Project Description
Salt Barns & Winter Road Salt Storage
Toro is the UK’s No.1 Supplier of Salt Barns & Salt Storage Buildings
We are the UK’s Largest Salt Barn Provider
High quality salt barns are imperative for the protection of winter road salt.
Salt Barns – or Salt Domes – are the best way to store road salt, from the cold of winter to the heat of summer.
The purpose of a salt barn is two-fold: To both protect your salt stores, and allow you to easily remove it when needed for spreading.
At Toro, our years of experience designing, building and maintaning salt domes and barns means we can construct the exact structure you require. Whether you are limited on space, or suffer from poor ground conditions, our barns, built to the official guidance from the National Winter Service Research Group will help maintain your salt viability.
Why choose Toro shelters to build your Salt Barn?
Toro Shelters is the United Kingdom’s number one provider of salt barns. This is because:
- We design and create the most economical, robust structures, that will stand up to the toughest of conditions, using world-leading design technologies.
- We have designed and built salt barn structures in the most challenging areas, where ground conditions are poor, or space is limited.
- We have an experienced engineering team who will work closely with you during construction, then offer a 20 year Warranty afterwards.
- We design and build structures that improve and simplify the various processes of loading salt spreaders, replenishing salt stocks etc.
A Wide Range of Salt Barns – From Large High Capacity Salt Barns to Small Tactical Stores
No two salt barns are the same. That being said, Toro draws on the experience gained by years of designing and building salt barns. consequently, Toro build salt barns using standard designs that are tried and tested. Further, we take these standard designs and adapt them to meet our client’s requirements. Please take some time to visit our salt barn gallery below.
Land becomes more scarce with time. Especially, where large volumes of salt require storage, our design team will work with you to optimise the footprint. Clearly, It is important to maximise the road salt in as small space as possible. Our Sales Team will be happy to calculate the amount of salt you can store or the space you require.
The Challenge of Winter Road Salt Storage – Environmental Compliance
Winter road salt storage presents challenges for councils and the highways agencies. Firstly, to store road salt appropriately. It is imperative to comply with the Environment Agency (EA) or Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) guidelines. Secondly, unprotected salt piles lose up to 20% of their volume annually proving to be a costly mistake. Finally, there is the need to comply with industry standards to ensure the safety of employees and the general public. Toro Shelters has developed the knowledge, experience and skill set to assist you in full turnkey solutions for salt barns and winter road salt storage.
If it is looked after, there is no reason the structure should not last 25 years or longer. Each of our Salt Barn’s comes with a 20 year warranty, and the high tensile PVC composite membrane is resistant to rot, fire, weather and salt. This means that our barns are both cost-effective and long-lasting.
Each salt storage building is designed to offer a safe and comfortable working environment. For example, to improve access sufficient circulation space is designed in and around the structure. Further, we include concrete retaining walls (push walls) to increase the salt barn capacity. Therefore, inspection, maintenance and repair access is safe and easy.
Additionally, we make our PVC membranes from the highest quality fabric available, and our fabric complies with all relevant fire regulations. This means that the fabric structure cladding is fire resistant, and flames do not propagate or cause burning droplets to fall.
Finally, our steel frames are made from high-grade galvanised steel, designed to last a lifetime and not corrode. They will not readily fail or rot like other materials, such as timber or traditional steel cladding.
Generally speaking, in most cases we can design a custom built salt barn in a week. If the structure is large, it will then take around 60 days to fabricate, and a further 20 days to erect and build it. Our operational staff carry out 80% of the structural assembly at ground level.
During the design process, we will work closely with you to ensure that your new Salt Barn has all the attributes you require, from access and size to the ability to relocate as neccessary.
This means that you can have a custom, purpose-built Salt Barn ready for use in 90 days.
Toro Shelters are all designed and built in accordance with Eurocode design standards. Additionally, they are compliant with British Standard BS EN 1090-1. For any storage solution, we supply CE marked steel which mean our road salt storage products are safe and last a lifetime. Equally, we can design and build to any national codes.
As a matter of course we will always ensure that your structures are Eurocode compliant, and both designed and manufactured to the highest of standards. Giving you the confidence that your Salt Barn will last as long as you need it.
Our philosophy ensures safety and quality. We design all our structures in line with CDM regulations, and provide full structural drawing for every salt barn from the earliest stage of development.
The smallest salt barn we manufacture will hold up to 500 tonnes of winter road salt. A barn of 40m squared is considered a large structure, but ultimately a barn can be as large as you desire.
As a side note: It is more economical to make a structure longer, rather than wider. We will, of course, advise you of this during the design phase of Salt Barn construction.
Toro is an industry member of the National Winter Service Research Group (NWSRG). The NWSRG is the authority on highways winter maintenance. The group recommends salt barns as the best way to store road salt. NWSRG research shows, correctly storing salt greatly increases its condition and ease of use. Therefore, using salt barns ensures salt is compliant with regulations and the standards set down in BS 3247:2011.
Moisture content is the most important factor in obtaining high-quality road salt. Therefore, using a salt barn is the most effective way of controlling moisture.
- We figure out how many tonnes need to be stored, or the footprint the client has to work with.
- Experience and necessity tells our design team how big the barn should be.
- Toro engineers are experienced and have the latest design software to assist them optimise the structure’s strength against cost.
- Certified fabricators set about welding and galvanising the steel structure and Toro’s CNC state-of-the-art cutting/plotting table, then cuts the pattern for the PVC covers which are welded using Toro’s high frequency welders.
If you’re unsure about anything please call us. Our friendly team can offer advice at any stage of your project. Therefore, feel free to sound us out with a quick call or email.
Toro is an award-winning company. We consistently deliver the highest levels of innovation, quality and service in the industry.
A Toro Salt Barn will mitigate risk of running out of road salt
NWSRG research clearly shows road salt is best covered, therefore protecting salt in a salt barn is the only way to ensure your road salt is in the best possible condition.
The risk of insufficient road salt for winter service is unimaginable. Further, having sufficient salt in poor condition hinders the process of spreading salt, but it is avoidable. For example, the moisture content of stored road salt is critical and the target or Optimum moisture content (OMC) is between 1.5-4%.
Toro Shelters have a deep understanding of how to create the right conditions for salt storage. Firstly, the exact OMC is dependent on the nature of the salt delivered. Secondly, where the ratio of fines in the salt pile is high, it is better to have an OMC higher than 4%. Consequently, wetter salt stops the fines blowing away or being inaccurately spread. Equally, if the road salt is normal and wetter than the OMC the following will tend to occur:
- Tunnelling in the spreader hopper.
- Caking of salt stockpiles.
- Leaching from salt stockpiles.
- Poor salt distribution – areas of carriageway under or over salted.
- Rain on uncovered salt piles create dangerous sink or swallow holes.
The Toro 20 Year Warranty
A Toro Shelters salt storage barn is intelligently engineered. They minimise the use of materials. Additionally, all of our Winter Road Salt Storage facilities are built to sustain high snow and wind loads and are designed to last a life-time.
Toro structures are the best solution for a salt barn. They have a high-quality galvanised steel framework. In addition they are covered using an ultra tough, UV stabilised PVC composite membrane. Similarly, this means the cladding is cost effective. Additionally it is impervious to attack from salt. It is also quick and easy to repair if damaged by operators. Above all our buildings will last a lifetime unlike other types of salt barn that are susceptible to rust, fire, rot or not fit for purpose.
Salt Barn Shelter Gallery
A Toro speciality, the humble Salt Barn, is where we have industry leading experience and know how. Consequently the Toro team has gained an unprecedented level of experience installing winter road salt storage facilities across Northern Europe.
Let’s Talk…
Too busy to talk right now?
In short, we’d love to chat about your temporary or permanent fabric shelter requirements. However, we understand if now isn’t the right time. Therefore, please leave your contact details here. We’ll arrange a call back at a time that suits you.
Toro’s philosophy puts clients at the centre of what we do. Therefore, our Sales Team will provide clear and informative advice. Above all, we’ll guarantee the very best return on investment. We’ll also guarantee industry leading service.
Want to get a feel for cost?
Let’s get the ball rolling on your tensile structure. We just need a few details, and we can give you a ballpark costing.