Doors matter. There are two styles of doors common in the portable storage container industry: roll-up and barn-style doors. Every unit at STORsquare features a barn-style door since we have found them to be easier to use and more reliable over time. Here is why:
Roll-up Door Features
Roll-up doors have the benefit of requiring very little space in front of the container to access the door. Since the door “rolls up” into the space above the opening, there is no need to have clearance for the door in front of the container. You would still need enough space to load items including large pieces of furniture into the container, which is often more space than doors would require. These container doors present a clean opening to the container as the doors roll into the unit instead of swinging outward. Roll-up doors require some clearance inside the container to ensure the doors can move without contacting or being jammed by the items stored inside.
Barn-Style Door Features
Barn-style doors require a few feet of clearance on the outside of the storage unit in order to swing open. STORsquare container doors have clips that can be used to secure the door to the container while open. The clips hold the door to prevent them from swinging in the wind when loading. Barn-style doors also give the customer the opportunity to load the container all the way to the door opening, since no clearance space is required for the rolled-up doors on the inside.
Why do you want to have a container with barn-style doors instead of a roll-up door?
There are other considerations when it comes to a roll-up door as well. The mechanism for the doors is more complicated and has greater opportunity for failure. This can impact the ease of use or water-tightness of the storage container. Once opened, the door is stored in a cylinder at the top of the unit which takes up potential load space. There have also been several incidents reported where contents inside a full container have shifted so that they prevented the roll-up doors from being opened once the unit arrived at the customer’s new home. This can be an incredibly inconvenient and expensive occurrence if the homeowner is paying movers to unload the container but are unable to open the unit due to the roll-up door being jammed. Sometimes the doors can be unjammed using a broom handle, or other long tool. The broom can push the items off the door long enough to open. Unfortunately, some scenarios require a service call to a rolling door specialist.
Roll-up doors also require balancing of the coil springs to ensure the door remains up when rolled and does not fall closed unexpectedly. It can also make the door difficult to close if it is out of adjustment. For either style of container door, it is important to note that any damage to the doors or door frame could impact the weatherproofing of the storage unit. Denting, bowing, or puncturing can create an opportunity for moisture to enter the unit. At STORsquare, we pride ourselves on a high quality, clean, weatherproof storage unit. If you suspect your unit has been damaged, please contact your storage container provider as soon as possible.
Take a look at our team member, Stephen, describing the benefits of a barn-style door instead of roll-up container doors. He takes some time from our warehouse in Kennesaw to walk through the differences. https://www.facebook.com/STORsquare/videos/1417594918389971/