Storing Corrosive Materials in Fabric Buildings

Summer is ending, and fall is approaching, which for some means they are faced with the need for winter storage.  Today we would like to discuss the challenges of storing corrosive materials, i.e. salt and sand.  There are multiple factors to consider.  Roofing material, ventilation, lining material and life expectancy, to name a few.  In this article, I’m going to compare storing corrosive materials in a tension fabric building versus a steel structure.  

• Life Expectancy – Because fabric will not corrode as easily or quickly as a steel structure, the life expectancy for a fabric roof is 20-25 years.  Whereas a steel roof will only last for 7-10 years.
• Working Environment – Fabric buildings offer a reflective interior and natural light, which not only lowers your initial investments costs, but also will reduce yearly lighting expenses and replacements.  A steel structure allows virtually no lighting in which requires an expensive lighting system and costly monthly electricity bills.   In addition to the lighting benefit, a fabric structure will provide a cooler building during the summer months and a warmer structure during the winter months.  Because of the bright and airy feel of a fabric structure, these buildings do not offer a good “nesting” area for local rodents.
• Flexibility – Most fabric buildings are engineered to be permanent structures but designed to be relocatable.  This feature makes a fabric structure especially beneficial when installed on a leased site, for example.  Steel buildings are engineered and designed to be permanent structures and would be very costly to relocate them to another site. 
• Non-Conducive Material – A fabric structure will “sweat” less
• Weather Tight – Fabric buildings offer a panel system with monolithic sheeting.  This means there are no holes, screws or areas for water to leak providing a virtually maintenance free design.  On the flip side, a steel structure will use a series of fasteners, placing holes in the roof, which allows access for water and other materials to enter. 
• Installation and Delivery Times – Fabric buildings often deliver and install in about 8-10 weeks resulting in quicker occupancy and profit.  On a larger project, the installation time alone for a steel structure can take as long as 12-16 weeks.
• Liner – To provide additional protection, a fabric building can be lined with material to help prevent corrosion.

The team at Legacy Building Solutions has years of experience selling and installing tension fabric buildings.  Contact us today to explore your storage building options!  www.LegacyBuildingSolutions.com