Your outdoor components are as important as your building’s indoor mechanisms since they are part of the system that helps your facility operate safely daily. These components require external access doors to protect them from animals, people, and weather which may damage them over time. This article will teach you more about an exterior access panel and its usage.
What is an Exterior Access Panel?
An exterior access panel is a type of access door that most building contractors install to protect the building’s external components, including but not limited to cables and wirings, fuse boxes, heating, and cooling systems, ducts, and plumbing systems. They come in various sizes but are durable enough to last for years.
Additionally, the exterior access doors can serve as quick access to the maintenance and repair team whenever a quick routine check of essential utilities and equipment is needed. Right now, two of the most used exterior access doors are airtight/watertight and aluminum-insulated access doors.
Airtight/Watertight Access Doors
Airtight and Watertight access doors are perfect for outdoor areas that need high protection. These durable exterior access doors can sturdily prevent air and moisture from contacting sensitive equipment, making them ideal for fuse boxes, internet switches, and heating/cooling system applications, just to name a few.
Also, install water-resistant exterior access panels if you need protection from heavy snow or rain. The access door will reduce the risk of these components getting wet.
Aluminum Insulated Access Door
Aluminum’s durability and corrosion-resistant features make it one of the best exterior access doors for protecting systems outside the building. Its lightweight materials perfectly hide and conceal cables, wirings, fuse, and other out-of-doors essential gears and components. Its insulation also helps lessen sound and air transfers and makes them perfect for installing near noise-generating systems such as generators and HVAC systems. Moreover, aluminum is highly corrosion resistant, so you can rely on aluminum-insulated access doors to protect your equipment daily.
Choosing the Right Exterior Access Panel
Although there are different kinds of access doors that you can install in your house or building, these entry doors have other characteristics, features, and advantages. Putting the right access door at the right location adds more protection to your components. Here is a quick step-by-step process to choose the right exterior access door.
Step#1: Determine the Reason Why You Need an Access Door
Knowing why you need an exterior access door makes it easier for you to determine which kind of access panel you are to buy. You can also utilize the entry door’s features. Take, for example, the airtight/watertight access doors. Putting this in common areas that do not need proper sealing is not advisable. Instead, use these doors in locations where they can best serve their purposes, such as hospitals, test centers, and research laboratories prone to getting viruses, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.
Step #2: Match the Materials
Exterior access doors must complement the materials which you are installing. Insulated access doors are ideal in areas where you don’t need NFPA codes. Use fire-rated access doors when the place needs to follow the local and national fire-rating guidelines strictly. For components that are heavily exposed to the weather daily, select the stainless steel access panels for outdoor use as their materials’ durability can withstand different and damaging climate situations.
Step #3: Check Your Options
Construction and retail companies have a comprehensive list of access doors that you can buy. However, you must ensure that these access panels have the quality you want. They must be sustainable to last for a couple of years. Most importantly, they must have the correct sizes and be durable enough to protect the exterior components completely.
Step #4: Check the Location
Knowing the location also helps you pick the right access panel. A fire-rated access door is best installed in fire-rated walls, roofs, or floors not to compromise the reason you are installing fire-rated materials. Installing it on a suitable surface guarantee that the components are well-protected from the spread of fire, giving you ample time to contact a fire rescue team.
Step #5. Look for Trustworthy Suppliers
You might see a lot of reasonable offers everywhere. Don’t fall for this trap. Always look for a reliable supplier with a proven track of providing excellent quality access panels for outdoor components. Otherwise, your building’s wirings, cables, heating, and cooling systems’ safety might be compromised, costing you more for replacement or repair. Thus, only select the best quality exterior access door for your buildings.
Conclusion
Exterior access panels can protect your building’s essential components, wiring, plumbing, ducts, and even HVAC systems from water, air, heat, and moisture. They are also specifically designed to provide quick access for the repair and maintenance team to get into the HVAC system quickly and safely.
Additionally, they have an advanced lock mechanism that keeps the components safe from any forced entry. Some companies even offer customized access doors with superior latching systems that best fit tour needs. So, start visiting reputable hardware and shop for exterior access panels now and keep your outdoor components safe and secure!
