The vinyl or plastic products known as "strip doors" are getting a lot of recognition lately as companies, public works administrators and others scramble to implement energy efficiency. Federal promotions of energy efficient products and other incentives have got this ball rolling, and one great option for controlling energy expenditure are these door sealing products that block air from escaping across a threshold.

In many businesses, staff members rarely attend formal training in order to find out how to place or use strip doors in their various capacities. But businesses might be looking to the net for handy resources on how to find the best strip doors education and training for their enterprises. Businesses can find information online about:

1. Products from strip doors and strip curtains suppliers that keep chilled air in a specific area, lowering energy costs.

2. Plastic or PVC strip doors for a refrigerated truck or piece of equipment.

3. Exterior plastic strip doors for dealing with seasonal energy expenditure.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use large directory type sites for finding strip door solutions

Often, business leaders can huddle over a selection of links from a directory type site to locate strip doors, vinyl or PVC strip curtains, or other options that fit their business needs. These sites bring together a wealth of information about using strip doors for optimal temperature control.

I recommend: Use the Access My Library site to get access to a supply of materials on strip doors and weather strips, and temperature control solutions. For more resources on strip door building and construction, check out AEC.CADInfo.net, part of a larger site for the building industry. Or seek out those with more knowledge of strip doors and curtains at MasterSeek online.

Find resources for exploring strip doors as energy saving investments

As previously noted, the energy savings offered by simple strip door products is part of the reason they are so popular: businesses can find more details and explanations of how to promote 'green' business with strip doors at sites from government agencies involved in helping business leaders ramp up energy and cost savings for a win-win solution.

I recommend: Look for training on industrial strip doors and curtains as energy savers for supermarkets and other facilities directly from the government from pages on the federal ENERGY STAR program. Or find more on energy saving with these kinds of products from pages like this one, a product of a San Diego utilities agency.

Find more from handy strip doors info pages

Other public web pages offer more details on using and maintaining vinyl strip doors and similar installations. They may include helpful visuals, engineering tips, or step-by-step instruction.

I recommend: Get visuals and information on some strip door designs from Indoff in a blog post format. The info pages at Simplex show some options for mounting commercial vinyl strip curtains for freezers and other areas.

PVC strip doors serve the dual purpose of providing a translucent barrier while allowing easy access. If you're in the restaurant or delivery business, or if you have a docking bay at your company, think about using plastic strip doors.

Industrial strip doors consist of strips of PVC vinyl that hang across an entryway. For areas that have constant traffic, yet need separation, industrial strip curtains provide the ideal solution.

1. Use a strip door for easy access to a refrigerated unit.
   
2. Find strip door manufacturers who can customize a delivery door.
3. Save by adding strip doors to refrigerated trucks.
   

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Choose plastic strip doors for walk-in coolers or freezers

Strip doors, also called vinyl strip curtains, can help you go green when it comes to energy costs. The barrier can keep the cold in and the warmer air out, causing your compressor less work and thus less maintenance. Another aspect is that you will have less frost on products and compressor coils as warm and frigid air will be kept apart. This will extend the shelf life of perishables up to 50%

I recommend: Check out Strip Door World and view several options for plastic strip doors for restaurants. View sizes and estimate prices at StripDoorsForLess.com.

Look for PVC strip door manufacturers for your delivery door needs

An advantage of strip curtains is that they can reduce heating or cooling loss from the building at your docking bay, resulting in energy savings. They also can lessen the possibility of outside intrusions from dust, birds or other pests entering your business, contaminating your product or shelves.

I recommend: For strip door manufacturers, check Chase Doors for strip doors as well as hardware for installation. Go to Tresk Industries, which carries standard PVC strip doors and those rated to withstand temperatures of -40 degrees for colder climates.

Add vinyl strip doors to refrigerated trucks

Go green for the environment and add green to your wallet by adding PVC strip doors to refrigerated trucks in your fleet. The plastic barrier will save you energy costs by decreasing fuel consumption. Trucks can be shut off for a time while maintaining a stable temperature within. Saving costs on fuel can give you the edge on your competitors.

I recommend: For truck strip doors, try TMI or Cool Curtain Industries. Also check Modern Materials Handling; its ribbed PVC curtains hang straight without warping in the cold, creating a better barrier.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  While checking out some of the sites above for plastic strip doors, check the strength of the plastic, the width of the panels and the overlap. Also see whether you can order bulk PVC material to create your own vinyl strip doors, which may result in a savings versus ordering completed doors.

Strip doors, which are composed of hanging strips of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or plastic, are useful for protecting workers and goods from adverse conditions while still allowing light to pass through them. In addition, it helps in supervision of work while still controlling temperature and noises.

A strip door provides insulation against noise, heat and dust, while being economical and easy to install. You can install strip doors to enhance the look of the workspace. Strip doors or curtains are made of various materials, such as plastic, vinyl, or PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

Read on to understand key terms related to strip doors.

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Vinyl strip doors

Vinyl strip doors speed the movement of materials between two areas, as the operator need not be hassled by opening doors, holding them and moving goods through them.

I recommend: To learn more about vinyl strip doors, you can read through the information at USAgNET.com. You can also get more information about vinyl strip doors at Bargain Enterprises / Garage Door Parts, LLC., a manufacturer of strip doors.

PVC strip curtains

PVC (polyvinyl chloride) strip curtains are lightweight curtains that have PVC strips. PVC curtains are very useful in heat and pest control at warehouses and are available in varying thicknesses to suit different requirements.

I recommend: You can find useful information on PVC strip curtains at Arrow Shutters Security Ltd. and PVC Curtains, manufacturers of strip curtains.

Strip overlap

Overlapping strips of plastic or PVC gives strength to the strip door or curtain. Typically, overlapping involves forming two rows of strips that concave towards each other, giving it the desirable strength.

I recommend: To determine which kind of strip overlap will suit your application, read through information at Chase Doors, a manufacturer of doors for industrial applications.

Ribbed strip doors

The material for a ribbed strip door comes from processing PVC into a clear ribbed plastic. The wider the strips of this material, the better the protection it offers.

I recommend: If you want to learn more about ribbed strip door material, read through information at Loading Dock Supply, a manufacturer of loading equipment.

Mount hardware

To install strip doors, you will need a hardware component that acts as a base for the doors. Mounting hardware comes in a wide variety, such as wall mounts, jamb mounts, pipe mounts and standoff mounts. Depending upon the type of strip door you require, you will need to use the appropriate mounting hardware.

I recommend: You can learn more about the types of hardware useful in strip door installation at Pvcstrip.com, a supplier of strip door kits.

Welding strips

Welding strips provide protection in areas where welding processes emit sparks and flames continuously. With clear strip doors, you can easily monitor welding activities.

I recommend: You can learn more about welding strip protection at FS Industries, a manufacturer of industrial material handling equipment.