A tread pan is the part of a metal stairway that will
create the step, after it's filled with concrete. This type of stairway
is usually found in commercial and industrial buildings. It's not
uncommon to find one on the exterior of a shopping center or business
offices.
Potential Tread Pan Problems
The biggest problem with tread pans is corrosion. If the concrete step
isn't sealed or maintained, it isn't going to take long, before the
moisture in the concrete starts to attack the metal stairway.
Some of the metal stairways that are built to hold small or large
amounts of concrete, in them, don't even have drainage holes underneath
the treads or landings. Even the ones that do, usually don't have
enough.
Corrosion is only going to be a problem if a metal stairway with
concrete steps is near moisture. This makes a lot of sense, if the
stairway is located on the exterior of the building, but this shouldn't
be a problem on the inside of the building, should it.
Actually, it could be, if the stairway is located inside of a factory or
area where the manufacturing process releases some type of moisture or
chemicals, around the staircase. One time we were working in a lemon
concentrate factory, where there were high levels of citric acid that
were highly corrosive. It was hard to imagine how much damage was done
to the wood, metal and concrete floors.
You've probably heard me say this more than once, proper planning and
design could eliminate big problems in the future. The only reason why
I'm using the word could, instead of should is because it's hard to
foresee every single problem.
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