If you work for any agency that needs to keep roads safe during the winter months, chances are you've received and stockpiled your salt pile for the oncoming winter season. Protecting your investment is a part of every salt operation, and there are some excellent reasons to consider a tension fabric structure for a long-term salt storage solution.
Legacy has built salt storage structures since the founding of our company (10 years ago), and we’ve learned a thing or two. Our customers are looking for more than just a salt shed, more than just a covering that keeps the weather off the pile. They need something that works on many levels. Our tension fabric structures have many features that you don’t find in a simple metal salt shed.
Our headquarters is in central Minnesota, so Legacy knows a bit about snow. We can engineer our buildings for snow loads in extreme conditions such as the Andes Mountains or northern Alberta. Our structures are certified for southern Florida and the hurricane belt, so they can handle the wind.
How can a fabric building handle that much weather? We build our structures with solid steel tapered I-beams, using proven engineering and design software that is standard for the steel building industry. That’s what makes our buildings strong and sets us apart from other fabric companies.
We know the equation: steel plus salt equals corrosion. When we committed to solid steel to extend our structures' longevity, we knew we would need the best corrosion protection we could find. We started with hot-dipped galvanized, but as state of the art changed, we investigated epoxy coatings.
In 2019 Legacy expanded by adding a state-of-the-art paint facility and committed fully to providing epoxy-coated steel for customers who needed that kind of protection. Salt storage was the top of our list. Depending on your needs, we offer multiple options of epoxy coatings (EpoxxiShield™) to give our salt storage customers confidence in the long-term lifespan of their building.
The PVC fabric we use in our structures is tough, UV resistant, and has a 25-year warranty (for the 28-ounce ExxoTec™). It also lets in natural sunlight through the roof and walls—up to 12% translucence. In many cases, electrical lighting isn’t necessary during daylight hours. You can, therefore, locate your next salt storage building off the grid.
Because we use solid steel beams in our construction, we don’t need any central support columns. It means your drivers—loaders and unloaders—can use the entire floor of the storage facility without worrying about accidentally bumping into a support column. After a 12-hour shift plowing roads, you don't need to put any obstacles in your snow fighters' way. All of the space you buy is the space you get to use.
The combination of solid steel, corrosion protection, and tough fabric creates a salt storage solution for your organization that is durable and functional. Also, Legacy does only customized buildings, so you will get what you want, not a prefab building out of a catalog. With customization, we can add lean-tos, cranes, conveyor systems, and more to your building. Legacy can claim that we offer more than just a salt shed.