It is always important to be cautious of how the environment affects your metal building materials, but there are certain precautions to take in the winter months. During winter storms and the colder months, deicers are used to clear the road ways which can pose a problem while your metal building is in transport to the jobsite. Many highway maintenance departments are moving away from the more traditional deicers like rock salt and sand to a more effective chemical-based deicer. These chemical deicers often contain liquid calcium chloride or liquid magnesium. Although great for public safety, these deicers are corrosive to your metal building materials. These chemicals, with the right mixture of water or spray, may reach the steel and can cause rust or pitting.

Transportation Protection

There is an easy and effective way to avoid corrosion to metal building materials while in transit to the jobsite. Although each piece of steel is coated with a temporary primer to protect the steel during the shipping and erection process, it is not designed to handle exposure to the corrosive chemicals found in deicers. We recommend tarping your loads if your job is shipping during the winter months. Tarping your loads is completely optional and may add a minimal charge to your project total. However, if you choose not to tarp your loads, Heritage cannot be held accountable for the conditions of the primed steel, any damage to the panels or other materials on the trailer that may have come into contact with the deicers.

Jobsite Protection

The winter months not only pose a problem in transit but on the jobsite as well. You must prepare your site prior to the ground freezing to allow for delivery and acceptance of materials. Metal building materials cannot be stored in areas where they can come in contact with ground moisture or pools of water when the snow starts to melt. You can avoid corrosion to your materials by storing them on a ground tarp or storing them on a finished concrete slab. It is also important to keep your materials covered with a tarp until you are ready to erect them to prevent snow from accumulating on the materials which can cause them to corrode and rust.

Ask about transportation tarping options for your next steel building project. Learn more about how you can help prevent corrosion on the jobsite in the winter by contacting a Project Consultant.