IBA doors

Hi-

Looking for advice from other operators out there on doors for my in-bay autos. I have 2 autos, neither have doors currently. The water and chem blows around alot, freeze ups are an issue, etc. I am considering doors, but the cost is enormous...

1. Are they worth it? I have heard some say that not having doors makes it clear that you are always open, no one mistakes the doors for a closed wash. Then again, I have had customers pull up to the bays when my manual roll-up canvas doors are down and use the paystation, then call me asking why the doors never went up, so perhaps this isn't an issue.

2. I am in the Northeast so freeze ups are a big concern. ,I have in-floor radiant heat (costs a friggin fortune..) I know that most doors won't provide much insulation, but it seems that any door (and some blown-in insulation above the bays perhaps) would cut down on the cost in many weather conditions. Just not having air constantly moving across the floors should allow the boiler to run less when the temp is a few degrees below zero, right?

3. Brands/cost - who is out there and who is least expensive? (both upfront and ongoing cost of ownership/longevity etc)

4. Type of Operation (air, electric, etc) - what works best?

5. Customer entrapment - I'm leaning towards self-resetting roll up doors simply because of the chance of a spooked customer driving through the doors. Considering some of the incredibly dumb things I've seen done at my site, this is GOING to happen at some point! I wouldn't want an expensive repair bill when this happens, or a frantic stuck customer, or a down wash if they don't call.

Looking forward to hearing responses! Thanks guys.

Mark

Mark, I will be ordering roll up doors from air-lift for my auto tomorrow. I have looked at a bunch of doors,talked with several door owners, and decided to take a chance on vinyl doors. I do like the break away feature with them. I have fought a track door long enough. These will be electric operated doors mounted on the inside of my bay walls. One of my contacts was from the northeast, and he likes these doors a lot. I can give you contact info if you would like.
Kent

Kentadel, I'd like info on the doors, too.

The airlift XRS doors work great. One of the best options i think i have seen on them is if you lose power while a customer is in the wash bay they do not have to sit there and use a crank to open the door, all they have to do is pull the rope and the door goes up it has a counter balance system on the door. We installed these at our company wash to try them out and i am sold on them. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call.

Office # 860-554-5127

i have polycarbonate doors. yes, they are expensive, but they provide a very good seal, keeping out the wind and cold. my iba bay is always around 70 degrees w/in floor radiant and the heating expense is minimal. cars do run into them though. i have cameras in the bay and their insurance has always paid for damages. getting them back into operation after a hit is a bother, but the downtime is only a couple of hours. replace a hinge, a few screws, use my truck to push the bow out of the lower two panels, get it back on track and your back in business. they insulate, are pleasing to the eye and really are pretty indistructable and i've had some pretty good hits, pushing the lower panels completely out of the bay.

Does anyone have experience with wyndstar doors?

http://www.wyndstardoors.com/mainmenu.html

I have a set of Wyndstar doors. They were installed in 2006 and I have spent zero dollars in maintenance. I also have two sets of polycarbonate doors (American and Ultimate). They are significantly more expensive to maintain.
The vinyl rollup doors are the way to go, in my opinion.

Thanks Dave, how is the clear material holding up? I've heard some complaints of it becoming cloudy over time.

I plan to install just one door on each automatic at the exit end. My primary concern is stopping the wind blowing through the bays while the wash is operating.

They say having a door at the "exit end" will drip dirty water over a clean dry car though, we use one only at the entrance end. a few competitors around me have exit and entrance doors and people tell me that they use our IBA for the reason we dont drip dirty water from the bottom of door on their car. we also use the vynil rollup wyndstar door 3 years no issues

It is a little to cold in my area to use vinyl doors so I have been using polycrabonate doors on each end of the auto bays for years. To keep the exit door from dripping on cars I leave the exit door up about a inch off the floor and that reduces the drips. Door operators have been my biggest problem over the years. This year I installed 4 direct drive gear box operators on some doors and have been very impressed with their operation. I have yet to have a door operator problem with them this year.

Weather one has an auto or ss bay doors help with customer returns. The odvious with windy days and in the winter doors on both ends re-coupe energy costs. Keep that frigid air out. Customers in the ss bays hate taking showers when they wash. Pre-soak on the face..are u kidding me.

Clear doors (poly) are the best but the cost yowsers, But clear on one side lets everyone see in. I have a basic metal (insulated) on one end (exit) and poly on the entrance. Many door companies and they all require pre-vent maintenance.