News from the Cromer Team

Two Reasons to Install Bug Doors in Your Warehouse before Summer

The recent warm weather has our customers looking ahead to summer. As a result, we’ve been getting lots of calls for bug doors. When you’re working in a hot warehouse during summer, you’d love to roll up the big warehouse doors for ventilation, right?

But this can let insects and rodents into the warehouse. The USDA, of course, requires that all food source businesses secure their doors, so leaving a warehouse door open isn’t an option.

What’s a Bug Door?

Bug doors are basically giant screen doors. They cover open doorways, roll-up doors, and even man/exit doors. They’re made of a fine mesh to let air through, with bright yellow strips to identify them to workers (so nobody walks into one).

You can get two types of warehouse bug doors. A manual operation type is like a window blind. Pull it down, or tug on it to make it go up. A high cycle type is motor operated. You can open & close these more than 100 times per day.

On average, bug doors last 5-7 years, as long as nobody drives a forklift into one. (Which does happen!) The most common cause of wear on a bug door—holes or tears in the screen—comes from impacts. If you use them, make sure all your workers know to watch where they’re going!

What Does a Bug Door Do for Me?

You get two benefits from using bug doors:

1. Better air circulation through the warehouse. Letting in outside air with bug doors improves air circulation, up to 35%. That helps employees stay comfortable and productive.
2. Stopping bugs, birds, and other pests from getting into the warehouse. This is important for food storage warehouses in particular, but every warehouse is at risk for bugs flying in through a big warehouse door if there’s no screen preventing their access.

What’s the Value in Adding Bug Doors?

A bug door is a low-cost way to keep the warehouse, and its workers, cooler, especially during hot summer days. It also prevents any risk to product from insect contamination. If zero bugs get in, zero product has insect damage.

There’s also the FDA. FDA requirements for food storage and warehousing are pretty strict. If an FDA inspector finds ONE live insect inside the warehouse, they can shut you down. Bug doors head off the problem before it happens.

Bug Doors Spare Everybody as Much Heat (from Summer and the FDA) as Possible

Warehouse doors have to open all the time. Good dock seals prevent pests while loading/unloading. But what if the warehouse gets too hot, and someone just leaves the door open after the truck leaves?

It’s not worth the risk. Especially since bug doors are affordable and easy to install (typically takes us less than 1 day).

If you do have bug doors in your warehouse, check them for any tears. If you don’t, we still have time to put them in before summer. Don’t wait too long!

Until next month!

Marshall Cromer, The Forklift Boss
Cromer Material Handling

ForkliftBoss.com Deal of the Month

1998 DAEWOO DIESEL FORKLIFT – $14,911

For our March Deal of the Month, we’re offering this 1998 Daewoo D70 forklift. These are “oldies but goodies” – long-time workhorses. Diesel fuel, 15,500-lb. capacity and a two-stage mast with 96” forks.

The forklift has 5,554 hours on it. It’s been serviced, tested, and ready to get back to work. If you’re a budget-conscious forklift buyer, this is a good deal to pick up.

This Daewoo is on sale for only $14,911. It’s currently located in Bakersfield.

Interested? To pick it up, call Cromer at 800-974-5438 and ask for the March Deal of the Month.