How to ensure a low maintenance Pre-Engineered Building Structure
Pre-Engineered Buildings in India have gained immense momentum due to its acceptability and performance within multiple sectors ranging from Infrastructure, Industrial, Manufacturing and Warehousing to name a few. PEBs have become popular in the construction market in a major way owing to the many benefits they possess.
However a great structure only lives its life to the fullest when maintenance is preventive than reactive! If you’ve decided to build a structure made of steel, you will be glad to know that metal buildings require far less maintenance as compared to other building materials. Several maintenance related factors determine the longevity of a structure considering its aesthetics and longer operational life of steel building.
Maintenance procedures vary from building to building and depends upon building design, material specifications, its leak-proof performance and access provisions.
Let us see some of the best practices for maintaining a healthy structure.
Let us see some of the best practices for maintaining a healthy structure.
Frequency of maintenance is established basis several factors:
Internal and external environment based on location, environmental conditions, pollution levels and use of building
The age and the condition of the building
The commitment you show for maintaining the building in the long term
Most of the maintenance activities should be performed at least once a year. (Except for the buildings that are in areas that have moderate to severe rainfall conditions, the inspections are recommended in post winter and in the pre-rainy season early enough to complete any necessary repairs prior to rains.)
Regular roof cleaning can be carried out once in every quarter.
Additional inspections and maintenance to be considered after severe storms.
Inspection & maintenance activities should be performed more frequently than twice per year on buildings located in coastal areas, that are subjected to industrial pollution, high humidity because of constant exposure to corrosive elements in these locations.
Structures used for the activities that are potentially detrimental to the building such as indoor pools, animal confinement or activities that generate corrosive chemicals should have frequent maintenance.
Preventive maintenance of PEBS begins immediately after a project is erected. Regular maintenance is an important factor to maximize life expectancy and dependability of roof systems of a structure.
Roof and Wall System Maintenance
Waste and small items such as screws, pop rivets, drill bits, or any ferrous objects should be removed by sweeping with a soft nylon brush.
Large items such as sheet metal cut-off should be removed by hand to avoid damaging the surface of the roof panels.
Sand and dust shall be removed by washing with clean potable water and a soft nylon brush.
To remove saline deposits that become encrusted on the panels of buildings located in high pollution industrial areas, or close to marine environments should be washed with the mild detergent added to the initial washing water.
Oil, grease, tar, wax, or similar substances can be removed with mineral spirits, followed by a detergent solution and a clean potable water rinse. Caustic or abrasive detergents may damage the paint and zinc layers.
Translucent panels should be cleaned periodically to allow maximum light penetration. Depending on the location of your building, it may be essential for these panels to be cleaned more frequently. Cleaning eliminates the accumulation of dust, dirt and debris when combined with sunlight and wind attack exposed surfaces, both chemically and abrasively. When cleaning these panels non-corrosive cleaning compounds should be used.
Avoid the use of compounds containing ammonia or chlorine since they may cause panel discoloration.
Maintenance of Accessories
Eave Gutters, Valley Gutters, Downspouts and Collector Box are integral parts of large steel PEBs.
When working on or inspecting gutters or downspouts be aware of Safety issues in doing so including, but not limited to falling from the roof and injuries from using a high-pressure hose for cleaning. Always follow OSHAS and other governing requirements for fall protection and tie off.
Clean out all accumulated debris regularly using a water hose with enough pressure to flush the dirt and small debris. Bigger items such as pebbles, rocks, cans, limbs and heavy accumulations of leaves should be removed by hand first.
Gutter obstructions can cause dirt to build up which holds moisture that can cause premature rusting and allow standing water to accumulate on the roof. Blocked downspouts also can produce the same results if they are not allowed to drain freely
Maintenance of Buildings with Overhead Cranes
When maintaining overhead or associated parts, lockout the electrical on the crane before commencing work.
After the day’s work, the overload crane should be placed always between the two rafters/ truss i.e. never under a rafter or a truss.
After first 45 Days of operation, check the high strength bolts on crane beams for tightness. Also, this check is to be carried out every 3 months subsequently.
Crane rail checking to be done every 3 months for the weldment.
End stoppers to be checked once in every 3 months
Need for an expert
Pre-engineered steel building is a highly technical field to maximize its operable benefits. The expertise is required for every aspect of its existence: from design, manufacturing to erection.
Tata BlueScope Steel’s Building Solutions business offers new age pre-engineered buildings through world-class solutions such as BUTLER® Building Systems and Ecobuild® solutions. Buildings are engineered, designed and conceptualized keeping in mind the local climate, its application area. From fully engineered buildings made of high strength COLORBOND® and ZINCALUME® steel and LYSAGHT® Roofing installed by implementing best practices in Safety and Construction, PEBs delivered by us through BUTLER® and ECOBUILD® solutions with MR24 Roof Systems; are of global repute and unmatched quality. All this combined together ensures longevity of the PEB with minimum or no-maintenance, thus improving the performance and life.