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TOPIC: Galvalume

Galvanized vs. Galvalume

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I am putting on a metal roof put on over a single layer of composition shingle (old). The house is surrounded by pine trees. I have read in some threads here that the pollen and acids from these trees may become a problem for galvalume. I also read that galvalume and galvanized are similar but different products. Should I go with galvanized?
Guest User

10/12/2004
I have never heard of this potential problem but that doesn't mean it does not exist. I would contact the manufacturer of any roofing materials you consider, explain the situation, and ask them for their input including whether the warranty would still be valid.
Guest User

10/12/2004
OK, it has been awhile. I did a keyword search with "pollen" on this site and turned up a number of these threads. Here's a response to one of them (if you don't mind me quoting): Date: Mar 25, 2002 10:27 PM Author: Todd Miller ([email protected]) Subject: Pine pollen Hi Bill, Well, I have to admit that this is a new question for me. I know that my company has lots of metal roofs installed in a particular area down south that has a real pine pollen problem yet I have never heard this problem before. That said, I know how pine pollen can get very sticky. I suspect that you'd have the same problem with any other type of roofing too. Of course, though, I am sure you want your metal roof to looks its absolute best and I cannot blame you for that. I will add that I do not think the pine pollen will cause any problem for the metal or the paint finish. So, what we're dealing with here is primarily a "looks" issue. I do think that, with summer rains and heat, you might find that the pollen will release and then wash off but you probably know better than I whether that will happen. Your sponge idea doesn't sound bad. I would use a light detergent and then rinse with clear water. If the light detergent doesn't work, you could use a light mixture of trisodium phosphate and detergent and then rinse it with clear water. The other option would be to power spray the roof. I hope this helps. Perhaps some other readers of this forum will have ideas, too. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx I guess my question is simply this: do you guys think that the zinc content difference in "galvanized" metal as opposed to "galvalumed" metal would be less susceptible to pollen staining, acids from fallen pine braches, needles, etc.? I am willing to have trees cut to make the roof better, but if galvanized is impervious to this maybe I should consider it?
Guest User

10/14/2004
The only issues I have seen with pine pollen have been on painted metal roofing. I am not a chemist nor a metallurgist but I do not think that the base metal (galvanized or galvalume) would make any difference. The issues I have seen have been where pollen settled on the roof and then, with dewy mornings, it became sort of like a "glue" that then stuck a bit to the roofing. Over time, it would wash away. If the roofing is unpainted, I really do not know whetehr the metal type would have any bearing on things. Sorry I cannot be of more help.
Guest User

10/15/2004