If you're a self-storage owner operator, chances are you know that facility maintenance is an ongoing, time-consuming task. Because proper upkeep and repairs are vital to your bottom line, your clientele's peace of mind and your competitive edge, preventative and predictive maintenance is a must for every self-storage facility, no matter its size or class. While the thought of facility maintenance can sometimes seem overwhelming, it doesn't have to be. That's why we're discussing the biggest target areas to maintain, as well as solutions the self-storage industry has in place for performing and staying ahead of facility maintenance.
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Roll-up Doors
Each and every tenant will interact with a door, making the type of doors you have at your facility quite important. According to an article published on door maintenance by Inside Self Storage (ISS), if your unit doors don't look and function properly, you're likely losing business. You want a door that's easy to install, operate and maintain. It's important your doors are always working well for several reasons. First, you don't want a door to accidentally hurt a tenant or damage their property. This could result in a huge liability, so it's important from a safety standpoint that you're always maintaining your doors and ensuring they're working in optimal condition.
The most common reason for maintenance on a steel roll-up door involves the door's springs. This is because they could need additional lubrication for smoother operation or they could relax over time requiring adjustment to their tension. It's important that any spring tension adjustment is completed by a professional door technician, because the springs are charged under tension and if not adjusted properly, could result in significant injury. By investing in a dead-axle roll-up door that has enclosed springs lubricated in the factory, you can take advantage of a virtually maintenance free door. This is because those factory lubricated springs are enclosed and protected from environmental elements, allowing them to last much longer than those on a live-axle door.
It's also important to find a door that's quick and easy to tension if needed. Ratchet tensioning devices were designed to simplify the method of spring tensioning. This device allows the door technician to simultaneously fine-tune all of the door's springs at once, requiring no pins to hold the tension on the spring.
Last but not least, you want to make sure your doors look their best too. If the door's curtain is chalking, chipping or fading, chances are, it may be time for a door replacement project. Look for a door that comes in a variety of durable color options and has an impressive paint warranty protecting it against those aging elements that repel tenants.
Lighting
Chances are, you've had to change your fair share of light bulbs over the years, whether you own a self-storage facility or not. As a self-storage owner operator, it's important to keep a brightly lit self-storage facility because it keeps tenants feeling safe and can help deter criminal activity from occurring at your site. Consider investing in LED lighting or smart lights that are designed to last longer, generate less heat and use less energy. This can save you money over time and give site managers more time back in their day by decreasing the frequency they're having to change out faulty light bulbs around the facility.
Security Gates
Security gates are very important to the safety and security of your self-storage facility. Depending on the type of access control you choose, you can track who is coming and going from your facility at all times. Using cloud based access via smart devices unlocks a variety of benefits for the tenant and self-storage owner operator. It also gives you the advantage of customizing access per tenant, allowing certain individuals to have 24/7 access and others to have access during set business hours. When utilizing a security gate at your facility, it's important that you're performing regular maintenance to ensure optimal operation. This maintenance should consist of lubricating the gate's chain quarterly and having a professional PM performed twice a year.
Keeping up with your self-storage facility can be a huge time vacuum. So instead of spending countless hours keeping your facility in optimal condition and often being frustrated with the end-results, consider turning to the industry experts who can act quickly, perform optimally and avoid any major disruptions to your customers. Facilitate is a program created to help the owner operator stay on top of routine maintenance while avoiding costly repairs through preventative and predictive measures. No matter the size of the project, from replacing doors and refinishing floors to fixing leaky faucets, Facilitate can handle it all.
