Buyer's Guide to Vinyl Strip Doors
Thinking about buying a vinyl strip door? Here are the basics of what they are, what they do and how to buy vinyl strip doors.
Use of Vinyl Strip Doors
Vinyl strip doors are used in a variety of industrial environments to
allow indoor/outdoor access without losing indoor climate control. They
may also be used to separate climate controlled areas within a factory
or warehouse.
One common place where vinyl strip doors are utilized is at receiving
docks. The strip doors allow for the dock to remain open and
operational without the need to stop to open or shut doors. Forklifts
and tow motors pass easily through the strips as they load semi
trailers.
Another situation that may require the use of strip doors is in a
freezer or cooler. Walk-in Cooler Doors are vinyl strip doors specially
made for freezers and cooler. This type of plastic strip door prevents loss of temperature when
the door is opened and many are USDA approved for use in food
production.
Benefits of Vinyl Strip Doors
Not only do vinyl strip doors help control heating and cooling costs,
they also keep out dust as well as birds when used on exterior
openings. In addition, because the pvc strips are clear, there is two-way visibility which is especially helpful when dealing with two-way
traffic through the vinyl strip door.
Vinyl Strip Door Safety
Because vinyl strip doors are soft barriers, it's important to
properly mark the top, sides and bottoms of these doors to avoid trips
and falls. Many companies offer safety rings in neon colors that can be
used to outline the vinyl strip doors.
It's also a good idea to look
for vinyl strips that have rounded edges so that employees aren't cut
by exposed sharp edges.
Buying Vinyl Strip Doors
Vinyl strip doors can be purchased as a kit or ordered pre-assembled.
Either way, consumers are responsible for the final installation. Cost
varies with the size of the door. Larger vinyl strip doors are more
expensive than smaller ones. Vinyl strip door kits may offer a savings for customers willing to assemble the door themselves.
The biggest choice when it comes to vinyl strip doors is the kind of
strip and the temperature range of the pvc strips. There are more than
30 different types of vinyl strips and the kind of strip as well as the
overlap depend on application and size of the door. Strip overlap
ranges from 50% to 100%. The more overlap, the less the outside weather
comes in and the inside climate goes out.
With regards to temperature range, the clear PVC strips are typically fire
and UV
resistant, but can break if they are exposed to cold temperatures. The
industry has addressed this issue with temperature ranges for vinyl
strips and offers both a low temp clear pvc strip and a standard clear
pvc strip. Any door that is regularly exposed to exterior
weather
should use low temperature pvc strips. Doors that are located
inside can use the standard pvc strips.
In addition to the door, be sure to purchase replacement vinyl strips so that
damaged strips can be repaired without having to wait for an order to
come in. Buy the replacement strips from the same company that manufactured the door to ensure they'll work with your door.
When ordering vinyl strip doors, spend some time speaking with a
customer service representative from the strip door company. Be sure to
have the door measurements handy and know what kind of performance and
results you want from your vinyl strip door.
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Comments
These are great under lots of situations. Good article.
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