Access Doors Make Life Easier

Have you ever had a leaky faucet in your bathtub? When you attempt to investigate the problem, you discover all the plumbing is hidden behind drywall. So now you have to cut a hole in the wall to get to the pipes and valves. Not very accessible, is it? If your contractor installed an access door, you wouldn't have all that mess.

Access doors are even more critical in commercial and institutional buildings due to more stuff that may one day need to be fixed or maintained. Unfortunately, constantly cutting holes in walls and making the necessary repairs can get expensive. For that reason, contractors install a lot of access doors, so it's easy to maintain plumbing, wiring, ductwork, and crawl spaces.

If it might break down and is behind a wall, you're probably going to see an access door—or maybe not! Often, access doors blend right into the wall, and unless you're looking for them, you probably won't see them.

Elmdor ® has a wide variety of access panels and doors in stock. So many that it can be overwhelming to know what to choose. The categories can be broken down by size, location, durability, material, whether they are fire-rated or not, etc. To make things easy, here are a few questions you can ask to help you make the right choice.

1. Do you need a fire-rated access panel, or will a general use panel be perfectly adequate? That's a tricky question, and we'll refer you to your local building codes to answer that. However, a general rule of thumb is that if your wall material needs to be fire-rated, so does your access panel.
2. Is fire-rated the same thing as fire-resistant? No, not at all. A fire-resistant label on an access door just means it's made from fire-resistant materials and will burn or melt slower than other non-resistant materials. However, a fire-rated door has been tested to hold up to fires at specific temperatures for a defined period. As an example, our fire-rated, wall-mounted access doors are fire-rated by Underwriters Laboratories Inc., for 1-1/2 hours, “B” Label, ANSI-UL 10B standard, and in Canada/ULC S104 for 2 hours in walls.
3. Can any door go into any material, i.e., drywall, masonry, and plaster? You can use non-rated access doors in various applications and settings. Still, you want to ask your dealer, distributor, or manufacturer which door is suitable for the wall or exterior material you are installing it in.
• Drywall Access Doors: These panels come in a wide variety of sizes, materials, and finishes, and we design them to accommodate 5/8" and 1/2" drywall.
• Gasketed Access Doors: These access doors are fully gasketed and are commonly used in cleanrooms, laboratories, and operating rooms. We design these doors for masonry, tile, wood, and other wall and ceiling surfaces.
• Plastered Wall Access Doors: These access doors are designed specifically for plaster construction. They have a 3/4" plaster ground for plaster finish.
• Acoustic Tile Access Doors: Acoustical access panels are designed for use with acoustic tile or gypsum board walls and ceilings. They are recessed 5/8" to fit flush, so you barely notice they are there.
4. Is security and durability important in your application? Like commercial facilities, access doors can be helpful for the maintenance staff in institutional buildings. However, special precautions must often be taken against unauthorized access, vandalism, and accidental damage. These doors usually come with safety locks to prevent unauthorized access that would permit dangerous or illegal items to be hidden behind the door. We supply three different models to accommodate different levels of security.
• Security Medium-Duty Access Doors: These access doors are ideal for detention centers, behavioral health facilities, and schools.
• Shur-Lok Access Doors: These doors can be used on drywall, masonry, or concrete and provide the added security needed for schools, hospitals, hotels, and correctional institutions.
• Slammer Access Doors: We manufacture these security access doors with the strength and durability to withstand abusive and vandal-prone conditions.

The next time you are walking through the lobby in an office building, dining out at a restaurant, or even walking the hallways of a hotel, keep your eyes peeled for access doors. And by all means, take a photo of any Elmdor ® access panels you find and tag us on Instagram @ElmdorMfgCo or Facebook!

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