Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Metal Carport Looking Bright, Shiny, and New

Metal carports are one of the strongest, most cost-effective solutions for protecting your vehicles, equipment, or valuables from the elements. No other building material can compare to steel in terms of strength, flexibility, and sheer value.

You’ve spent a lot of money on your automobiles. And whether your vehicle is a classic sports car or a noisy family minivan, you want to ensure that it remains protected and lives up to its maximum potential.

With the elements regularly conspiring to destroy our things, it’s up to us to figure out the best ways to keep those forces at bay. And there is no material better suited for that task than steel. But even steel requires a little bit of upkeep now and again. By taking the time to maintain your metal carport, you’ll ensure that it protects your vehicles for years to come.

What Measures Should One Take to Protect and Maintain Their Metal Carport?

Whether you own a 1 or 2 car metal carports, you’re going to want to take care of it just the same. Metal carports are famously low-maintenance, but knowing a few tricks can do wonders for increasing the longevity of your structure. Below, we’ve compiled a few methods that can help you on your next maintenance sweep!

●    Inspect the foundation

This one is paramount. If you don’t have a great foundation, all you have is a liability. Any structure requires a certain amount of vigilance when it comes to foundation. You will want to check your carport foundation at least once or twice a year to ensure no cracks or rust damage. Small cracks will become big cracks, so go ahead and get them fixed before they darken your doorstep!

●    Inspect for water damage

You will want to check your building after substantial rainfalls or storms to make certain water has not infiltrated via the roof or the foundation. Water can destroy just about anything given time.

●    Keep the roof clean

The roof is one of the most vital aspects of any carport. A roof is subjected to some of the worst damage a structure can endure, resisting daily UV radiation, rain, and weather damage like it was nothing. But it’s not! Those forces can eventually affect the quality of your roof, and even smaller holes can cause tremendous amounts of water damage over time. You will want to inspect your roof at least twice a year, if not once a season, to prevent leaks and continued deterioration.

●    Inspect the Walls

This one should be a no-brainer! Most of the time, you won’t need to worry about moisture causing damage to your metal carport walls, but you will want to check for holes or breaches that might eventually grow into a larger issue.

●    Inspect for Rust

Rust. Good ole iron oxide! Whatever you choose to call it, don’t allow it to sneak up on your carport! Most prefab carports are engineered to resist rust infiltration for many years, but there may always be an exception to the rule. Objects that manage to penetrate the enamel paint and anti-rust coatings may cause parts of the structure to develop rust damage. Maintaining a regular watch for this can help prevent significant damage down the line.

●    Insulate your carport or garage

In addition to making your carport a cozier space for your vehicle or RV, taking the time to insulate the structure can help fight additional means of rust development over the years. The wild temperature changes in non-insulated buildings can hurt their ability to withstand rust over time.

Factors that Can Damage your Metal Carport

Many elemental culprits conspire daily to damage your carport. Below, we’ve taken the time to name some of the worst factors.

1.   Rain

Metal carports and garages are naturally resistant to water damage, but as well all know, water can win almost any fight when teamed up with time. So, regardless of water-resistant capabilities, rain and moisture damage can be a pervasive threat to metal buildings that aren’t properly coated or constructed of galvanized steel.

2.   Wind

Metal RV carports are engineered to withstand a ridiculous amount of wear and tear from Mother Nature. In fact, prefab carports are designed to meet or exceed all local zoning regulations, even built to resist hurricane-level wind speeds!

3.   The Sun

That giant glowing ball of gas in the sky does as much damage as any other destructive element to your carport or metal garage. UV radiation can overheat the interior, weaken protective layers of the roof, and deteriorate paint, allowing water infiltration and further damage to occur down the line.

4.   Pests

Now, you’re not going to have to worry about termites or wood infiltrating insects taking up residence in your metal carport, but it might benefit you to keep an observant eye out for any pest that might be looking for a new home. Maintaining reasonable pest control will help keep your vehicles safe from harm.

Conclusion

Metal carports are some of the most maintenance-free structures available in the market today. Traditional built buildings made from wood or concrete simply can’t compete with steel in terms of longevity and ease of ownership. So, if you’ve picked a metal carport, you’ve already made a great choice.

Maintaining your metal carport or steel garage isn’t exactly rocket science. They are engineered with state-of-the-art technology to minimize the need for regular upkeep. However, keeping an eye on your building can save you tons of money in preventable deterioration over time. Small tasks like ensuring that foundations are free from cracks, panels aren’t experiencing rust damage, and that roofs are leak-free are the three most effective methods of extending the life of your structure.

Carports are built out of strong galvanized American steel, and engineered to deliver years and years of protection for your family vehicles. If properly safeguarded, it should last long enough to cover several generations of automobiles.