Spring has officially arrived, and while the warmer weather is welcome, it also brings a new set of challenges for warehouses, manufacturing facilities, food production sites, coolrooms and other busy commercial environments.
Rising temperatures, increased insect activity and greater pressure on temperature-controlled areas can all have an impact on day-to-day operations. That’s why spring is a good time to take a look around your facility and make sure your doors, barriers and access points are ready for the months ahead.
A few simple checks now could help improve temperature control, energy efficiency and hygiene, while reducing the risk of problems appearing when the summer heat really sets in.
Check Your Rapid Doors
Rapid doors are designed for busy environments where doors need to open and close frequently without unnecessarily exposing internal areas to outside conditions.
As temperatures rise, their role becomes even more important. A door that is slow to operate, damaged or not closing correctly can allow conditioned air to escape and warm outside air to enter.
Spring is a good opportunity to check the general condition and operation of your rapid doors. Look for signs of damage or wear and consider whether servicing is due.
Preventative maintenance can help identify smaller issues before they develop into faults that cause disruption during the busiest or hottest periods of the year.
Review Your Thermal Traffic Doors
In facilities where people, trolleys or equipment are constantly moving between areas, keeping conventional doors closed isn’t always practical.
Thermal traffic doors provide an effective solution for high-traffic areas, allowing easy movement while helping to separate different temperature zones.
Check existing doors for damaged panels, hinges or seals and consider whether there are areas within your facility where temperature loss is becoming an issue.
The right traffic door can help maintain a more consistent environment without slowing down movement around the workplace.
Inspect Coolroom and Freezer Doors
Coolrooms and freezers work hard throughout the year, but higher outside temperatures can place additional pressure on temperature-controlled environments.
Before summer arrives, inspect coolroom and freezer doors for obvious signs of wear. Damaged seals, doors that don’t close properly or gaps around access points can all contribute to unnecessary temperature loss.
Not only can this make it more difficult to maintain the required internal temperature, it can also increase the workload on refrigeration systems and potentially contribute to higher energy use.
Addressing problems early is much easier than discovering them during a run of 40°C summer days.
Replace Damaged PVC Strip Curtains
PVC strip curtains are a simple but effective addition to many industrial and commercial facilities.
They can help reduce the movement of warm air between different areas while still allowing staff and equipment to pass through easily. They can also provide an additional barrier against dust, debris and flying insects.
Spring is an ideal time to inspect existing strip curtains. Missing, cracked, damaged or heavily worn strips can reduce their effectiveness.
Replacing individual strips or installing a new curtain can be a relatively straightforward way to improve separation between indoor and outdoor areas ahead of summer.
Don’t Forget About Flies and Insects
Unfortunately, warmer weather also means the return of flies.
For food production, hospitality, healthcare, warehousing and other hygiene-sensitive environments, preventing insects from entering a facility can become increasingly important during spring and summer.
PVC strip curtains, rapid doors and other physical barriers can all form part of an effective approach to reducing opportunities for flies and other insects to enter.
The key is making sure those barriers are actually working as intended. Doors left open unnecessarily, damaged strip curtains and poorly protected access points can quickly undermine your efforts.
Consider Air Curtains for Frequently Used Entrances
Where doors need to remain open or are frequently accessed, air curtains can provide another useful layer of protection.
By creating a high-velocity stream of air across an entrance, an air curtain can help reduce the exchange of indoor and outdoor air while allowing people and equipment to move through freely.
Depending on the application, they can support temperature control and help reduce the entry of airborne contaminants and insects.
If you already have air curtains installed, spring is a sensible time to make sure they are clean, operating correctly and positioned effectively.
Prepare Now, Rather Than React in Summer
The best time to discover that a door, strip curtain or barrier needs attention isn’t in the middle of a Perth heatwave.
Taking a proactive approach during spring gives you time to identify worn or damaged equipment, arrange servicing and consider improvements before facilities face the added pressures of summer.
At Concept Products, we supply, install and service a range of industrial door and access solutions, including rapid doors, thermal traffic doors, PVC strip curtains, coolroom and freezer doors and air curtains.
Whether you need to replace an existing product, improve temperature separation within your facility or simply want advice on the most suitable solution for a particular area, our team can help.
Get your facility summer-ready now – before the heat, flies and increased cooling demands arrive.