A Standard Door on a Large Opening — Now that's a Stretch
(Elkhorn, WI) - The old adage "your reach should exceed your grasp" has always been a great bit of inspiration, but it really does not apply to those standard door makers who attempt to cover large doorways.
The reasons why this often comes about are somewhat understandable. Architects can and do get comfortable when they have a good source for a product category typically go to that manufacturer first.
Cast a glance on the spec sheet for any standard overhead door manufacturer and once the uppermost regions of the dimension chart fall short of coverage of the doorway there is that seductive, magic phrase - "larger sizes available upon request."
Of course no self-respecting door company sales representative will shrink from exploring these outer reaches of their product. But should the project architect and the factory sales rep reach a deal and embark on a project, peril awaits.
As in most special cases, especially those doorways with widths of over 25', a specialist in large doors is necessary to keep in check those headaches that ominously loom. Relying strictly upon the old reliable standard door manufacturer can result in a door that is much more expensive at the onset and can result in many service visits once it is in operation.
Bear in mind a high rate of traffic does not flow through a large doorway, but when it does the trip is important and any breakdowns can be a severe headache. Also important is this large doorway area can allow the escape of a tremendous amount of HVAC energy and the door plays a crucial role in preventing this loss.
The big difference from a standard door company is the approach a large door manufacturer brings to the project. Though in many respects any commercial door is somewhat a job shop proposition, smaller door makers gear not only their product but their thinking to an off-the-shelf mentality.
For a large door manufacturer every project is made to order and regarded unique. Standard operating procedure for both reps and the engineering department is to ask a lot of questions about usage, building structure and environment before presenting a door solution.
The expertise of the door team has been honed on projects such as aircraft hangars, large storage buildings and facilities for massive mobile equipment. Being able to spot the demands that this size of moving structure will have, the engineers can design a door that fully seals the doorway, provides desired performance and minimizes the maintenance costs that can come from a large door.
Crucial to performance is the knowledge that goes into specifying the parts that contribute to the door's motion – rollers, cables, drives and attachments. Panel load can range from 2 lbs/sq ft up to 14 lbs/sq ft and beyond. These parts will be subjected to tremendous weight. But not only is it important to make sure these parts are strong enough, but also that they are not more than the door needs to keep costs within limits.
The other major consideration is structural integrity. If the panel is not properly supported, it can billow during high winds and come out of its door guides or trip the electric eye when in motion. Even if the door is kept in its guides the billowing of the panel compromises the doorway seal. A large door manufacturer has covered that kind of territory many times and can offer a panel frame that can withstand wind energy.
In addition to these skills, Wilson Doors brings other attributes that can be important to a project. Doors are provided without skins and the frame only, leaving the choice of materials to the architect. Given the large area of the door, a plain "vanilla" skin could greatly detract from the design concept.
Wilson Doors has been involved with projects that have seen large doors covered with brushed aluminum sheets, glass, hi-tech plastic and even composite concrete. The door engineers can work in the weight factors of the on-lays for frame design and motor sizing. Wilson Doors provides a raw milled finish frame which compliments most building designs very well and does a good job of withstanding the weather.
Just because a doorway is large doesn't rule out considering its particular needs. Wilson Doors has in its repertoire four different door styles to match the traffic and building design - steel bi-fold, aluminum bi-fold, singlepanel hydraulic door and steel bottom rolling door.
When size matters, it means, more than ever, providing a door built by an expert company that has the ability to go large to keep door operating problems small.
