Metal buildings are known for their minimal requirement of maintenance. However, the need for maintenance does arise and keeping your metal building in good condition can help preserve it for many years to come.

How Often Should You Perform Maintenance Checks?

Maintenance should be performed a couple times per year on your steel building. Immediately preceding or following any major weather events, inspection of your building is critical for timely repairs. Although minor at the time, these necessary corrections need to be taken seriously to preserve the building and prevent long term damage.

Roof Maintenance

Roof repairs can be a headache. Even with the durability of steel buildings, metal roofs need to be inspected to ensure you don’t cause your minor repair to become more costly. You should always inspect your roof if your metal building has been exposed to extreme weather conditions. From high winds to snow or hail to heavy rains, your metal roof can take a beating. Check your roof for punctures, loose flashing, loose fasteners, damaged trim and water pooling. Also check the snow load for your building and clear off excess snow and ice buildup.

If someone has been on top of your roof, afterwards you should always check for potential damage or alterations that can lead to long term costly repairs. Heavy foot traffic, left over debris and metal shavings can scratch the paint on your roof. Left over debris can also corrode the metal roof.

Leaks should never be remedied with caulk on the roof surface. This temporary fix will cause more problems in the long run. Caulking loses its bond and allows water to become trapped between the repair and roof panel causing corrosion and warping to set in. Instead, disassemble the affected area and reinstall with sealant. If you are unsure about the repair, call a Heritage Field Service Rep to be talked through your options.

Different metals, such as copper, lead or graphite, that comes into contact with or has water runoff from, could cause your metal building to corrode. Copper cable, trim or gutters and runoff from rooftop AC units are common examples. Should this type of contact happen and corrosion begins, all warranties would be voided.

Proper roof maintenance is key to keeping your building functioning optimally and providing you years of protection.

We will take a look at preserving the longevity of the rest of your metal building in our next blog post.
For more information on general metal building maintenance, please visit MBMA.com. Contact a Heritage project consultant for your next steel building project.