Metal Construction News, January 2021

IN THE DETAILS Know Your Doors Door longevity maintenance costs and quality investment By Jon Fehr Major storms during the summer of 2020 caused widespread damage across the Midwest The most vulnerable component on every building is doors Put your business in a good place with solid components itll help you sleep better As buildings get bigger to accommodate bigger equipment they require larger heavier doors Higher grade heavier duty frames and hardware should be used with these big doors Use of nonengineered non wind rated doors are more a risk for your business than they are for your customers its not a risk worth taking Everything else you use in construction is engineered why skimp on the most vulnerable part Take advantage of high quality components The door is the only part of the building thats touched or operated daily its the only part of the entire envelope that must actively work Quality sells itself for you Its your brand written in bold letters on the gables whether its good or bad everybody will know you built the structure Even if you had nothing to do with the door its still your brand on the building A Hole in the Wall If your method of operation has been to only build the building with a hole in the wall and let the owner get the door thats not necessarily bad I was once in that position too Theres plenty to do in just building the box But ask yourself Is that truly the best solution The garage door industry is growing Challenge yourself and take advantage of that growth by finishing the building If you think installing a door is too much trouble remember your name is on the gable above the door even if you had nothing to do with it Sliding Versus Sectional Before a door is selected important questions need to be answered Does the owner want hundreds of moving parts on a sectional door versus four on a slider or 14 on a swing out What is the true cost of ownership and maintenance per door system Can the door be insulated Why have sliding doors become somewhat extinct Doors are moving objects that require moving parts As with any operating device parts that move are typically the breaking point Any component that requires many moving parts typically means more investment up front and costs more for lifetime operation For example a sliding door has two trolleys two moving part components per panel By comparison a sectional overhead panel with operator can mean hundreds of moving parts depending on the overall size Now calculate the cost of ownership It only takes 80 to 90 mph winds to destroy some doors This is an all too common scene across the Midwest Doors typically get replaced with something other than sliding doors because of customer frustrations I Beam Sliding Doors are wind rated for 115 mph A slider thats built right will outperform the sectional A well built sliding door typically lasts 40 years a sectional typically lasts 25 to 30 years Service costs on sectional doors with all the moving parts can be significant How long a door lasts and how much maintenance costs all depends on the upfront investment in quality Jon Fehr is owner and founder of I Beam Sliding Doors Chenoa Ill a manufacturer of heavy duty lightweight sliding doors for the building industry To learn more visit www ibeamdoor com email info@ ibeamdoor com or call 815 945 3667 32 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS January 2021