One of the greatest advantages of a choosing steel over wood for a building is the minimal maintenance required. However, some general preventative maintenance and upkeep is necessary to keep your building in check. Below, you’ll find the preventative maintenance necessary for your steel building kit.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for below, please feel free to contact us directly for more information.
Rusting – Structural steel normally requires no maintenance except in the event of rust. In this case, clean the affected area and re-prime using primer as supplied by Building Manufacturer.
Loose Bolts – Structural steel normally requires no maintenance except in instances where the structure is exposed to vibration, such as buildings with an overhead crane. In this instance bolts should be inspected and retightened every 3 months or per OSHA requirements. The success of the crane support system under service loads depends greatly upon the bolts and nuts used in the assembly and the maintenance after installation. It is important that bolts and nuts meeting ASTM Specification A325 be used. The importance of the bolt tightening procedure cannot be overemphasized in prolonging the life of a runway installation
Additional Loads – The roof structure of your building should be designed to the specific load criteria specified by your builder or design professional. Any changes or modifications to your building which add additional loads may adversely affect the building’s load capacity. Before hanging any items from your building’s framing or adding additional loads to the roof (sprinklers, piping, roof top units, jib cranes, etc.), call Great Western Buildings or consult with a recognized licensed structural engineer. Anything hung from the roof which deforms the purlins or other structural components may seriously impair the structural integrity of the roof.
Bracing – The bracing provided to your building is of significant structural importance. All bracing which is in place after the erection of the building should remain in place. Never allow removal of any bracing by any contractor or maintenance personnel. If there are any questions concerning the removal or relocation of any bracing, call Great Western Buildings and ask for Customer Service.
Loose Bolts – Connecting secondary framing should be checked periodically in areas of high vibration, such as an area around on overhead crane, door frame, or around roll-up or sliding doors. Loose bolts should be tightened.
Secondary Bolts – (usually 1/2” diameter bolts) – Mechanical equipment that would cause stress, vibration or reciprocating movement that is directly supported or tied to the building, may loosen bolts. Under these conditions, bolts should be inspected and retightened as required.
Roof and Walls in General – You should not store material on the roof of your building. Your roof and wall panels should not come in contact with wood, lead, or cooper. Wall panels should be kept clean of dirt and soil. Condensation, most likely from an AC unit, should not be allowed to drain onto your roof or wall panels.
Roof Debris – At least once a year, clean the roof and gutters of debris, which would trap or pond water on the roof. Wash dirt and debris from the panel surface. Local conditions govern the frequency of these cleanings.
Ice and Snow Build-up – You should be familiar with the roof load specified for your building for snow and live loads. Any significant accumulation of snow and ice may threaten the structural integrity of our roof if it approaches or exceeds the design roof load capacity. In the event of severe winter storms, the accumulation of snow and ice should be carefully monitored and frequent inspections, made to detect any deflection of the roof system, damming or clogging of gutter systems, ponding or unusual drift conditions, if necessary. Excessive ice and snow should be removed from the roof areas. The removal of ice and snow should be performed by experienced personnel in consultation with Great Western Buildings’ customer service department or qualified design professional, in order to avoid damage to the roof or the structure. Appropriate precautions should be taken to minimize the risk of injury on the roof during hazardous conditions. Excessive ice and snow removal is particularly important in gutter areas (eaves and valleys) and in areas of the roof sheltered from the wind (behind facades, step roof conditions, etc.) If any evidence of structural distress is noticed, contact Great Western Buildings, your Erector or consult with a recognized licensed structural engineer for assistance in avoiding damage or catastrophic failure of the roof system.
Roof Traffic – Roof traffic is a leading cause of roof leaks. If routine traffic is unavoidable, have your erector install a walkway designed for use with your roof panel.
When walking on the roof is required:
Foliage – While bushes and trees enhance the appearance of any building, their contact with the wall panel can produce scratches in the paint surface which will eventually cause problems. Keep bushes and trees trimmed back from the panel surfaces.
Yearly Joint Check – Once a year, check joints in the metal for proper seal or loose fasteners. Should repair be required, have your erector remove fasteners, take the connection apart, clean out existing sealant, install new tape mastic and/or butyl sealant to form a continuous gasket and reattach the connection using new and/or larger 20-year screws as necessary. Take care to ensure the new gasket is in the old screw line or to the weather side of the screws. On those areas where taking the connection apart is not feasible or cost effective, have your builder wash the affected area, replace loose fasteners and coat the joint with HER 202 FG Elastomeric compound available from ERA Corp. in Minn. (612)50-1000, following application guidelines.
Always test your process in a small inconspicuous area before large-scale use
Routine Washing – Galvalume or painted roofing or siding should be washed with soap and water as necessary to maintain appearance. A 5% solution of commonly used commercial and industrial detergents will not harm your panel surface. Always rinse thoroughly with water. Do not use wire brushes, steel wool, sandpaper, abrasives or similar cleaning tools which will mechanically abrade the coating surface. Use a cloth, sponge or soft bristle brush for application. Cleaning should be done in the shade or on a mild cloudy day.
Rust – Once a year inspect the panels for rust. Should any rust or rust stains be found, determine the source, such as steel filings from drilling, and remove them. The rust stain can generally be cleaned off with one of the following: soap and water, mineral spirits, Soft Scrub, or a mild polishing compound as used on a car finish.
Paint Scratches – Scratches to the paint should be brush touched (artist brush) with touch-up paint supplied by the OEM paint supplier. If the scratched area has not rusted, the paint may be applied without surface preparation. If the area is rusted, remove the rust, prime the affected area, and touch brush with color matched touch-up paint supplied with the building. Primer and additional touch-up paint is normally available from Great Western Buildings or the paint supplier who is warranting the panel performance.
Mildew Removal – Mildew can be expected in areas of high humidity. Mildew is more of an appearance problem than an actual threat to the paint finish. Mildew can be removed be using a basic solution of the following:
• 1/3 cup of detergent
• 2/3 cup trisodium phosphate
• 1 quart sodium hypochloride, 5% solution
• 3 quarts of water
• Rinse with clean water immediately after use.
Non Water Soluble Deposits on Long Life Finishes – Use mineral spirits to remove non water soluble deposits (tar, grease, oil, paint, graffiti, etc.) from the panel surface.
Non Water Soluble Deposits on Kynar Finishes – Solvents that may be used to remove these items from Kynar panel finish include:
Alcohols – No permanent effect on Kynar Finishes
• Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol
• Methanol (Wood Alcohol) – Note: Methanol is toxic
• Denatured Alcohol (Ethanol)
Petroleum Solvents – No permanent effect on Kynar Finishes
• VM&P Naphtha
• Mineral Spirits
• Turpentine (Wood or Gum Spirits)
Aromatic and Other – Use with caution on Kynar finishes
• Xylol (Xylene)
• Toluol (Toluene)
Limit contact time to 5 minute maximum and test before using
Ketones, Esters, Lacquer Thinner – Use very cautiously on a Kynar surface. Limit contact time to 1 minute maximum and
test before using. Great Western Buildings is not responsible for damage caused by
unrestricted use.
Do not use acetone paint remover, Methyl Ethyl Ketone, or Methyl Isobutyl Ketone on Kynar surfaces. Continued contact with these products could result in loss of gloss or other blemishes detrimental to the aesthetics of the job. Most organic solvents are flammable and/or toxic and must be handled accordingly. Keep away from open flames, sparks, and electric motors. Use adequate ventilation, protective clothing, and goggles. Refer to warnings provided on the individual products.
Sealant Removal – Make precautions to prevent sealants from getting on the painted surface as they may be difficult to remove. They should be removed promptly with a solvent such as alcohol or a naphtha (Kynar Finish Only) type of solvent. Caution: It may be possible for solvents to extract materials from sealants which could stain the painted surface or could prove harmful to sealants. Test a small area first.
Gutters and Downspouts – Clear all debris (leaves, dirt, etc.) from gutters and downspouts as required. The frequency required is dependent on the building’s surrounding.
Damaged Trim – Trim around openings sometimes gets damaged by vehicle traffic. Replacement trim can be obtained through Great Western Buildings for an additional cost.
Windows – Caulking in windows will deteriorate over time, usually resulting in window leakage. If this happens remove the old caulk and apply new caulk in its place. Windows that become hard to slide should have the track area thoroughly cleaned and a light coat of grease applied to the tracks.
Sliding Doors – Periodically clean the sliding door tracks and oil the rollers to help assure ease of use.
Roof Vents – Hard to operate roof vents are usually the result of pulleys and damper rods needing lubrication or the chains and cords not being on track. Check operating hardware and oil and grease as needed.
Louvers – The operating hardware within a louver occasionally needs to be cleaned and a new light coat of oil or grease applied. This will improve the ease of operation.
Roof Curbs – Heavy vibration from a mechanical unit can cause water leakage around a roof curb. Should this occur, check the sealant and fasteners around the curb. Any loose fasteners should be tightened or replaced with the next largest size. Any sealant or mastic that has deteriorated should be removed and replaced with new. If possible, isolate the unit from the curb to minimize vibration to the curb panel connection.
Insulation Facings – Monitor insulation facings continuously and a thoroughly inspect once a year. Any holes or tears in the facing should be repaired with patch tape as supplied by the insulation supplier. Remember, even a perfectly installed vapor barrier is not a perfect vapor barrier.
Condensation – If your building is experiencing excessive condensation, consult your HVAC contractor to assure that humidity levels are as projected. Also, have your building contractor check to make sure there are no obvious openings in the insulation splices.
Loose Insulation – Insulation tearing loose at various locations within the building (particularly at the eave or base) might not be the result of poor insulation but rather a strong negative pressure inside the building resulting from an improperly balanced HVAC system or an extra exhaust fan added after the erection of the structure. This, combined with a strong wind outside the building will often result in the insulation coming loose in these areas.
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