Re-sealing the roof and base of a port-a-port hangar

[schmookeeg]

Hello.

Recently I purchased a condo "port-a-port" hangar. Also recently, we have come into some rather strong wind and rain, and I am learning that my hangar is not perfectly sealed. In fact, it's currently "Lagoon in a box" which seems like poor value for the sums paid.

There are two main areas of weakness I'm seeing:

One, the roof... crenellations? have gaps. To wit:

I understand they make foam inserts for these that are tailored to the type of sheet metal panel. I'm too lazy to do the research, purchase, match-up, and possible repeat until I find the correct one -- I was going to get some of that indow/outdoor spray-in-place foam ("Great Stuff"?) instead. Reasonable?

==

Second, and I should have snapped a photo, the hangar seems to stand in water during heavy rains, and as such, there is metal corrosion/erosion/(a hole in my durn panel) where it meets the ground. This one I'm not 100% sure how to deal with. I was thinking some of that flex-seal paste. The hole is small, say 1/2" to 1" high, but in a few places, fairly long. It's clearly been going on for awhile. Is there a better way to seal this, other than replacing the whole panel? (which will be difficult given poor access -- I abut a few other port-a-ports)

I might try to ring the whole hangar base and create a rubberized rain seal.

If there are other maintenance actions I should be considering, seeing as my metal hangar has been devoid of basic maintenance, I'd love to hear ideas. I've already lubed the pulley/winch/chains. hinges, door springs, and other moving parts. I'm starting to think I should just paint everywhere I can reach with some sort of rust-converting paint.

Stay dry

- Mike

 

[Tools]

This is one of those don’t overthink it things… ANYTHING is better basically.

Expanding foam works… lots of reasons why it ain’t optimal, but it works. Even fiberglass insulation crammed in there isn’t horrible.

I’d use Henry’s roof tar on the base. Thick, lasts long time, most economical.

Probably ain’t a horrible idea to seal the whole roof. Use the same gunk people fix up trailer home roofs.

Can use the converter stuff, or just mechanically treat the best ya can, then paint. Anything that dries SLOW.

Yes, these are stop gap short term fixes, that are perfectly fine, as evidenced by the fact this thing has survived 40 years with ZERO maintenance…

 

[TCABM]

Ya know…if the hangar’s corroding away, the plane inside will, too.

 

[schmookeeg]

Ya know…if the hangar’s corroding away, the plane inside will, too.

Yeah, plane is away, hence my desire to tackle these projects before it becomes a more permanent fixture and forgotten about like the last set of owners

 

[WDD]

If the roof is leaking, fix it from the outside. Fixing it from the inside will pool the water and it will corrode / rust. It doesn't look like you have much if any pitch to the roof. You could put membrane roofing material on it to essentially re roof it.

The lower-level water damage is because the sides are in contact with water. Is it possible to jack the porta hangar up and slide in some 4X4's?

As well, get better drainage. Dig a small trench around the hangar, fill with rock, and dig another trench to have the water run off somewhere.

 

[camorton]

I also have a Port-a-port. Couple of thoughts:

1. I don't see a reason to seal up the openings in the roof. We don't really get driving rain here in SoCal, so with the overhang, no water should be coming in. At least this isn't a significant source of water in mine. And I think you will want a source of airflow. In summer, the hot air inside needs to go somewhere. Trapping the damp air inside in the winter seems like a bad idea to me also.

2. In terms of sealing the bottom, it depends on whether you're facing uphill or downhill. If you're facing downhill (like me), you seal the back and do everything you can to divert water around the sides. If you're facing uphill, you're kinda screwed. There's no way you're going to seal the front under the doors. All you can do is make sure the water that comes under the door goes straight out the back. So leave drainage holes.

3. Treat those springs like gold. Replacements are practically unobtainium.

These things were designed to be 'portable' temporary shelter so most aren't built on a level concrete pad like real hangars. All of the ones at my airport are on asphalt with pitch for drainage. You kinda have to live with a wet floor a few days out of the year. For better or worse, that's not too often in SoCal.

C.

 

[Ed Haywood]

Henri silicone roof sealant or Gardner rubberized roof sealant. Brush on / roll on for the roof, caulk for the gaps. Do it on the outside, not the inside. Whatever you do is somewhat of a stop gap. Once it starts to go, it's gonna go. Construction foam seems like a good idea but I think it just holds the water longer.

 

[schmookeeg]

Thanks, I'm learning a lot here. The roof itself is not leaking, but our rain has been sideways/diagonal lately and I suspect the gaps at the roof where it meets the walls. Am I wrong to suspect that? There is minimal overhang, an inch or two maybe? I also don't have access to trench around the base of the hangar, so I'm limited on "big fixes" -- I'm expecting to drop some sort of sealant on the inside of the hangar walls where they meet the concrete.

Luckily there is a "gap" in one of the nested spots behind me, so I can do some of the work on the outside. Not all of it though.

The drainage sucks. I think it's mostly level ground, since water pools all over the place. I don't think I'll be able to fix that.

One of my turbine vents blew off in our last wind party, but I was able to MacGyver a wash tub over the hole lasso-style and secure it with a rope. So far it's holding fast. That's item 3 on my list. Ghetto is appropriate for Oakland I think.

Now I want to go out and make sure my little fisher price "my first prepper off-grid solar kit" panel is still there.

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

In the voice of Phil Swift.....Flex seal it. lol

 

[Racerx]

In the voice of Phil Swift.....Flex seal it. lol

As stupid as it sounds... The pool filter had a leak and I really didn't want to replace it last summer if I didn't have to. Drained it down and put the tape inside and it lasted the rest of the year. Was shocked.

 

[schmookeeg]

I’d use Henry’s roof tar on the base. Thick, lasts long time, most economical.

Thanks for that, it mirrors my view on things. I'm gonna try the Henry's, because it's available locally at the big box store. I hope it doesn't make my hangar smell like tires and skunks any longer than it needs to.

 

[Tools]

Do you know what removes skunk smells EVERY time? From every thing? Works ONE HUNDRED PERCENT?

About 2 weeks…

 

[Checkout_my_Six]

I hope it doesn't make my hangar smell like tires and skunks any longer than it needs to.

I just learned.....it may not be skunk that he's smelling. Could be pot....

 

[MIFlyer]

Yeah, plane is away, hence my desire to tackle these projects before it becomes a more permanent fixture and forgotten about like the last set of owners

for the rusted ground contact metal, i would wire brush the loose rust, wipe down with a rag with rubbing alcohol, then spray with a rust converter/ecapsulator (VHT,Eastwood, etc), then after that dries, paint. sounds hard but really could be done in 30 minutes. you could then do the henry's roof tar if you wanted, but at that point, the rust will be chemically stopped.

 

[schmookeeg]

for the rusted ground contact metal, i would wire brush the loose rust, wipe down with a rag with rubbing alcohol, then spray with a rust converter/ecapsulator (VHT,Eastwood, etc), then after that dries, paint. sounds hard but really could be done in 30 minutes. you could then do the henry's roof tar if you wanted, but at that point, the rust will be chemically stopped.

Thanks, popped out there last night. I was thinking I wanted something to convert the rust too, and my support steel, while intact, has some surface grot I'd like to treat and clean up. I'll still need the patch for the holes, as a bunch of my steel doesn't get all the way to the ground, and is being eaten up from below. On closer examination, the rot is more widespread than I first noticed. I think mine might be the only hangar without a rubberized "rim" at the base.

My "giant" gallon of Henry's is laughably small when placed in the hangar. I may need a few more pails of this stuff

 

[schmookeeg]

I just learned.....it may not be skunk that he's smelling. Could be pot....

"How to know you're in Smoakland..." I'd be more alarmed if I could NOT smell pot in that town. I'd assume mass alien abductions had occurred.

 

[WDD]

Pictures helped.

1) You need to get a pressure treated 4X4 or at least a 2X4 base under that steel. It should not be touching the ground, and being that low is also why your sides are rotting. Since you have that steel beam as your base plate, you should be able to lift it and put in the pressure treated wood.

2) You should not be getting a lot of water in your hangar from the vent space between the walls and the sides. If a lot of water, it is probably seeping / running in at ground level. To that end, silicone seal the outside of your new 2X4 base plate to the concrete pad. OR you can roofing seal, etc. Something to keep the water out.

3) Since you can't trench and reroute the water, go to HDepot and get some gutter and downspout material, and at least run the water away from the building.

4) The washtub on top of the roof. Well.........

 

[MIFlyer]

Thanks, popped out there last night. I was thinking I wanted something to convert the rust too, and my support steel, while intact, has some surface grot I'd like to treat and clean up. I'll still need the patch for the holes, as a bunch of my steel doesn't get all the way to the ground, and is being eaten up from below. On closer examination, the rot is more widespread than I first noticed. I think mine might be the only hangar without a rubberized "rim" at the base.

My "giant" gallon of Henry's is laughably small when placed in the hangar. I may need a few more pails of this stuff

Wow, yeah, that looks like some of my car fenders!

 

[WDD]

As far as the rust goes, see if you can rent a sand blaster. Probably want to walnut shells as the media. Then prime and paint the bare metal. Lot more work than you were thinking? Sure. How easy is it to replace the hangar you currently have, and what is the cost if the roof or something falls on the plane?

 

[schmookeeg]

As far as the rust goes, see if you can rent a sand blaster. Probably want to walnut shells as the media. Then prime and paint the bare metal. Lot more work than you were thinking? Sure. How easy is it to replace the hangar you currently have, and what is the cost if the roof or something falls on the plane?

Are you suggesting that port-a-ports are semi-monocoque in construction, and failure of a wall panel will compromise the integrity of the whole structure?

 

[WDD]

In a gusty wind would it fall over more easily if it wasn’t held together with rust? Or a panel pull away?

 

[Albany Tom]

As far as the roof sealing stuff goes, I'll second the recommendation on trailer roof coating, and think Henry's is a good brand. Before I had a rubber roof on my garage, I used that to seal over the old built up flat roof. It kept the water out fine. My tips on that - it's hard work. You want the 5 gal pails, and I suggest the premium fiber embedded aluminized stuff. Not water based. Make sure it's oil based, so it'll have petroleum warning, flammable/etc. The water based stuff will not last more than a year here. The oil based will maybe last 3. You need a big 1/2" corded drill with a drywall paddle to mix it. It has the consistency of pancake syrup when it's mixed, but it's like tar at the bottom before it's mixed. You want roofing brushes with sticks to apply it. You will ruin whatever clothes and shoes you're wearing while applying it.

The stuff kept my garage roof solid, though. The crew that put on the rubber roof only had to replace one sheet of plywood sheathing on my garage, the rest was dry and fine, and it was flat..which is a terrible plan in NY.

As far as coverage goes, I think I used about 7 gallons for a single car garage, and it took a couple of hours. That hanger? Bet it's going to be several times that.

 

[epicwinter]

One of the best things one can do to "breathe new life" into these Port-A-Ports is to pour a flat concrete slab floor inside the hangar itself.

The theory (fact) is that water can't flow uphill (onto the new concrete slab), so the water then instead flows around the hangar and the inside stays dry (absent whatever roof leaks you may have. I did this to mine about 15 years ago. You can then epoxy coat it and it looks nice and resists oil staining.

I have an Exec II and it cost me about $4k (2006 dollars) for a 3.5inch pour of fiber-reinforced concrete (i.e. to the same level of the rectangular steel tubing around the base perimeter of the hangar - and between the wing bays and the main bay, which you will otherwise trip on repeatedly!)

You will need to ramp the concrete for the 18 inches nearest the door opening to have a low-angle ramp to roll the airplane in and out.

For extra credit, you can insulate the hangar with 1" rigid polystyrene pieces cut to fit and radiant barrier over that. Add overhead lighting, some propane infrared heater tubing overhead and you have what I call "the poor man's box hangar".

I'll try to locate some photos of mine to post.

There are a lot of Port-A-Ports out there, and investing $10k makes them a lot more habitable (and is orders of magnitude cheaper than building a new hangar with these same modern touches.) Amortize your investment over your remaining useful life of the hangar and it may only be a couple hundred bucks a year.

 

[schmookeeg]

So you poured concrete to the depth/height of the floor iron? like 2" worth? I don't have the ability/permission/forgiveness to pour a matching ramp, but that's a really intriguing solution. One problem is our hangars are nested so tightly that I cannot walk or access the outside of my RH wing box area, so of course that's where the water pools most.

But... that's a clever idea. Thanks.

 

[epicwinter]

So you poured concrete to the depth/height of the floor iron? like 2" worth? I don't have the ability/permission/forgiveness to pour a matching ramp, but that's a really intriguing solution. One problem is our hangars are nested so tightly that I cannot walk or access the outside of my RH wing box area, so of course that's where the water pools most.

But... that's a clever idea. Thanks.

The “ramp“ reference simply refers to the portion of the concrete that you will pour closest to the inside the rollup door. Otherwise, you would have a 2 inch lip to contend with getting your plane in and out. Which wouldn’t work. You don’t need to do anything beyond the interior perimeter of the hangar, and as they say in these types of situations, easier to beg forgiveness than seek permission. Have the concrete truck and crew come at an odd hour, weekend, etc…

 

[Shepherd]

hahahahahahahahahahaha. "Perfectly sealed"
At each end of my hangar door I have a 3 inch high x 24 inch long gap at the bottom of the door. It's not uncommon to find snow drifting in during snowstorms.
When the door comes down I have to go to each end and yank it hard so it latches closed.
I have to chock the wheels inside the hangar to keep the plane from moving in severe wind. We've had a lot of severe wind the last couple of years.
There is a vent at the top of the hangar. It runs the entire length. It's five (?) inches tall and has no screen or anything to impede debris from blowing into the hangar. It's cottonwood and maple seed season. Every flight starts with blowing the crap off the plane and ends with sweeping the hanger.
The county owns the hangars. Repairs by renters are forbidden.
But the plane stays dry, mostly.
.

 

[epicwinter]

hahahahahahahahahahaha. "Perfectly sealed"
At each end of my hangar door I have a 3 inch high x 24 inch long gap at the bottom of the door. It's not uncommon to find snow drifting in during snowstorms.
When the door comes down I have to go to each end and yank it hard so it latches closed.
I have to chock the wheels inside the hangar to keep the plane from moving in severe wind. We've had a lot of severe wind the last couple of years.
There is a vent at the top of the hangar. It runs the entire length. It's five (?) inches tall and has no screen or anything to impede debris from blowing into the hangar. It's cottonwood and maple seed season. Every flight starts with blowing the crap off the plane and ends with sweeping the hanger.
The county owns the hangars. Repairs by renters are forbidden.
But the plane stays dry, mostly.
.

Again, I might suggest, easier to beg forgiveness than seek permission on doing those minor repairs and enhancements… The next tenant will thank you as well.

 

[Shepherd]

The airport manager will cancel your lease if you get caught making "improvements". No definition of "improvements". Care must be taken.
Things get done, just not things that are visible or obvious from outside the hanger.
I told a friend he could park his cherry picker in the hanger while he is working on it.
I think some hooligan will install screen in the openings on the roof while it's there.
A bunch of us are also very interested in the date the manager is taking his vacation.