Winter Maintenance for Steel Framed Buildings

Ensuring all your outbuildings withstand the harsh rigours of winter goes beyond just constructing them with our high quality, treated, and protected materials. We have prepared a guide on how to prepare your steel buildings for winter.

While steel framed buildings are engineered to withstand the harshest British weather, winter poses a unique set of challenges. Between freezing temperatures, heavy gale-force winds, and persistent damp, a “set and forget” mentality can lead to structural degradation. In the UK, winter maintenance is primarily about moisture management and structural integrity.

Managing Condensation and “Sweating”

The most common winter issue in uninsulated or single-skin steel buildings is condensation. When warm internal air meets the cold steel roof sheets, water droplets form on the underside.

• Ventilation Check: Ensure that ridge vents and eaves fillers are not obstructed. Constant airflow is the only way to equalise pressure and temperature, preventing “rain” inside your building that can damage stored goods or machinery.

• Drip Protection: If your building uses a non-drip (anti-condensation) fleece lining, inspect it for saturation. If the fleece remains wet, it usually indicates a lack of cross-flow ventilation.

Snow Loading and Structural Stress

UK steel buildings are designed to $BS\ EN\ 1993$ (Eurocode 3) standards, which include specific “snow load” calculations based on your exact postcode and altitude. However, unusual weather patterns can still cause stress.

• Asymmetrical Loading: Be wary of “snow drifting.” If snow accumulates heavily on one side of a pitched roof or against a side wall, it creates an imbalanced load that the frame wasn’t necessarily designed to hold indefinitely.

• Deflection Monitoring: Periodically check for any visible deflection in the purlins (the horizontal beams supporting the roof sheets) during periods of heavy snowfall.

Internal Plumbing and Ground Heave

Winter isn’t just about the shell of the building; it’s about the interface between the steel and the ground.

• Base Flashing: Ensure that snow or ice is not piling up directly against the base of the cladding. Standing water at the base can lead to “wicking,” where moisture is drawn up into the building or causes corrosion at the floor track.

• Exposed Services: Many commercial steel buildings have exposed pipework. Ensure all external taps and internal risers are lagged, as a burst pipe in a steel building can quickly lead to localized flooding on power-floated concrete floors.