metal carport for hay storage?

[ayrabz]

Finalizing with contractor tomorrow…so I hope some of you can chime in?

Basically, hay storage will be a prefab metal carport (actually they call it a garage or a storage building as it will have sides and a roll up bay door) ‘installed’ on a pressure treated (yes load weight approved) deck.

I had asked? about ridge vents, and contractor feels that would be ‘overkill’ (and I’m not sure if I can even obtain that option in this type of carport/garage purchase?)

but what I want to know is: a metal carport / garage type building…10 ft. sidewalls. one roll up loading door…NOT insulated. For hay storage/stacking, do you feel ridge vents or at roofline vents of some type will be important?

I just don’t know about the storing / sweating/ etc of hay? so I want to be sure at contract of what I should insist on?

thanks so much, guys!!!

[Bluey]

Don’t know where you are, but here, our little feed store uses those carports, without a door, only a cover and three sides, for the hay they sell.
They don’t have any problems with the carports sweating, but we are in the semi-desert.
If you are where it is very humid, I would not know.

[Black_Points]

I would depend on where you live. We had a really humid summer this year in western NY and lots of rain so hard to get in good dry hay. People that stored hay at ground level on pallets over dirt in a wood building or on pallets over cement in a wood building with little ventilation had the hay mold.

At home I have a gambrel roof barn with a cupola and two big end door. Hay gets stacked from floor almost to ceiling and doors are left open with screens and I’ve never had a problem with hay molding. I think the most important thing is that the hay be cured properly before storing and that the storage area has good ventilation to keep the hay dry.

If you have to store your hay at ground level on either dirt or cement (which will sweat when it’s humid) I’ve been told that this method works well. I haven’t tested it myself but it sounds like a reasonable solution. Lay down plastic on top of the ground, then lay down cardboard and then put some straw down and then pallets and then stack your hay with the cut side up. The idea is that the plastic helps keeps the water in the ground and the humid air is attracted to the cardboard and straw. The air space under the pallets allows the hay to have good ventilation.

I would go for at least a ridge vent, and if you can leave the roll up door open at both ends when it’s humid that will help.

cf

[King_s_Ransom]

Ayrabz, I just put in a carport for hay storage this year … just had my winter’s supply of hay delivered and stacked in it last week.

We went with three sides enclosed, left the front open. We installed on bare ground, then after the building was up, I put down geotextile fabric inside the barn and a few inches of limestone screenings compacted on top of that. Then, we found a supplier who sold us beautiful, brand new pallets for $2 each. For $35, we covered the entire 18 x 21 ft. floor with those pallets!

We only put 150 square bales inside, but could have easily stacked 200. Our hay guy went nuts over the set-up, he LOVED it. We left enough space between hay stack and walls to walk all the way around … and we have 6-1/2 ft. of space between the front of the stack and the front opening (that was just by accident – does not represent exceptional planning on my part at all!).

We were going to hang a tarp at the front, but after conferring with our hay guy, we decided to leave it open. With that much “overhang” in the front, we should be fine – plus, we’ll be using from the front-to-back, obviously, so will have even more overhang as time goes on.

Just FYI – there is probably plenty of ventilation in those buildings without adding a ridge vent. The metal is corrugated and it doesn’t really seal up air-tight you know? Anyway, mine does not. It’s a real real nice set-up for hay!

[ayrabz]

Thanks! KR…I remember your thread and pix…so glad to hear its working out so well for you! I think? if I recall correctly, you went with a beefier certified step up…I think ours will be rated a bit less…The ‘nice’ part will be that this will be on its own ‘pallet’ floor so to speak, as it will be a ‘raised’ deck that will be off the ground (actually over a ravine drop off area) so I won’t have the ground contact issue…BUT…I will have all sides enclosed as the ‘door’ side will be prevailing rain/wind storm fronting side unfortunately (but that’s just how the topography has to work) because of it being enclosed fully I’m a bit more concerned with heat build up in summers/condensation, but I figure, hey…if I REALLY find that’s an issue? I guess I can always drill pin holes along the top metal siding strip just under the eaves?

[wildlifer]

You should be able to get pallets for free on craigslist, there are always some around here. I just put my hay in my just assembled shelter for this winter yesterday and I know I want more ventilation. I plan on leaving the front door open when weather allows. Still pondering the best place to install another vent that won’t let rain in.

[Bluey]

We don’t use pallets, all they do is be mice heaven and that here means rattler breakfast is served.

Thankfully, as dry as we are, we can store hay on concrete or dirt, sideways the bottom bales, of course, without any getting moldy.

[PRS]

I live in central Georgia. I store my car under one of those carports and it constantly drips condensation on my car. Hate it and would never store hay or feed under it. However I imagine it depends on where you are and what your climate is.

[ayrabz]

dang, PRS…this will be in central VA and that’s pretty humid too…

[wildlifer]

I have NEVER seen a sweaty carport (spent plenty of time and GA and we get plenty hot and humid here too and we use cheap ones at work for boat/equipment storage). Totally not saying this is not true, there are many variables like particular siting or design or whatever, but –

There are thousands of tons of hay stored all over the SE under carports and similar metal pole barns. By pros and one of my hay suppliers who is a MEGA hay snob and ships stuff in from all over the NE and Canada. And he is an old dude who knows what he is doing.

Like KR, but on a MUCH larger scale, his main two hay barns are basically giant metal enclosed carports with a center aisle. His are built on concrete pads, but there is still a moisture barrier and pallets.

Mine has not summered yet (but I have stacked and stored plenty of hay at other farms), but we are having crazy wet/dry/humid/not/rainy/warm fall weather and I put down three layers of moisture barrier (comes in rolls at hardware store) over dirt/grass cut as short as I could, then a layer of pallets. I also stacked the hay so there is about a 2’x2’ air tunnel through the middle of the stack at the bottom, there is space all around the sides and bottom, it’s not airtight and I will add an additional front and rear vent before spring.

Mine is enclosed because I was space ($$$$$) limited, but I open the door when I’m out there for airing and it smells sweet and dry with no condensation and like happy, happy hay. Since said supplier is also giant hay snob, he will not sell hay that is not already well cured and does not sweat.

[markgrogan]

Climate control looks like it would really help here. It’s pretty hard to get a humidity free area most of the time where I am in Australia. But I suppose that if the volume you’ve got isn’t that much.

[vxf111]

KR did you say the dimensions of your carport? Sorry if I missed that.

[ayrabz]

So interesting to me that this has resurfaced. On a couple levels, really…One: because it is now almost July and this building is still not even ‘ordered’ yet…the ‘deck’ it was to be built on is still just posts jutting high into the air…lumber stacked and still awaiting installing. Lumber arrived at build site in FEBRUARY. Sigh. So so so so over it all.
anyway: TWO because just this past few days, ‘finalized’ with contractor that the metal building will have a ‘flocking’ added on the inside to aid / help any condensation…(something offered as an option from metal garage folk…) and ridge vents, and eave vents. ---- SUPPOSEDLY…deck is to begin install on this Saturday. Dear Lord…please.

[froglander]

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but being in a humid climate I am researching hay storage options. Since this is over a year later, were you able to get your hay shed up? How did it turn out?

[PassagePony]

We use one of those metal garage buildings, ours you can stack, if your good about how you stack and it is tight, 500 bales of hay. We don’t have issues with condensation, our hay is stacked on pallets as well and the garage was put down on a rock foundation. Has been up for 11 years and still doing well.

Ours also has a roll up door, good ventilation up top, and we do leave the roll up door open just a bit in the summer so the hay does have ventilation.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=ayrabz;7264456]
Finalizing with contractor tomorrow…so I hope some of you can chime in?

Basically, hay storage will be a prefab metal carport (actually they call it a garage or a storage building as it will have sides and a roll up bay door) ‘installed’ on a pressure treated (yes load weight approved) deck.

I had asked? about ridge vents, and contractor feels that would be ‘overkill’ (and I’m not sure if I can even obtain that option in this type of carport/garage purchase?)

but what I want to know is: a metal carport / garage type building…10 ft. sidewalls. one roll up loading door…NOT insulated. For hay storage/stacking, do you feel ridge vents or at roofline vents of some type will be important?

I just don’t know about the storing / sweating/ etc of hay? so I want to be sure at contract of what I should insist on?

thanks so much, guys!!![/QUOTE]

We store our hay in a large metal-walled pole building. My biggest concern is moisture coming up from the ground floor, which I solved by stacking pallets and covering them with 7/16" OSB (cheap plywood).

I did install four sets of louvers in the corners of the building nearest the hay since there is little air circulation. Much simpler and cheaper than a ridge vent. If I wanted to ramp up the air circ I’d install a fan driven vent as well.

[susanne]

We’re in northwest Oregon – wet, wet, wet.

We store our hay in a metal shed with a loosely fitted tarp front. I created a pallet sandwich to keep the ground moisture from coming up AND keep the hay from sitting on a nonporous tarp. I put down one layer of pallets, spread the tarp over them, then put down another layer of pallets. We don’t store huge amounts at any given time (we have minis/small ponies), but we’ve never had mold… even the chaff that falls through the top pallets remains good.

[Texarkana]

Where I currently live, the metal sheds and carports have the condensation problem in the humid summer months.

It would probably be fine for storing hay in the fall and winter, but I would not want to purchase hay in the summer months and try to keep it under there!

ETA: I just noticed this thread is 2 years old.

[Jumper_girl221]

I’m in NC and have a metal carport building as a barn, I do have condensation issues and it collects on the ceiling and drips all down inside the barn.

[ayrabz]

Funny that it got re surfaced, but since it did: Haybarn is working great. Remember, mine is up on an elevated deck floor. Almost 18 ? foot off the ground at the back (ravine drop ) and 6 ft. off ground at front of deck for loading dock. And, contractor added the ‘flocking’ to the ceiling at installation. The ridgevent at the apex roof lets a LOT of air in as well and its all working great. I love pulling the pickup and dropping tailgate and walking right on with 4 or 6 bales at a time and driving across the driveway to the barn. http://i594.photobucket.com/albums/tt25/ayrabz/hay%20barn%20tractor%20shed%20manure%20bins%20Feb%20%20%202%200%200%201%205/untitled_zpsz7wdlrky.png