Spring Maintenance Guide – Maximise the Life of Your KiwiSpan Shed

Buildings require regular maintenance to ensure the lifespan of the components and to meet your warranty conditions. Your KiwiSpan steel shed is no different. Without programmed maintenance aspects of your shed may degrade due to the cumulative effects of…

• Weather.
• Airborne contaminants.
• Grime.
• Debris.
• Corrosive atmosphere (due to NZ’s extensive coastline and the salt this disperses into the air).

It makes sense to get outdoor maintenance done in spring – it’s warmer to be outside, things start drying out after the cold damp of winter, and with warmer, more settled weather ahead you know your cleaning and maintenance efforts are likely to pay off for a few months to come.

Cleaning

This is possibly the most important maintenance task. We’re lucky that it rains a lot in New Zealand. Rain naturally washes your shed which helps prevent degradation, however the rain can’t reach all areas of your building and doesn’t wash everything away. We recommend many parts of your KiwiSpan steel shed be cleaned multiple times through the year. This is especially important for those areas where the rain doesn’t reach. Spring is a great time to do a bigger clean that includes both the areas which need more frequent cleaning, as well as those needing less regular manual cleaning. 

We suggest the following aspects be covered in your spring clean:

• Areas where the rain isn’t able to naturally wash your building need to be cleaned more frequently. These areas include:
  • Undersides of gutters, fascias and soffits
  • Exterior walls under the eaves
  • Garage doors
  • Around flues and television aerials 
  • Around and under solar panels, walkways and platforms.
• Gutters and spouting, which should be cleaned several times throughout the year too.
• Look for areas where birds like to roost and ensure droppings are cleaned off.
• Exterior walls – while these tend to need a little less manual cleaning (depending on your environment), they still need a clean to ensure no degradation and that your warranties are maintained.
• Interior cleaning – remove any built up dust, grime, and debris. Be sure to remove animal nests and droppings too. This is particularly important for sheds in rural areas and on farms.

Cleaning methods

When cleaning steel sheds, KiwiSpan recommend either:

• Using fresh water and a soft bristled nylon brush, or, 
• Water blasting at pressures no more than 1000 psi.

If you have any lichen, fungus, or pollen, some cleaning solutions will be needed to properly remove the problem. Please consult your individual maintenance guide for information on cleaning products and how to deal with the problem in a way that won’t harm your shed. (On completion of a KiwiSpan shed, all new shed owners receive a maintenance guide which is specific to their shed.)

Rust checks

Visually inspect the structure and cladding for any signs of rust. KiwiSpan use galvanised steel coatings which come with fifteen years of corrosion protection; however it’s still important to check the cladding for rust. The galvanised coating is a sacrificial layer that protects the strong steel base underneath. This coating may be damaged by scrapes and bumps as well as longer term degradation due to the elements. 

Look for rust stains or the growth of rust spots – at the first sign of rust, talk to your local KiwiSpan team who’ll talk you through the appropriate maintenance coating system. 

At any stage, you can reference the full maintenance guide created by KiwiSpan for your unique shed. The good news is that with a KiwiSpan shed, you don’t need to get out sandpaper and paint brushes as part of your maintenance schedule!

Whether it’s a residential, commercial or industrial building you need, KiwiSpan has a customised shed solution for you. Contact us HERE today to get the ball rolling on your next project.