Machine shed spray foam insulation in Cochrane protects equipment on ranch and acreage yards west of the town. These are large steel buildings in an exposed position, holding machinery that in most cases is worth considerably more than the structure over it.
An exposed yard makes the building work harder
A shed on an open rise loses heat faster, cools faster after dark and is pushed on by wind that arrives with more force than it would further east. None of that matters for a building nobody heats, except in one respect: the shell reaches the temperature of the outside air quickly and completely, which makes it a more effective condensing surface than a sheltered building would be. The position is why sheds around Cochrane sweat more than their owners expect.
Ranch equipment sits for months
Haying equipment, a tractor used seasonally, trailers, handling equipment and vehicles kept off the road through winter all sit untouched for long periods. Machinery that is used regularly gets dried and looked at. Machinery that sits does neither, and every temperature swing the building goes through puts another round of water onto it. Corrosion accumulates on hydraulics, connectors, bearings and machined surfaces, and none of it reverses.
Why the water arrives in quantity rather than as a drip
The mechanism is worth naming because owners consistently look for a roof leak. Moisture condenses on cold steel, freezes there during a cold spell, then melts during the next chinook and arrives all at once on whatever is beneath. Around Cochrane the chinook cycle repeats often, so this happens several times a winter rather than once, and each time it lands on the same equipment.
Roof deck first, and usually only
For condensation on an unheated shed the roof deck is the correct and complete scope. Walls come in only where the building is being warmed to work in, or where the contents need a temperature rather than simply dryness. Establishing which of those applies is a one-question conversation and it prevents paying for a full envelope on a building that needed a roof, which is the most common way money is wasted on this job. On a Cochrane ranch yard with several buildings it is also the question that decides which one gets done first.
Machine Shed Spray Foam Insulation Cochrane: Common Questions
We find equipment wet rather than watching it drip. Why? Moisture freezes on the cold steel and arrives in quantity when a chinook thaws it, which around Cochrane happens several times a winter.
Does an exposed yard make a difference? It does. The shell reaches outside temperature quickly and completely, which makes it a better condensing surface than a sheltered building.
Roof only, or the whole shed? On an unheated shed the roof deck is usually the whole job. Walls come in only if you are heating it or the contents need a temperature.
Size the deck with the R-value calculator, then get a free Cochrane quote. More on Machine Shed Spray Foam Insulation Alberta.