What's Behind Door #1

Choosing the right door for your car wash can save you time and money.

Selection of a door system that is well suited for the bus wash environment is just as important as choosing the right wash equipment and building type. Uninformed choices can lead to an overabundance of service and repair issues coupled with downtime that you just can't afford in your operation.

Due to the caustic and high use nature of a good bus wash application, selecting a door with the right materials and design will pay you back in long run. Here are some things to look for when considering a door system for your bus wash.

Choose the Best Door Section Design
Making sure your door sections are constructed with the right materials and with a wash agreeable design can save you major headaches and costs down the road. Always select sections that have tongue and groove meeting rails to shed moisture and to prevent delamination. By specifying polycarbonate sections that are designed for washes, you will reap the benefits of a translucent, lightweight, and rustproof section that will give you years of dependable service. If you absolutely want an insulated type section, always choose a section that utilizes a non-moisture absorbing insulation such as extruded polystyrene. This will save you thousands in replacement costs and add years to the life of your door system. Be aware that polyurethane and expanded polystyrene insulation types have extremely higher moisture absorption rates, using either of these will eventually add weight to the door and cause additional fatigue and failure of your springs, opener and hardware.

Include Rust-Proof and Wash Specific Hardware
In the past, galvanized; hardware, track and standard rollers were really the only hardware choices you had available with your door system. Today, face and hinge hardware, track, springs, torsion shafts, greaseable bearings and bearing plates are available to you in stainless steel and other specialized high use designs. You can include these items on virtually any new door or repair project to give you the best life with the least amount of service issues.
Greaseable bearings and high cycle springs are a must for wet and high use environments. If 100,000 cycle springs are available in galvanized or stainless steel, you will be dollars ahead in long-term costs by demanding them on any new door or repair project. Ensuring that all bearing points on the torsion shaft-line have greaseable bearings will help your system endure the punishment of continual use and will ease maintenance down the road.

Stainless steel tracks are also very important with any good wash bay door. Standard galvanized track will last an average of 2 to 4 years in a wet, caustic environment and the expense of replacing rusted out track can sometimes equate to the cost of a new door, not to mention the unsightliness of "rust drip-down". When considering your new door system, specify track that has stainless steel construction with a 3" angle mounted design.

Other very beneficial advances have been made in the door roller department as well. Instead of the old steel roller of yesteryear that rusted, seized up and wore out quickly, new specialty rollers such as the "Magnum" roller have been developed specifically for wash environments. Featuring sealed or stainless steel bearing designs; the Magnum rollers are hands down the best choice for any wet and/or high use environment. Other Magnum roller features include a UHMW high-density polyethylene tire, and stainless steel stem for long life and reliability.

Specifying stainless steel and other specialty hardware for new doors or repair projects may raise the initial cost of your door system somewhat, but they are a great investment for the future. In most cases, they will reduce your service and repair costs many times over and will help you keep washing without delays.

A Few Words about Automatic Openers
Automatic openers play a very vital role in any well-designed door system. Whether electric or air-powered, the opener should be constructed with as much rustproof materials as possible. Using an opener designed for wash environments is essential. Using draw-bar/ trolley type systems on standard lift doors is the best recommendation for less cable spooling, hang-ups and freeze-downs. Locate electric jackshaft type openers for high-lift doors in adjacent dry rooms if possible to ensure a longer life. If you do not have the luxury of a nearby or adjacent dry room, purchasing electric "car wash" modified openers for location in the wash bay is highly recommended. Always use high quality NEMA 4X waterproof controls. Making the mistake of using standard photo-eyes, control stations and etc will cause safety and service issues that you definitely will want to avoid.

A well-designed door system is extremely important for a trouble free and efficient wash process. Without the selection of a door system suited for the wash environment, you could be doomed to the costs of high maintenance, repair, downtime and frequent replacement. Using these recommendations will help you make the right choices and keep your wash system more efficient and successful for years to come.

About the Author: Kevin Baumgartner, founder of American Garage Door Supply, Inc. has focused his career on designing, manufacturing and distributing door systems nationally for truck and bus wash environments. His organization is responsible for pioneering several wash bay door systems, stainless steel hardware and openers to help you reach your goals for a safe, durable, reliable and affordable door system.