How to Clean and Maintained Tensile Fabric Structures - PVC and PTFE ?

Tensile membrane structures basically required very little maintenance. However, particular design solution, local environment conditions and whether might introduced particular maintenance requirements.

Tensile Fabric Structures International Company would like to provide general guide for all owners of the tensile fabric structures and to help them assessing the requirement for maintenance of fabric structures.

The periodical inspection and accessment on atmospheric agents: such as wind, sun, rain, microorganisms, dust and diverse pollutants.

Periodic or specific inspections;
Periodic or specific cleanings.

The design of the tension fabric structures depends essentially on:

•    the working position of the fabric : i.e. in a vertical position the dirt build up will  be less than in a horizontal position;
•    the exposure of the fabric to climatic (rain, hail, wind) and organic (leaves, pollens, dusts, pollutants) precipitation;

Maintenance Inspections

Annual Inspections

The annual inspections must consist of visual inspection of the fabric structures in order to assure its original design condition.

•    tears on the sides of the fabric on the edges;
•    peeling off and opening at the welds on the membrane fabric;
•    broken yarns and tears in the sewing points for fabric structures;
•    abrasion of the fabric on the surfaces touched on other element;
•    cables thread opening up and sharp edges;
•    heavy build up on the  surface of dead leaves, insects or organic materials might cause reaction on the fabric membrane.
•    Heavy build up of sand.

Specific Inspections

Inspection immediately after an unusual events. Exceptional events include:

•    storm with winds of over 70 km/h but more than the design;
•    impact by massive objects that fall on the fabric may cut or abrade the fabric structures;
•    ponding of stormwater, sand and snow on the fabric;
•    lightening strike;
•    Change of weather too hot and cool;
•    initial erection and tensioning of the fabric.

Cleaning Procedures for Fabric Structures

Personnel shall wear safety harnesses and use safety ropes at all times. The fabric can become very slippery when wet or dusty.  Personnel should also wear soft rubber white and no sharp objects attached to their person. (screw driver and etc)

Cleaning

Cleaning of the fabric is required if :

the fabric appears unacceptably dirty that effect aesthetics of the tensile fabric structures;
no cleaning has been perform more than two years;

If there is loose and/or heavy build up of dirt, first remove all dead leave and sand on the fabric. Use very soft sponge brush down the fabric using a soft brush and rinse the fabric with clear water on both sides.

General cleaning only requires water with a 1% to 5% concentration of household (dish washing food safe) liquid detergent added, by sponge mop or rag, then hose off with copious amounts of low pressure clean fresh water. DO NOT USE HIGH PRESSURE WATER SPRAYS as these will damage the surface coatings.

Where dirt retention or build-up is described medium to heavy please contact your manufacturer strict accordance to the manufacturer’s instructions. Or contact tensile fabric structures International company.

Inspections of the fabric structures required after cleaning to access for potential damage on the fabric structures:

Small holes, cuts etc.
Abrasion - Remove source of abrasion (usually tree branches).
Coating peeling off.

Tension in the fabric will vary with the type of fabric structure but should never be “slack” - tension should be “drum like” when hit firmly with an open hand.

Certain build-ups might be difficult to remove by the cleaning procedure because :

Build-up of mineral origin: fats, tars, calcareous;
Build-up of vegetable origin : leaves, pollens, resins;
Build-up of animal origin: bird excrement, dead insects.

The nature of these build-ups can often cause an unsatisfactory cleaning and implicates the use of solvents, which might damage the fabric. Also, before any intervention, it might be prudent to evaluate the necessity of the operation, and to ask the advice from Tensile Fabric Structures International Company.

Therefore, the following procedures and products SHALL NOT BE USED:

abrasives of every nature, powder, asters, liquids, sponges, etc… generators of pressurised steam;
the use of the following organic chemical products : acetone,  gasoline,  benzene,  fuel, kerosene, perchlorethylene, terebenthine, toluene, trichlorethylene, and petrol.
the use of the following inorganic chemical products : ammonia, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, soda, caustic soda, leach.

ALCOHOL OR SPIRIT BASED CLEANING PRODUCTS MAY DAMAGE THE FABRIC COATINGS and consequently reduce the service life of the fabric.

Note:    There are some staining agents where it may not be possible to remove stains without damaging the protective coatings of the fabric.

Maintenance of Structural System of Fabric Structures

Fabric structures required routine and regular inspection and cleaning, tensile fabric structural elements must be regularly inspected for structural integrity annually.

Fabric Structures Fittings And Accessories

This tension fabric structures system fitting and accessories will consist of one or more of the following: -

Bolted clamp plates
Steel edge cables and canternery cables
Sail track for fix connection
Tie back cables
Under fabric and over fabric cables
Clamp plate on steel or wall

These fabric structures fittings and accessories are components are usually made of galvanised steel, aluminium or stainless steel or structural steel (painted or powder coated).

Inspect for fabric ‘creep’ where it is clamped at the fabric membrane plate connection.  Smoothness on the fabric surface. Fabric with flat surface is critical especially the fabric  membrane showing the sign of loosening over the period of long extended of time.

Supporting Structure

This will consist of framing, columns on the tension fabric structures system.

Inspect for tightness of connections on pin and joints, excessive deflection or distortion on steel, damage and corrosion on the surface of the coating.

Footings

The primary areas to inspect are Holding Down Bolts for fabric structures .  These consist of HD chemset anchors, cast-in bolts for fabric structures.

Inspect for tightness of nuts, corrosion on soil, crumbling of grout and concrete footing.