Tag Archives: County Line Concepts

Never Miss a Purlin Again

There is nothing much more frustrating than a leaking brand new steel roof. In my humble opinion, most (if not all) steel roof leaks caused by errant screws could be avoided by simply following instructions and pre-drilling roof panels.

Loyal reader MONTE in FRANKTOWN writes:

“I’m asking for your opinion on the need for a commercially available product/tool that would allow anyone to know with certainty where a purlin is located under a metal panel during installation. I needed such a tool and could not find one so had to create it. It actually speeds up installation while allowing the installer to avoid missing or broken purlins, large knot holes, and know where to screw on even the most warped purlin. This is not a sales pitch but an honest request for your opinion as here in Colorado it seems everyone misses at least 1% of all screws and simply silicones the misses. After successful huge arena installations I’m considering patents and expensive injection molding, assembly, etc., and would greatly appreciate your input beforehand. Also, thank you for all the help I’ve received from all the posts I’ve read in the past.”

Well Monte, thank you for your kind words, my hope is that you have found my posts to be entertaining, educational or both!

I would think your proposed tool would be most beneficial to builders who do not take time (although it is faster in the long run) to pre-drill steel roof panels on post frame buildings they are constructing. These are the same people who love to try to caulk misses, even though this is a strictly prohibited repair. Your challenge is – our market is highly fragmented. Those few large post frame builders take time to adequately train their installers in methods to avoid missed screws (like pre-drilling) and have serious Quality Control programs in effect. Most every burg in our country has a pole barn builder who puts up a handful of buildings a year – and most of these do not invest enough in themselves or their businesses to justify a new tool, even when it will probably save them money and heartache over time. I truly do not know if your investment will ever be recouped.

This past Winter, I attended NFBA’s (National Frame Building Association) 2019 Frame Building Expo. While there, I found County Line Concepts (www.CountyLineConcepts.com) who has designed a better “mouse trap” for punching holes in steel panels.

Please check out this live Expo video featuring Gordon: https://www.facebook.com/polebarnguru/videos/2110669922360329/.

Screw Holes: Predrill or Punch?

I happen to be very, very picky about how a finished post frame (pole barn) building looks. One thing I really notice is if screw lines are straight or not. I have seen some buildings where screw locations appear to have been predrilled using a scatter gun – up and down and everywhere except straight.

Hansen Pole Buildings’ Construction Manual does provide instructions on how to pre-drill screw holes to achieve straight lines. There are other acceptable methods however.

Loyal and long-time reader VINCE in CHAFFEE writes:

“Is using an awl or punch an acceptable alternative to pre-drilling screw holes?”

And he attached this video:

https://youtu.be/DWltNxO-TT4

There are some things missing from this video.

Due to slight length variations, panels should be pushed so downward ends are all flush. Any variability will be covered by trims at top edge.

Steel panels should be held in place to prevent panel slippage. I used to use pairs of vice grips, with felt pads glued on to prevent scarring of painted surfaces.

Punching always seemed to work best when there was something solid beneath punching locations. I normally used a clean scrap piece of 2×4.

Bottom and top of steel panels need to be “double screwed” – a screw needs to be placed on each side of every high rib. Not only is this per manufacturer’s installation instructions, it also is necessary to adequately transfer shear loads, in most instances.

Recently I attended NFBA’s (National Frame Building Association) 2019 Frame Building Expo. While there, I found County Line Concepts (www.CountyLineConcepts.com) has designed a better “mouse trap” for punching holes in steel panels.

Please check out this live Expo video featuring Gordon: https://www.facebook.com/polebarnguru/videos/2110669922360329/

Now a Ridge Runner 3:10™ may be too great of an investment for an average DIYer, however it is certainly something worth investigating for contractors.