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As an all-around solution with numerous performance, maintenance, environmental, and safety benefits, rubber doors need to be at the top of the list when the time comes to replace your doors.
By Alice Permigiani

It is time to replace the doors on your transfer station. The thought of planning the project and choosing new doors may feel overwhelming especially if you do not have experience with specifying and/or performing maintenance on doors. To help make the selection process easier, we are recommending rubber doors and will highlight the top three benefits they offer for recycling transfer stations. With safety as the major priority these days, the top two recommended safety options will also be discussed, so you can be armed with practical information that will help you choose a door with confidence that it will be the best one for your operation.

Waste Management: Transfer Stations
As a temporary holding space for the vast variety of waste collected from urban, rural, and municipal locales, transfer stations by nature have unique building requirements that can be a challenge to meet. Transfer stations vary significantly in size and function, with some that allow residents and businesses to drop off small loads of waste and recycling, and others that accept enormous amounts of waste from waste collection trucks prior to aggregation and loading into larger vehicles for transport to the end point of disposal locations. Since no long-term storage of waste occurs at a transfer station, waste is quickly consolidated and loaded into larger vehicles and moved offsite, usually in a matter of hours. In any case, extra-large doors are required to accommodate the large trucks that enter and exit the facility. Because the transfer stations need to be easily accessible to waste vehicles coming from many neighborhoods, they are usually built in locations that are near businesses and homes. So not only does the door of choice need to be large enough to accommodate the waste trucks, but it also needs to seal well, have corrosion-resistant qualities, and be fast enough to minimize the escape of odors and emissions to neighboring businesses and homes.

Top 3 Benefits of Rubber Doors
For transfer stations, rubber doors offer these benefits in conjunction with built-in safety systems, which is why they should be a top consideration when the time comes to replace your doors.

#1: Tight Perimeter Seal and Fast Opening and Closing Speeds Contain Odors and Emissions
Rubber doors seal extremely well all the way around. The rubber curtain self-seals inside the low-profile guide tracks, while a heavy-duty loop seal on the bottom bar seals against the floor. The area between the drive barrel and doorway lintel is sealed using a dense brush seal.
‘In addition to effective sealing qualities, rubber doors are fast. Available with opening speeds from up to 12 inches/second (ips) to 64 ips, the doors open and close very quickly. The combination of snug perimeter sealing and fast operating speeds help to keep odors and emissions contained, which supports compliance with environmental standards and keeps neighbors happy.

#2: Heavy-Duty Construction and High-Cycle Capabilities Keep Maintenance Costs in Check, have a Good ROI, and Support Minimal Maintenance
Rubber doors are constructed with heavy-duty materials that can handle high cycles, with some models able to accommodate up to 500 cycles per day. Rugged, standard industrial-grade components may include aluminum guide tracks, a breakaway aluminum bottom bar, as well as galvanized steel components like roll tube, guide guards, and mounting angles. In addition, designs without rollers, hinges, cables, or drums eliminate crevices where debris could get trapped. This helps keep the door running smoothly since there are minimal catch points that could trap debris and impede smooth operation of the door. Also, rubber curtain materials such as 1/4″ (6 mm) thick SBR rubber, 1/4″ EPDM rubber, and 1/4″ thick MSHA self-extinguishing rubber, hold up day after day in the harshest environments. Some models come with direct-drive systems that are fast, accommodate high cycles, and are virtually maintenance-free, which give direct-drive models a performance and cost advantage when comparing doors.

Remarkably, most rubber doors are impactable, so if the door is hit by a passing vehicle, the bottom bar and rubber curtain break out of the guide tracks, damage free. Facility maintenance staff can easily reset the door, which eliminates a service call, and ultimately saves money. Downtime is minimal since operations are delayed only as long as it takes to reset the door, which can typically be done in a few minutes.

#3: Corrosion-Resistant Qualities Stand Up in Extremely Demanding and Corrosive Waste Environments
By design, standard rubber door components withstand corrosion better than typical rolling steel or sectional doors. As noted previously, three heavy-duty rubber curtain materials are typical on rubber doors. The SBR rubber curtain is excellent for use in general waste management environments such as transfer stations, where composting activities are not present. EPDM and MSHA curtains are considered good choices as well. In addition, the standard aluminum and galvanized components are often acceptable for use in most transfer station locations, however, if the environment happens to require additional corrosion-resistance qualities, rubber doors may be ordered with special corrosion resistant coatings and components that meet those strict specifications.

When it comes to corrosion-resistant qualities and door components, standard finishes like zinc dichromate and aluminum have a ‘good’ performance rating, while painted steel parts have an ‘excellent’ rating. For higher corrosion-resistant capabilities, rather than using galvanized steel components, look for special finishes like stainless 304 and 316, which are ‘excellent’ choices. Also, epoxy finishes provide a ‘good’ level of performance. Overall, for the highest level of corrosion-resistance, it is recommended to choose either painted steel or stainless-steel components for any door components that have those options available.

*A note about operators and control boxes: For general waste management areas including transfer stations, unless a specific substance is notable, the manufacturer’s standard direct-drive or chain-drive operator along with their standard control box will typically meet the specification. If greater corrosion-resistance is needed, although direct-drive operators are maintenance-free as compared to chain-drive operators, direct-drive operators are not recommended for areas where greater corrosion-resistance is required because corrosion resistant protection is unavailable on direct-drive systems. In this case, look for chain-drive operators that are available with OS3 surface protection or in 304 stainless steel, along with stainless steel hand chain, epoxy painted metal parts, stainless steel limit shaft, limit chain, and drive chain. The control box may be either NEMA 4X fiberglass or NEMA 4X stainless steel depending on the specification.

The Top Two Safety Options to Look for on a Rubber Door
To help maintain safety around the door opening, manufacturers include built-in safety features as standard equipment that may include a reversing edge with photo eyes, or light curtain built into the guide tracks. These types of devices throw light beams across the door opening and if a beam is interrupted, the door automatically reverses preventing it from closing on pedestrians or passing vehicles. In addition to these basic safety devices, to elevate safety measures around the door opening, look for additional safety systems like these that may be offered as optional.

#1: LED Traffic Light Signaling System
A light strip is installed either on the guide tracks or at the doorway header. Lights blink identifying colors such as green when the door is open to indicate it is safe to proceed, or red to indicate when the door is closing and to proceed with caution. In addition to mechanical safety devices, visual indicators such as traffic light systems add another level of sensory awareness for an extra level of protection of personnel and equipment at the door opening.

#2: 3D Presence and Safety Sensor with Area Surveillance
One of the most modern safety systems now available is a 3D presence and safety laser sensor that may be used for door activation and/or as a surveillance device at the door opening. The device creates a volumetric area in front of the door opening by generating several angled laser curtains, and it detects objects based on object size, height, speed, and direction. One device alone can cover three functions: opening the door, area surveillance, and safety. Some manufacturers offer a mobile app that may be used to easily configure sensor settings from the ground. This system provides one more electronic layer of safety at the doorway.

#3: Bonus Safety Solution—Intrusion Detection Package
Available from select manufacturers for use with rubber doors and for one of the most advanced building and personnel protection packages available today, look for advanced detection technology sometimes called an Intrusion Detection Package. This type of advanced detection package raises awareness of individuals lingering near the doorway, which supports a proactive means of keeping unauthorized people out. The system can include the 3D presence/safety sensor discussed under item number two, which can identify potential intruders while excluding the movement of known pedestrians and vehicles. The system is triggered when an individual remains within a designated safety field (closest to the door curtain), for a duration exceeding five seconds if the door is in the fully closed position. In addition, the system will include an Audible Alarm and Beacon Light. The alarm and beacon light provide immediate alerts to personnel when someone is standing directly beside the door, possibly attempting unauthorized access into the building. The equipment in this detection package is industrial grade and rated for use in environments with temperatures that reach -4°F (-30°C). If strict corrosion-resistant specifications are required, be sure to check if that is available from the manufacturer.

Rubber Doors are a Performance, Maintenance, Environmental, and Safety Solution
When the time comes to replace the doors at your waste transfer station, rubber doors check all the necessary boxes for this rigorous application. They are available in extremely large sizes that easily accommodate waste trucks, they seal well, have corrosion-resistant qualities, and operate fast, which minimizes the escape of odors and emissions to neighboring communities. Several advanced safety systems are also available with rubber doors, which, most importantly, help keep personnel, visitors, and equipment safe. As an all-around solution with numerous performance, maintenance, environmental, and safety benefits, rubber doors need to be at the top of the list when the time comes to replace your doors. | WA

Alice Permigiani is Chief Editor for Hörmann North America. She has over 30 years of combined experience in sales and marketing in the high-performance door industry and may be reached at [email protected].

Hörmann North America operates six manufacturing facilities, producing high-performance doors, loading dock systems, residential, and commercial sectional doors. Today, the Hörmann Group, based in Steinhagen, Germany, is Europe’s leading supplier of doors. More than 6,000 employees work in over 40 specialized factories in Europe, North America, and Asia to develop and produce high-quality doors, frames and operators, as well as perimeter protection and storage space systems, for private and commercial use. As a family business for 90 years, Hörmann doors have been infused in homes and businesses, existing alongside generations of family experiences and business operations where people live and work—and they continually strive to continue to be—Hörmann. For Life. For more information, visit .