A Great Product to Repair Storage Container Roof Leaks

Eterna Bond and Kool Seal, Different Products for Different Jobs
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In a previous post we reviewed an elastomeric roof coatings called Kool Seal. These types of roof coatings perform very well for preventative maintenance and to seal small pin like holes in shipping container roofs. Additionally, the light color coatings also reduce the heat island effect and the heat buildup on the inside of your container often caused by a darker painted or rusted container roof. Shipping container roofs are the weak link in the whole structure, the main purpose of a container roof is to keep the elements out. Shipping container walls are constructed from heavy duty 14 gauge weathering steel and the posts are fabricated from 7 gauge tubular steel however shipping container roofs are constructed with 16 to 18 gauge die-stamp corrugated sheet steel. These roof systems have very little load bearing capacity, any loading on containers should be distributed to the ground (or boat deck) by the four corner posts, not the roof.

Often shipping containers get a dented roof while being loaded or unloaded from cargo ships. Should the containers roof get a dent in it where water can puddle it should be repaired before it rusts through. If you do find that you have water entering the container, the best fix is to cut out the damaged section of the roof and weld in a new steel roof panel section, however in some situations this is easier said than done. If the if the proper tools and equipment are not available then you need an alternate but still a permanent repair.

White Eternabond Mobile Home RV Rubber Roof Repair 4″ x 10′

The modular building industry uses a product called Eterna Bond to permanently seal the roof seams between modular building sections. EternaBond works on both metal and EPDM surfaces and it is used over and over again to join the roof seams on rented modular buildings. Modular buildings are delivered, set up, and used in sometimes caustic areas like chemical plants for years at a time. When the rental is over the roof seam is cut, the building modules pulled apart then sent to a new location where another slightly wider layer of EternaBond tape is installed right over the top of the old tape seam because the preceding layer is to difficult and time consuming to remove. As the Modular building roofs become aged and have several layers of abandoned seam material a new EternaBond tape layer rarely failed us.

EternaBond is a rubber tape product with adhesive on one side. To install it you clean the surface, brush a primer product on the surface, apply an adhesive to the surface then press on the EternaBond tape. You will immediately have a long lasting water tight roof patch. For added protection you can apply an EtrnaBond chalk to the edges of the patch. EternaBond is available in 50’ rolls starting at 2” wide going up to 48” wide so you can find an EternaBond product for almost any container roof patching need, both emergency and permanent.