No matter if they are being used as a housing unit for your horses and livestock, storage for your hay and other feed, or a simple shelter for your agricultural equipment, metal barn buildings are essential when it comes to farm life. And with winter right around the corner, you need to prepare for the worst weather conditions and winterize your steel barn.
Here are a few steps you can take to prepare your property, animals, and metal barn for the harsh winter months ahead:
How You Can Winterize Your Steel Barn
- Insulate the Structure
- Choose a Vertical Roof Design
- Prep All Openings
- Clean and Organize the Barn
If you plan to utilize your steel barn as a housing unit for your animals or a storage unit for new agricultural equipment, it’s important to make sure you’re taking every step possible to ensure your farm animals stay healthy and equipment runs smoothly. While designing your ideal steel barn, you should choose to insulate your unit. We have three insulation options here at Metal Barn Central, including single bubble, double bubble, and Prodex (R16 equivalent). These three options are used to keep the flow of heat in and out of your structure to a minimum and reduce the risk of condensation. By insulating your metal barn, you can keep the barn’s interior at a constant temperature while protecting its contents from freezing.
One of the first, and most important, decisions you’ll make during the design process is choosing the roof style of your unit. We offer three roofing systems at Metal Barn Central; regular, A-frame horizontal, and vertical. Out of these three options, our vertical roof is the most durable, reliable, and most popular. It’s designed with vertically oriented panels that run from one side of the structure to the other, easily channeling all rain, snow, fallen leaves, and other debris off the unit and away from its foundation. They’re also designed and installed with additional framing pieces to provide better stability to the structure. When you choose a vertical roof for your metal barn building, you’re choosing a roofing system that will keep the snow from settling on top of your unit.
If your steel barn has been designed with garage doors, walk-in doors, windows, or frame-outs, it’s imperative that you prep each of these openings for the freezing temperatures and blowing snow ahead. And while it may not seem significant now, you’ll be thankful for this step after your first winter storm. If you choose to skip this step, the possibility of your animals becoming fatally sick or your equipment rusting will increase greatly.
Though it may not seem like the most important steps to winterizing your steel barn, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead and keep your barn clean and organized. By cleaning the unit after every season change, you can have it ready-to-go for the following season. And by making sure your barn stays organized, you’re saving yourself from having to perform additional maintenance.
Afterall, Steel Is a Far Superior Building Option!
When steel is compared to other building materials such as brick, wood, and aluminum, steel is a far superior option for barns and other building styles. Unlike its wooden counterparts, steel isn’t susceptible to rot, rust, pest or critter infestations, fires, cracking, or warping. During manufacturing, each of these steel components undergo a galvanization process where they are dipped in a hot zinc coating to provide an additional layer of protection.
Steel is also one of the most durable and reliable materials used in the metal building industry. It’s used for most any structure style, from residential carports and garages, to industrial warehouses and shopping malls. No matter what your need may be, this versatile building material can be used in most any way possible.
Want to Learn More About Winterizing Your Steel Barn? Let’s Get Started!
If you’re looking to invest in a new steel barn before winter comes or if you just need help preparing your current barn for the cold weather, feel free to reach out to us at Metal Barn Central today. Unlike our competitors, we truly care about helping you keep your beloved pets, livestock, and agricultural equipment protected from Mother Nature and her brutal forces. For more information on winterizing a metal barn building or other structure, contact one of our building specialists today at (980) 321-9898.
