Metal Roof Cleaning in Miami — Rust, Algae, and Salt Corrosion Removed

Drone metal roof cleaning runs $0.20–$0.45 per square foot. Most South Florida warehouse and industrial metal roofs fall between $2,000 and $15,000, with larger distribution-center roofs running $20,000+.

Usually oxidizing fasteners, HVAC equipment feet, or satellite mounts — not the panels themselves. Iron particles from these hardware items rust and stain the painted panel surface. Soft-wash chemistry lifts the rust stain off the paint without damaging the coating.

Yes. High-pressure water strips paint coatings on Galvalume and painted steel, forces water under panel laps and end laps, and loosens sealant at penetrations and ridge caps. Drone soft-wash avoids all of that.

Coastal properties (within 5 miles of the ocean): every 12–18 months. Inland warehouse and industrial: every 18–24 months. Salt-deposited chloride ions pit paint within months if not removed.

A tethered industrial drone — flown by an FAA Part 107 commercial pilot — applies biodegradable soft-wash chemistry to standing seam, R-panel, corrugated, or Galvalume metal roofs. The drone hovers above the panels, no one walks the roof, and the chemistry lifts rust staining, salt deposits, and algae without any pressure impact on coatings or seams.

Salt air. Chloride ions from the ocean deposit on the paint coating and accelerate galvanic corrosion wherever there's a dissimilar-metal junction — fastener heads, ridge cap screws, HVAC penetrations, satellite mounts. Within 12 months of uncleaned exposure, you start seeing pitting around fasteners and rust bleed across panel faces.

Almost always oxidizing hardware, not the panels: fastener heads, HVAC equipment feet, satellite/antenna mounts, lightning-protection components. Iron oxide from these items washes down the panel face and stains the coating. The panel itself is usually intact under the stain — and soft-wash lifts the stain off without damaging the coating.

Standing seam, R-panel/PBR-panel, corrugated, ribbed exposed-fastener, Galvalume (bare and painted), Kynar 500/PVDF painted steel, painted aluminum, and copper. Chemistry is matched to the coating system — Kynar takes a different concentration than unpainted Galvalume.

Three failure modes: it strips paint coatings (especially Kynar and PVDF), it forces water under panel side laps and end laps where the underlayment can't dry, and it loosens sealant at penetrations and ridge caps. All three create long-term leak paths. Soft-wash chemistry cleans deeper without any of that.

$0.20–$0.45 per square foot. A 20,000 sqft warehouse metal roof runs roughly $4,000–$9,000. A 100,000 sqft distribution center runs $20,000–$45,000. Pricing depends on coating system, fastener density, and rust-stain severity.

Yes — most of it. Biological staining (algae, mildew) lifts completely. Rust runoff from fasteners lifts 70–90% depending on age and how deeply the iron oxide has bonded to the paint film. We document expected lift in the pre-job survey and follow up with targeted spot treatment on heavy rust where needed.

Yes. Removing chloride salt deposits before they pit the coating is the most cost-effective coating-life extension strategy on coastal metal roofs. We've cleaned roofs that were 15+ years old and showing no coating loss — because they were maintained on a 12–18 month cycle.

Small commercial roof (under 10,000 sqft): a few hours. Mid-size warehouse (10,000–30,000 sqft): 1 day. Large distribution center (30,000–100,000+ sqft): 2–4 days. The drone moves faster than ground crews because there's no rigging.

We carry $2M commercial general liability plus dedicated UAS (drone) liability and hull coverage. COIs naming the building owner, property manager, or facility manager are issued before mobilization on every project.

Yes. Every flight is conducted under FAA Part 107 by a licensed commercial drone pilot. For controlled airspace near MIA, FLL, OPF, and PBI we file LAANC airspace authorizations before mobilization.

Yes. We work around active rooftop HVAC, RTUs, condensers, skylights, vent stacks, and satellite arrays. Equipment is pre-wet so any overspray that reaches it is diluted on contact. Skylights are cleaned in the same mobilization at no additional trip charge.

We don't perform roof hardware replacement, but we document fastener oxidation, failed HVAC feet, and corroded penetrations in the post-clean report so your roofing contractor can replace the source hardware. Cleaning the stain without replacing the failing fastener means the stain returns within a year.

No. Major standing seam manufacturers (McElroy, Drexel, Englert, MBCI) specify low-pressure cleaning with neutral-pH detergent — exactly what drone soft-wash delivers. Pressure washing voids most metal roof warranties; soft-wash satisfies the maintenance requirement.

Yes. Bare Galvalume develops a protective patina over the first 6–12 months. We use the gentlest detergent concentration on bare Galvalume to avoid disturbing the patina, and we never use acid washes that strip the zinc-aluminum coating.

Yes. Most of our Doral, Medley, Hialeah, Pompano Beach, and Davie metal roof projects happen during normal warehouse operating hours. The drone works above the roof and the ground crew sets up in one parking space — no truck access blocked, no dock activity affected.

Much quieter. The ground pump runs roughly 65–70 dB at the base, vs 90+ dB for commercial pressure washers. Inside the warehouse, the cleaning is essentially inaudible — important for facilities with office space attached or noise-sensitive operations.

No. Detergents are biodegradable and the runoff is dilute. We can position drains and rinse the apron clean of any overspray as part of the closeout. For facilities with strict stormwater requirements, we coordinate with the environmental compliance contact.

Yes. Annual contracts for multi-building industrial portfolios drop per-roof pricing 15–25% and lock in scheduling. We sequence the portfolio over 2–4 mobilizations per year depending on size and provide consolidated documentation per building for facility management.