Metal structures are by nature very durable and sustainable. A prefab steel garage can easily outlast a garage made with other materials like wood or vinyl. Metal garages, in general, will last at least a couple of decades, even with minimal maintenance efforts on your part. However, you can still stretch that life span of these steel garages. You just need to invest a little bit of your time and effort in its maintenance.
Maintenance of a prefab steel garage is not hard. Unlike other garages, they do not require repainting or any other chemical treatments every few months. Of course, for least maintenance, you will have to purchase a prefab metal garage that suits your storage requirements and the weather of your place. If your area experiences heavy precipitation, then we recommend you choose the vertical roofed metal garages. That way, you will not have to keep cleaning the roof of the garage after every shower.
Tips for the Maintenance of A Prefab Steel Garage
Below listed are a number of pointers that can help with the maintenance of your metal garages and help you keep them in an excellent, functioning order.
- Regular Inspection of A Prefab Steel Garage
A thorough inspection of the entire building is needed to find out any faulty parts or damage that might need repairing. You will need to conduct this type of thorough inspection every year, or better yet, every six months. This way you can detect and solve a problem at an early stage before it gets worse. It is a good idea to cursorily examine the walls and roofs of the metal garage as regularly and as frequently as you can.
- Moisture Control in a Prefab Steel Garage
You should control the moisture entry into a prefab steel garage as much as possible. Moisture inside an enclosed metal structure, like a metal garage, can damage the structure itself through rust and can destroy the goods that are stored inside.
You can use insulation and vapor barriers to achieve the necessary moisture control. Make sure that there are no leaks on the walls or the roofs through which moisture can enter the building. There should also be proper drainage around the site so that water does not pool and cause damage to the structure.
- Maintaining Openings of Metal Garages
Openings like windows, walk-in doors, and garage doors are common entry points for moisture. That is why you have to make sure that these opening are adequately sealed and have no leaks.
You should also check the weather stripping and seals around the edges of these opening and replace them if they are damaged. You should oil and grease the door and window hinges as necessary to let them move freely.
- Cleaning a Prefab Steel Garage
Cleaning metal garages annually or semi-annually will also help to ensure the longevity of the structure. While cleaning the metal garage, you can clear off larger debris like twigs and leaves by hand. Use a mild detergent, water, and a soft nylon brush to get rid of dirt or any other stubborn scrap.
A prefab steel garage can effectively resist all weather loads. However, that does not mean you should subject it to heavy weather loads for a very long period of time. After heavy snowfalls, remove snow from the roof of the garage so that it does not exert unnecessary pressure on the structure. Also, if your garage has horizontal paneling, then the roof will require cleaning more often since water and debris accumulate on the ridges of the panels which might give way to premature rusting.
- Repairing Metal Garages
You can quickly repair small damages to the prefab steel garage, all by yourself. If your metal garage has sustained significant damage, then it is a better idea to seek expert help than try to fix it yourself. In many cases, garage components can be easily replaced without disturbing any other portion of the building while conducting repair of the metal building.
If you are repainting the metal components of the garage, apply a coat of primer before applying a coat of matching paint. Screws and bolts that have come loose should be tightened properly so that the metal components stay in place. This will also ensure that water does not leak through the screw holes.
- Keeping Record of the Maintenance of Metal Garages
It is a good idea to keep a record of the maintenance done to your metal garage on your computer or a diary as a maintenance log. This will help you know when and what type of repairing and maintenance you have done to your metal garage. These types of logs can come in handy to claim any warranties on the components of the garage.
- Practicing Safety with Maintenance of Metal Garages
This is one of the most overlooked aspects of carrying out the maintenance of metal garages. Make sure that you have the right equipment for the repairs and know how to operate that equipment properly. You should take proper precautions while using a ladder too. Wear protective gear like gloves and heavy-duty boots, etc. for conducting the repairs.
Buy Metal Garages and Other Metal Buildings from Carport1
All these maintenance tips will help you lengthen the lifespan of your metal garage. But if you have not started out with a sturdy, high-quality metal garage in the first place, you won’t have much luck even with frequent maintenance.
Carport1 manufactures its metal garages with very high quality galvanized steel that will last many years without rusting. We also have various styles of metal garages with different features. You can easily find a prefab steel garage to fit your storage requirements. For example, we have a single wide metal garage for people who need to shelter a single car. Meanwhile, we also have triple wide metal garages for people with greater storage requirements. Our metal garages are available with numerous customization options so that you get a metal garage as per your requirements. We also have other types of metal buildings, like metal carports, barns, etc. Contact us today and get your prefab metal garage at the best price.
