​Protect Your Commercial Building with Weather-Resistant Access Doors

Access doors provide various benefits to commercial buildings. You can find them installed in ceilings, walls, floors, and even on the outer part of an establishment. Professionals require access door insulation to protect vital electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems.

These fixtures require a concealed area for safety and are accessible whenever repairs, maintenance, or checkups are needed. To ensure the longevity of these fixtures, you need an access door that can surpass any environmental conditions.

What are Weather-Resistant Access Doors?

Professionals manufacture weather-resistant access doors from durable materials such as stainless steel, steel, or aluminum that can tolerate environmental conditions. This is usually common for exterior access doors since they endure various external factors such as temperature changes, contaminants, strong winds, rain, heat, and snow. The advantages of installing weather-resistant access doors are not only limited to their ability to tolerate extreme environmental changes but also many more.

Benefits of Weather-Resistant Access Doors

Durability

The most common material for weather-resistant access doors is galvanized steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. These metal types can withstand even the toughest of rain and piercing heat, tested by professionals, without affecting the fixture inside the access panel.

Safety and Security

Some building components can be a safety hazard to unauthorized personnel if left exposed. Examples are your electrical systems, HVAC, and other mechanical fixtures.

Imagine an exposed electrical wire that suddenly sparked in a high-traffic area. Alarming right? To ensure the safety of your commercial building, whether inside or outside, installing weather-resistant access doors like exterior insulated access doors are a wise investment.

Weather-resistant access doors are not only known for their durability, but some options also come with quality locking mechanisms that only authorized personnel can access whenever professionals conduct checkups, repairs, or maintenance.

Corrosion-Resistance

Weather-resistant access doors, especially exterior ones, often deal with environmental changes, making the product susceptible to corrosion. Fortunately, the standard materials for exterior access doors are corrosion-resistant.

• Stainless steel also contains a high percentage of chromium (at least 18 percent) which is more reactive than iron. The chromium oxidizes instantly and forms a protective coat of chromium oxide on the metal. This oxide layer prevents corrosion while keeping oxygen from reaching the underlying steel.

• Aluminum contains almost no iron. Without iron, the metal will not corrode but oxidize instead. When exposed to water, aluminum oxide film forms on the material's surface. The complex oxide layer is unsusceptible to further corrosion and protects the overall metal.

• Galvanized steel does not rust easily but will after a long time. This carbon steel type is galvanized or coated with a thin layer of zinc. The zinc is a barrier resisting water and oxygen from reaching the steel, creating advanced corrosion protection. Suppose the zinc-coating is scratched off; it will still protect the nearby areas of the overall steel through cathodic conservation and by creating a protective layer of zinc oxide. Zinc is also highly reactive to oxygen like aluminum when in contact with moisture, and the coating intercepts the iron in the steel from oxidation.

Longevity

Because of its durability, resistance to weather and corrosion, quality insulation, safety, and security, this access door type will surely last for a long time. Longevity is also convenient since you will not consider access door replacement soon. The longevity of weather-resistant access doors allows you convenient access to vital commercial building fixtures and can also help you save costs on repairs after a long time.

Common Types of Weather-Resistant Access Doors

Steel Weather-Resistant Access Doors

This access door features a 2" thick insulated .040 aluminum door. It also has an EPDM foam rubber bulb seal stainless steel hinge. To top it all off, manufacturers finished this access door with a powder coat gray primer. For its locking mechanism, it has a locking and non-locking handle.

Aluminum Weather Resistant Access Doors

This access door is universal, exterior, and non-rated with a piano hinge aluminum and a 20 ga/1mm plate or aluminum that delivers strength and rigidness. It also comes with a key-operated turn latch closure for extra security. It consists of a welded aluminum frame and an internal aluminum frame with an aluminum inlay suitable for either right or left-hand operations.

Waterproof Exterior Access Panel

A waterproof exterior access panel typically has a frame with 16 gauge galvanneal steel completed with a prime coat white finish and slotted holes. It also has a 1" thick, rigid foam insulation and a neoprene gasket on four edges.

Experts developed and engineered this access door to access exterior applications by resisting water and vapor to ensure long-time protection against external elements. This access door is also available with different latching systems that the clients can choose, such as screwdriver latch, Allen key latch, cylinder key lock, and mortise cylinder lock.

You can purchase many types of weather-resistant access doors from Access Doors and Panels, where we provide various access doors for any of your construction necessities. Request a quote or customize the access panel size you want. Contact us now at (800) 609-2917 for more details!