Preparing Your Building’s Exterior For Winter

Come winter time, extra preparations need to be done in commercial and industrial facilities to equip them for the cold season. Winter temperatures can take a toll on buildings and properties, which is why necessary precautions to protect them from 20-degree weather conditions should be taken.

Exterior parts of the facility are even more vulnerable to the winter weather, because they are exposed to cold, wind and snow that accompany winter. Facility managers must maintain a checklist of repairs or maintenance activities to winter-proof the facility. One major item on the checklist should be to consult an epoxy coating contractor to take care of winter-proofing exterior coating systems.

Exterior Walls

Before the onset of the winter months, any leaks or cracks along the exterior facility walls should be thoroughly checked. An epoxy coating contractor can immediately spot any deteriorations in the exterior walls’ coating system. Cracks should be repaired, and peeling paint should be replaced as soon as possible by a qualified epoxy coating contractor. The purpose of sealing cracks and physical rents in the exterior wall is to provide winter-tight enclosure of the building. This is important in preventing cold weather from entering the facility and maintaining warm temperature inside.

In doing ocular inspection of the exterior walls, epoxy coating contractors should check the inner walls for signs of leaks, as well. This helps in getting a comprehensive assessment of the status of the walls, ensuring that any leaks or cracks are thoroughly identified and addressed from the inside and out.

Roofing

It is also important for an epoxy coating contractor to seal any roof leaks before the weather worsens. Snow will make detecting and repairing roof damages close to impossible, so it is best to perform close inspection of the roof, decks and copings before the start of the winter season. The cold weather induces materials to contract, which is why any loose materials such as roof coatings must be repaired early on by the epoxy coating contractor, as well as any deteriorating metalwork, to prevent them from totally falling apart in the middle of winter.

When snow arrives, the roof system should be able to withstand the heavy snowfall and the snow removal process that inevitably happens. Ensure that access to the roof will not be hazardous when it is time to remove snow.

HVAC, Supply Lines, and Everything Else

Your epoxy coating contractor should check if the HVAC coating system needs any repair before the onset of the winter season. HVAC systems are important to maintain good heating and ventilation especially during the cold times. The mechanical system of the HVAC, its housings, and crucial supply lines and pipings, should be clean and functioning. If any faulty elements exist, or any signs of rusting or rotting is evident, the HVAC must be repaired and prepared to keep up with the tremendous requirements of the cold months ahead. The epoxy coating contractor must check for signs of damage or corrosion to the HVAC’s protective coatings, and fix this as well.

Gutters, drains, downspouts, and any exterior parts of the facility must be thoroughly checked before winter. Drains should be unclogged, to prevent water-logging the roofs and exterior decks of the facility. In general, any signs of deterioration in exterior coating systems should be cleaned up and painted over by an epoxy coating contractor. Top vacuum pumps