Wicket doors – how can they help you save time, money and energy?

You may be more familiar with wickets in cricket but actually the wicket door outdates the game by centuries! Albeit an ancient solution, a wicket door can still prove very useful to any modern industry. But what exactly is one and how it could help you? Read our special blog guide to find out more… 

Wicket doors are nothing new. In fact, they were a staple feature in many castle and town gates dating back to the Middle Ages. The gates were usually heavy, large and difficult to open so it would not have been ideal to open the entire gate to allow only a couple of pedestrians through. Hence the use of the wicket door. These were usually placed within the main gate and could allow pedestrians to pass into the castle or town without having to open the main gate. In short then, wicket doors are a door within a door. 

 

Few of us have castles but we may need to gain access to a site only through its roller shutter or sectional overhead door. Much like the gates of old, these can be very big, heavy and time consuming to open to their full extent. Therefore, it makes sense to install a smaller door within the door itself. 

 

Imagine that you own a busy car garage with a Sectional Overhead door as your only means of access. When moving cars in and out, it is necessary to open the door to its full height. However, what about when a customer comes to collect their car? Or two or three? A wicket door within the sectional door means they can access your site without you (or an employee) having to stop work to go and open the entire door. In addition, since a typical wicket only allows one person access at a time, it is easier to control access and thus boosts security. Add to that the savings on your energy bills and it soon becomes an excellent addition to your site. 

 

In addition, if there is no other personnel door access to a site, they can easily be transformed into an emergency exit door. This is achieved through the installation of push bars or anti-panic bars. This means that anyone on site can leave your site easily, safely and, more importantly, quickly if an emergency should occur. 

 

Worried about leaving the door open? Wicket doors can be installed with closer devices to ensure they remain closed when not in use. In addition, Stanair strongly advise the installation of a safety interlock feature. Whether a Roller Shutter or a Sectional Overhead, if the door is electronically operated, it will neither open nor close if the wicket is not completely closed - therefore saving you having to worry about inflicting accidental damage to your doors. 

 

Our Stanair engineers have been performing installations for over 50 years and they know that every site has different needs. Why not arrange a free site visit from one of our experts to discuss your options and to help decide whether a wicket door is the right choice for you and your site.