Tension fabric structures are extremely durable and made to stand the test of time, but they need a little TLC every once in a while to make sure that happens. Once you’ve made the investment into a tension fabric building (or a few) for your business, proper maintenance and cover care are essential for ensuring you get the greatest return on your investment for the full duration of its lifespan.
If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to examine your building carefully and ensure it is in excellent condition so it can continue to meet your requirements for years to come.
Inspections
Your fabric structure is exposed to several environmental factors and is generally battered by elements like rain, wind, the sun’s UV rays, snow, ice, etc., day in, and day out. Naturally, regular inspections are a good practice and can help you avoid bigger problems in the future.
Buildings eventually may experience damage to their protective coating when exposed to winter storms or periods of intense wind and rain. After that, it is just a matter of time before the sun’s rays cause the cloth to deteriorate.
Avoid that by performing routine inspections on your building to ensure they’re always in tip-top shape. If you do notice any irreversible and extensive damage, it may be time to consider replacing your fabric cover.
Cleaning
Your structure may have birds and other animals sitting on them, getting them dirty. Fallen leaves and other debris may land on them. General dust and airborne pollution from industry, airports, and roadways are other factors that will contribute to the need to clean your fabric structures.
These contaminants can accumulate over time and reduce the lifespan of your fabric cover. Therefore, it’s crucial to routinely clean your fabric structures, whether you choose to do it yourself or hire someone to do it. Like other building surfaces, the shape, fabric type, and local site circumstances all affect how often a fabric structure needs to be cleaned.
Semi-translucent fabric structures where natural light is needed on the inside should be cleaned more often as their translucent nature will degrade the dirtier they get, decreasing the amount of natural light within the structure.
Structures can be self-cleaning to a certain extent which is dependent on the fabric’s surface geometry and the local rainfall amounts, but hiring someone to do a good, deep clean – or doing it yourself – every few months would certainly be beneficial in any case.
A pressure washer can be used to clean your fabric structure – as long as you are 6 feet or more away from the cover and use a wide-angle, lower pressure nozzle. However, the best method of cleaning is a simple bucket of warm water with some mild dish soap and a sponge! This is a great way to wash off contaminants and keep your cover looking pretty and functioning properly.
Maintenance
Financial Benefits
Maintenance is unavoidable with any structure type, but you can avoid needing excessive repairs by maintaining your fabric structure. Taking the time to inspect, clean, and repair your structure as needed is the best way to ensure that you get the full return on your precious investment. When fabric structures are maintained properly, they really will stand the test of time with you.
Environmental Benefits
Additionally, it’s important these days to be energy efficient and minimize your carbon imprint. Not to mention being green can really save you money. Look for any potential leaks, tears, or other weak points in the fabric while assessing your building to see if they might be influencing the maintained climate. Your cooling and heating costs will go down, and less energy will be wasted if you ensure your fabric structure is properly maintained.
Safety Benefits
Many individuals use the spaces inside their fabric structures to store either tools, people, or animals. If you don’t take care of your building, its structural integrity could become compromised.
Taking care of your structure means taking care of those inside it. It will eliminate any risk of injury or harm to your employees, animals, equipment, and anything else that your structure houses. Protect yourself and others from a potentially hazardous situation by evaluating your structure, keeping up with routine cleanings, and looking for weak spots.
The lifespan of the fabric construction can be extended – and the likelihood of any injuries decreased – by maintaining your structure both inside and outside. Be proactive rather than reactive. We tend to put things off till we have more time or are too quick to let things go.
Unfortunately, delaying building maintenance may wind up costing you a lot of money that you hadn’t budgeted for. Given all that your fabric structure provides for you, the least you can do is make sure it is frequently cleaned, inspected, and maintained. When your fabric cover seems to be displaying significant damage, contact Skyler Structures for expert, customizable fabric cover replacement services.