By I’ve spent more than a decade working as a roofing contractor in Middle Tennessee, and a surprising amount of my time now goes into metal roofing repair service in murfreesboro rather than full replacements. Metal roofs have a reputation for being worry-free, and structurally they’re impressive, but that reputation often causes homeowners to miss early warning signs that only show up if you’ve worked on these systems long enough to know where to look.
I got comfortable with metal roofing early in my career, back when standing seam systems were still treated as specialty installs. I’m licensed under Tennessee requirements and have repaired everything from exposed-fastener agricultural panels to higher-end residential metal roofs. What I’ve learned is that metal doesn’t fail loudly. It fails quietly, usually at connection points, transitions, or penetrations.
One repair I remember clearly involved a home that had occasional leaks only during sideways rain. The homeowner had already had two contractors look at it and was told nothing was wrong. When I inspected it, the panels themselves were fine. The issue was at a valley where thermal movement had slowly widened a seam just enough to let water push uphill under certain conditions. From the ground, it looked perfect. From six inches away, it told a different story. We reset the seam and corrected how the panels were allowed to move, and the leak never returned.
That idea of movement is something I wish more people understood. Metal roofs expand and contract constantly. I’ve seen many repairs fail simply because someone tried to stop movement instead of working with it. A customer last fall had used roofing cement along a panel joint after noticing a small drip. It hardened, cracked, and redirected water farther into the roof assembly. By the time I got there, insulation was damp several feet away from the original entry point.
Fasteners are another frequent issue. In Murfreesboro’s climate, temperature swings can slowly back screws out over time. I’ve tightened and replaced thousands of them, often on roofs that are otherwise in great shape. One homeowner assumed their leak meant the roof was “going bad.” In reality, a handful of aging washers had lost their seal. A targeted repair saved them from replacing panels that still had decades of life left.
Penetrations are where I see the most repeat problems—vents, skylights, exhaust fans. I worked on a roof recently where the flashing wasn’t wrong, but the sealant used years earlier wasn’t designed for long-term flexibility on metal. It dried out, shrank, and pulled away. That’s not a dramatic failure, but it’s enough to let water in during heavy rain. Choosing materials made specifically for metal systems makes a real difference over time.
I’m also very direct with homeowners about bad repair habits. Mixing metals, over-tightening fasteners, or adding rigid patches almost always leads to bigger problems later. I’ve seen roofs that should have been simple to maintain become complicated because of repeated short-term fixes layered on top of each other.
Another misconception I run into is assuming the leak will show up directly below the problem. Metal roofs can channel water along seams or under panels before it finds a low point. I once traced a ceiling stain near an exterior wall back to a seam closer to the ridge. Without experience, you’d never connect the two.
There are times when I advise against repairing. If a metal roof has been cut, patched, and modified too many times, a repair may stop a leak temporarily but won’t restore how the system is supposed to function. I’d rather be honest about that than sell a solution I don’t trust.
What I’ve found after years of working on metal roofs in Murfreesboro is that good repairs are subtle. They respect how the roof moves, use compatible materials, and address the cause instead of the symptom. When done properly, a metal roof repair doesn’t just stop a leak—it restores confidence that the roof can keep doing its job quietly, the way it was designed to.
