Can Your Signs Withstand the Weather?

As commercial signage goes, the weather is your worst enemy. Here you have daily threats and combatants in the form of extreme temperatures, rain and wind. While a sudden storm could send your signs sailing to the ground, it does not have to be that way. Let us help you. Here at PWM, we solve gas station price sign dilemmas.

High Temperatures and Excessive Heat

In the summer heat when temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the first thing that can go outdoors is a sign. Buckling surfaces, scarring LCD screens, and glare from the sunshine are just a few of the issues we see. To protect against the heat, consider these signage solutions:

• Install signage using LCD, plasma or LED screens away from hotspots
• Add anti-glare glass for signs under direct sun
• Look for screen enclosures with fans or other cooling elements

You should also contact a professional sign installer to have an audit of your site for other thermal management requirements to help break the heat, sun and shine.

Frost, Snow and Cold Weather

As the temperatures start to drop, this can create serious havoc for signage. Some of the most problematic issues that cold weather causes with commercial signage include:

• Frost preventing clear LED or LCD visuals
• Cracks due to frozen water expansion after thawed snow
• Bending poles due to heavy snow piling on top of signs
• Cracked sign elements due to freezing temperatures

If you are a company in a cold climate, consider thermal management technology that includes heating elements to maintain warmer temperatures inside the sign casing. Fabrication materials for your signage should be weatherproofed against cold temperatures and cold-related weather conditions including snow.

Gusting Wind Conditions

A common weather condition, strong winds are often devastating to signage. These occur without warning and can twist and snap tall, sturdy signs, as well as relocate smaller, seemingly more stable signs. Features that will help protect against wind damage and distress from dust storms are:

• Flexibility
• Ability to sway
• Spinning in the breeze
• Rugged wear

The idea here is to prevent signs from being flipped over, broken or flung into the air when high winds hit. Whether you are a business owner in Tornado Alley or you have a property in a high wind location, your signs must be made to withstand the currents. Otherwise, your investment in signage will be at a loss when the first gust goes through.

Heavy Rains

Beachfront businesses, mountainside shops, and companies based in tropical locales all experience rain on a frequent basis. Here you have a whole new slew of conditions to worry about for protecting signage. For most businesses in rain-soaked locations, these issues include:

• Rusting of bolts
• Short-circuited electronic interfaces
• Leaks in LED panels
• Overly soaked ground around sign poles

To combat these problems with your commercial signs, choose anti-rusting materials during fabrication. Also, look for water resistant electronic solutions that are designed to prevent water damage. Your lighting panels should be made with waterproofing sealant to protect the lighting panels from leaks. Finally, the use of concrete along with a professional survey when erecting the signs will save you from the headaches of falling signs after heavy rainfall.

For more signage solutions for any weather conditions, contact PWM in Houston, Texas.