In some industries, maintaining a consistent temperature between work areas is essential. For example: sustaining cold storage in a produce department or a humid environment for greenhouse plant storage. In these cases, there’s frequent traffic between the storage area and other workspaces. Companies need to preserve the ideal conditions and control the temperature while still allowing for fast, easy access between the spaces.
In some industries, maintaining a consistent temperature between work areas is essential. For example: sustaining cold storage in a produce department or a humid environment for greenhouse plant storage. In these cases, there’s frequent traffic between the storage area and other workspaces. Companies need to preserve the ideal conditions and control the temperature while still allowing for fast, easy access between the spaces.
For these industries, traffic and service doors are the answer. These doors are also called “impact doors” or “bump doors,” as they’re made to withstand heavy foot traffic in addition to forklift and stock cart traffic. Also included are strip doors, which are curtains made of thick plastic strips. No matter the name, their goal is the same: allow for two-way traffic while maintaining the environmental conditions companies need to store their product safely.
How Traffic and Service Doors Help Maintain Temperature
Swinging traffic doors are manufactured to be durable. An insulated material is placed between the outer layers, and in professionally manufactured commercial doors, this insulated core is bonded to the outer layers. In addition to reducing noise between workspaces, this minimizes energy loss.
Swinging traffic doors are also made with replaceable gasketing along the edges of the doors, which prevents energy from escaping through the cracks.
Choosing a Traffic and Service Door for Temperature Control
There are hundreds of designs and styles available for traffic and service doors. When selecting the right option for your company, take these factors into consideration.
R-Value
R-value, or resistance value, measures how well the door protects against temperature loss. The higher the R-value, the more effective your traffic and service door will be at maintaining a consistent temperature.
Durability
Traffic and service doors are made to be durable, but there are variances depending on what your door will be subjected to. Ask yourself:
Will your service door experience foot traffic or traffic from heavy machinery? A combination of both?
What is the traffic flow pattern like?
Will it be subject to wash-downs? Will those wash-downs include chemicals?
Safety
Especially when it comes to cold storage, safety should be a concern when selecting your traffic door. Consider how your choice of door will affect ice and frost buildup in your workspace.
In addition, frequently used traffic doors present the risk of collisions. Strip doors are translucent, and most swinging traffic and service doors have windows, but consider commercial door accessories to increase safety and awareness.
No matter your industry, American Door Works has the specialized traffic and service doors to help you maintain a consistent temperature for your product. With so many options, choosing a traffic door can be overwhelming—that’s why we’re ready to help. Contact us to start a conversation about the traffic and service door that’s right for your operation.