25 Feb Wood Or Steel Storage Racks for Sale – Which One is Best for Your Business?
“A good question to ask here is if pallet racks are the same thing as steel storage racks, or, at least, steel made pallet racks. The answer would be yes.”
You may be considering using wood racks for your storage racks. It seems like it would be a great idea but it might cause you more problems than you expect in the long run. It is because some of the more intrinsic properties of wood do not lend itself very well to the nature of storage. You, in general, want your storage racks to be very solid, fireproof, and water-resistant. It is true that wood is solid. However, the last two issues are what make wood a bad choice for a storage rack. It is also because of these facts that an inspector or inspection would not be too happy to see wood storage racks in your facility. You may want to consider any of the steel storage racks for sale.
Inspections:
An inspection may or may not fail, depending on your local government, just because you used wood as your storage material of choice for your storage racks. You should know that it would be frowned upon heavily if it were to be the case. They may be harder on your rack than usual in an effort to get you to transfer to something else. For example, many inspectors get hung up on the fact that forklift safety cages are being used instead of scissor lifts. They tend to scrutinize the forklift in any way they can. They do this so that they can find ways that it is not being used safely in order to tell you that you cannot use it. There is nothing, technically, wrong with using a forklift safety cage but some inspectors will go out of their way to find any infraction to make sure that you do not use it as a replacement for a scissor lift.1 They would rather you use it as a temporary item for changing bulbs or other small or fast projects. The same could be said of your storage racks. They may try to find everything wrong with your set up in an effort to get you to get something else that is safer instead.
Fire Resistance – Water Pressure Seals:
Keep in mind that wood is not as fire-resistant as steel and it absorbs water more readily than metal does. Wood grew up using water to grow. It is going to continue being prone to reacting with water even if you use those water pressure seals. The water pressure seals supposedly last 40 years but, as the University of Massachusetts pointed out in an article, you still see decks only a few years old being throw away from water damage. The reason is that the seal does not make the wood water-resistant. It makes it resistant to things like fungi, mold, and insects that enjoy the wood when it is wet according to the article2 from the University of Massachusetts. The wood still absorbs and releases the water and that shrinking and growing it what causes the wood to turn and move and become unstable over time. Hence, you have treated wood going bad. In fact, this happens only after a few years of use.
“The reason is that the seal does not make the wood water-resistant. It makes it resistant to things like fungi, mold, and insects that enjoy the wood when it is wet according to the article2 from the University of Massachusetts.”
Finally, the rack will still have the propensity of wood to catch fire. It is another reason that an inspection is not going to go well, or, at least, you will get a talking to because fire is a hazard with storage. It is especially true if you have a storage system is capable of vertical storage. They will scrutinize your rack much more carefully for good reason. Racks that are tall have a harder time getting spray from the sprinklers to reach the bottom-most layers of the rack. If a fire spreads then it will be difficult for the sprinklers to contain because it cannot reach the bottom-most product. Sure, you may have a product that you do not want to get wet but you are choosing that people should get hurt and the building should burn down instead of losing a certain amount of product. Also, if the water can reach the product on the bottom then it might be out faster. You might lose far less if you can allow it to reach the bottom of the rack.
Wood Beams Tightly Pressed Together:
The fact is that inspections that have these wood racks, or wood beams across the pallet rack, are not allowed to stack as high. Especially when compared to a business that has wire mesh decking for their pallet rack. It is because the wire mesh deck allows the water to access the product underneath the shelf. Wood beams often find themselves pushed together tightly. Tightly pushed together wood beams can cause water not to reach the bottom of the rack. Adding insult to injury, the beams are flammable as well. If you have any intention of storing products vertically then you need to consider not using wood as your support beams or for the rack itself.
Solutions:
The solution to the problem is to find some good steel storage racks for sale. Are pallet racks are the same thing as steel storage racks, or, at least, steel made pallet racks? The answer would be yes. Pallet racks, in this case, we are going to assume you mean selective racks. There is something else to be wary of when trying to purchase pallet racks made of steel. It has to do with some of the issues we talked about in the previous paragraphs. It has to do with the rack permit process of your local government.
Seismic Activity and Steel Storage Racks for Sale:
We are all aware of seismic activity, although, honestly, there is not much we can do about it. It does affect your choice of pallet rack or selective rack in this case. If you live in a place where you have to follow ordinances for seismic activity then your pallet rack or steel storage rack will have to show seismic calculations that fit in line with that type of activity. If the rack does not have it then it will have to be modified so it does. It could also, possibly, not feature modifications to fit the requirements. If that is true then it will have to be stored and/or dismantled. Here is another truth about getting a steel storage rack. If you buy from a company than you might not always get the calculations included. The company may exist in an area where it does not matter if they have them or not. It is not that business fault per se but it leaves you in a bad position. You can actually find these as used products as well. Therefore, you have to be careful about where you buy a rack. You should always ask for seismic calculations. You should also have them cross-checked against the ordinances. If you have a match then you can proceed in your purchase. Otherwise, you should turn down the product as soon as possible.
Looking for steel storage racks for sale for your business? If you do then you should click the pallet rack link and have a look. If you need more help with finding a steel storage rack appropriate for your usage then call us. Use the number found in the footer to talk to us today.
Sources:
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mhlnews.com/facilities-management/article/22050287/forklift-life-lesson-6-oshas-picky-about-how-you-cage-workers
Wood Myths: Facts and Fictions About Wood: Building and Construction Technology: UMass Amherst. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https:// bct.eco.umass.edu/publications/articles/wood-myths-facts-and-fictions-about-wood/
Tampa Steel. (2020, January 31). What Is Galvanized Steel?: Does Galvanized Steel Rust?: Tampa Steel. Retrieved from https://tampasteel.com/what-is-galvanized-metal/
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