Course: SLF 155 Small Farm Maintenance and Operations

Reading & Audio Visual

Building Preventative Maintenance, Metal Buildings
Building Preventative Maintenance, Metal Buildings
Metal Buildings

Modern metal and steel buildings are definitely made to last! However, it is important to still perform preventative maintenance on the structures to help improve their longevity.

Cleaning: It is good practice to “spring clean” metal buildings every year. Wash building s with a pressure hose and scrub down with mild detergent and nylon brush to remove built up dirt, salts and other acids.

Rust Removal: It is important to take care of small rust problems before they grow to bigger ones. If you notice areas of rust beginning to form on your metal building remove them using a phosphoric acid based cleaner mixed with water (read bottle for proper  ratio to  ratio of cleaner and water). Once rust is removed, you can re-paint to match original color.

Hardware: It is good practice to periodically check all fasteners such as screws, nuts, bolts and rivets to make sure all are tight and in good working order. If you notice some missing or broken, replace the hardware with new.

Gutters/Trim: Just like a house, metal buildings trim and gutters need to be cleaned and checked for looseness, separation and water damage.

Metal Roofing: A metal roof can eventually rust causing holes to open and water leakage. To fix this problem you can use a rubber sealant that bonds to metal rather than tearing off the metal. However, if the rust damage is significant you may want to replace the whole sheet of metal. This choice will depend on the size and depth of the rust damage.

Repairing Sheet Metal

Sheet metal is often used for building roofs. While it is a good choice of material it can be susceptible to rusting and require repair. Here are the steps to repair:

- Scrub off the rust using a wire brush and water.
- Use a new piece of sheet metal that is at least 2 inches wider than the hole you are patching, screw the new piece of metal over the hole using a drill and sheet metal screws.
- After the metal is fastened down, use some caulk to seal around the edges.Finally, after the caulk has dried, paint over the metal  with a metal  sealant to help protect it from further water damage.