Access Doors — You’ll see these in almost any residential or commercial space. They’re indispensable in maintaining various utilities in any infrastructure, such as electrical lines, HVAC ducts, and even water pipes.
Some of them stand out, and some blend in plain sight, but all access doors provide accessibility when you need it and protection when you don’t.
In this article, you’ll learn more about how the humble access door is essential to running your operation smoothly.
What Is an Access Door?
Essentially, an access door is a piece of equipment to allow access to utilities that you don’t need to access often. Examples include water and gas shut-off valves, electrical boxes, and internet fiber lines. Access doors come in various sizes, use cases, security levels, and materials.
Versatility
Access doors aren’t just limited to indoor wall use either. Access doors are available for exterior applications, floor hatches, and ceiling panels. Some companies even allow a wide range of customization options, so if you need a unique access door, you’ll most likely be able to find a company that can cater to that need.
These access doors also serve the additional benefit of allowing you extra storage. Walls, ceilings, and floors typically have extra room, and you may be looking to add discrete storage to your area. All you’d need is the access door and a metal box to go along with it, and you’ve made more available storage space.
Fire Safety
Yes, the versatility of access doors goes all the way to keeping your building safe from fires. Fire-rated access doors fit into your passive fire protection system. These access doors do not directly stop fires but instead contain them in specific areas and limit the spread of the fire.
Protecting gas lines is a great example of using fire-rated access doors. After all, the last thing you want to do is add more fuel to a fire. Additionally, it’s important to remember that no access door is fireproof. While fire-rated access doors are great for holding off fires for a specific time, you’ll also need a top-notch active fire suppression system and give firefighters access to copious amounts of water within your building.
Aesthetics
Let’s face it, wires and pipes can get messy. You can get away with placing a piece of plywood and painting over it, but it ruins the room’s aesthetics.
With access panels, you get the chance to neatly tuck away these utilities and the opportunity to paint over the panel too. Most access panels come with a primer coat out of the box, meaning you can paint over it while painting the wall or ceiling.
Some access panels, such as a drywall access panel, sit flush with the surface, so all you’ll see is the seam between the door and its frame. Other access doors also hide the seam completely, so you can easily maintain the room’s aesthetic while keeping its utilities readily accessible.
Environmental Responsibility
One of the best frameworks for you to follow in going green is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). LEED is a third-party entity that certifies green buildings. They have world-renowned standards for the design and construction of green buildings.
Access doors help you achieve the standards of LEED certification by adding to your LEED credits. If you’re looking to get started with LEED certification, installing the general-purpose access door surface-mounted access door in your establishment is a great first start.
Get Only the Best
The above aren’t the only uses for access doors. Hopefully, this article could help generate some ideas on how access doors can serve your property.
Remember to do diligent research on your needs for an access panel and find a company with an excellent reputation that can deliver on its promise. You’ll be glad to have invested in a high-quality access door.
