roof hips
• Roof lights
• Secret gutters
• Weathering to Cornices
• Dormer Flashings
• Gable Flashings
• Cover flashings

Technical Guidance It is important to leave gaps for appropriate thermal movement.
This can't take place if you use oversized sheets for construction purposes, stresses can be setup which will cause the failure of lead.
One can get technical guidance from the industry's construction companies on using ideal lead sheets for construction purposes.
Furthermore, care needs to be exercised to nail the lead sheets.
To avoid contact of metal with other undesirable metals, it is better to use copper, otherwise stainless steel nails are generally recommended.
Sometimes, lead line gutters can be problematic to deal with.
It is quite common that they are split open by the cutting edge of loose slate, or sometimes by the decaying of timber.
This can cause severe water penetration in the building.
Small repairs can be done quite easily by bituminous backed foil.
A more appropriate way is welding small patches over the damaged area.
Defects and Remedial Work Although, lead has excellent resistance properties, sometimes alkalis from new cement, acid from timbers and sometimes lichen, moss and algae surfaces damage the lead surface.
It is better to give temporary protection so that biological growth is prevented.
Proper inspection of roofs should be done after heavy storms and rains.
Repairing lead roofs and other lead works require the technical knowledge of knowing the cause of damage and then repairing it.
Factors like, for how long the lead has been in place, overall condition of the lead or were there any inherent faults in placing the lead are generally good starting points before starting the desired repair work.