Which roofing metals may be safely combined?
Some metals don’t work well together. They can “attack” other metals which will cause at best discoloration and at worst structural failure. A cautionary example of many, aluminum and copper are the active components in batteries. Combining these metals on a building will most certainly have the same effect. Obviously not ideal.
And it is not just differing metals touching each other that can cause issues. Mere proximity must be considered. Rainwater runoff from a reactive metal to another can wreak havoc. It is therefore very important to keep galvanic reaction potential in mind when planning the design of your building.
To make things easy, we built a galvanic reaction chart for you:
This chart shows which commonly specified roofing and cladding metals can be safely combined on your building.
It is not just roofing and cladding to be considered. Roofing accessories are often the culprits. Using this chart, make sure the snow guards, solar holders, fasteners, ornaments etc. you plan to use are appropriate for the metals used on the building envelope.
If you have a special alloy or exotic metal, ask us about it: 801-462-5264
Sometimes for budget, design or other reasons, this seemingly straightforward precaution of planning against galvanic reactions on buildings can get muddled. When in doubt, call us. We’ll come up with creative solutions and make sure your building is safely and effectively engineered with the certainty that no galvanic reaction problems will occur.
