What fails, and why it matters for cleanup
A pre-engineered metal building is a steel frame of columns and rafters with lighter purlins and girts carrying metal roof and wall panels. It is efficient, quick to build and found everywhere from small contractor shops to large equipment yards on the plains northeast of Denver. It also has a lot of exposed seams, fasteners, trim pieces and translucent panels, each of which can let water in after a hard storm.
Hail most often cracks or punches through translucent skylight panels and plastic vents, dents roof panels, and breaks the sealant at fasteners and laps. Wind tends to work on the edges: ridge caps, eave and rake trim, wall panels near corners, and large overhead doors that flex or come off their tracks. A door blown in during a storm lets rain, dust and debris into the bay.
Cleanup inside a storm-damaged metal building often includes broken skylight fragments, insulation pulled loose and soaked, wet product near doors and walls, and grit or debris across the floor. It also has to wait on, or work around, the roofer and the door contractor.
Terms you will hear
- Purlin
- A horizontal roof member, often a Z or C shape, that spans between the main rafters and carries the roof panels.
- Girt
- A horizontal wall member that carries the wall panels between columns.
- Standing seam
- A roof panel system with raised, interlocking seams and concealed clips, often more water-resistant than exposed-fastener roofs.
- Exposed-fastener panel
- Panels screwed directly through the face, sealed with washers. Hail and age can loosen the seal.
- Light-transmitting panel
- A translucent roof or wall panel used for daylight. Often the first part to break in hail.
- Cosmetic versus functional damage
- A distinction insurers may draw between dents that only affect appearance and damage that lets water in or shortens the roof's life. Read your policy for how it is defined.
After the storm passes
- Walk the floor for new daylight through panels, skylights or door edges.
- Look for wet insulation sagging between purlins.
- Check overhead doors for bent tracks or panels before operating them.
- Photograph hail on the ground with a reference object if it is still there.
- Note the date and approximate time of the storm for the claim.
- Move or cover product and equipment near openings.
- Keep everyone off the roof until a qualified person has checked it.
Cleanup now or after the roof is fixed?
- IfWater is still entering the buildingThenGet a temporary cover in place first. Drying inside an open building only moves the problem around.
- IfThe roof is covered but permanent repair is weeks awayThenStart water removal and drying now. Ask the roofer whether the temporary cover will hold through the next storm.
- IfInsulation is wet across a large areaThenCoordinate removal with the roof repair so new insulation goes in when the panels are replaced.
- IfBroken skylight pieces are on product or floorsThenClear them early with care; plastic and glass fragments are a cut hazard and can damage equipment and floor coatings.
General information for Commerce City, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.