The Dangers of Roll-up Doors

I first started in the Self-Storage world back in 2011. My family has been in the business since 1976 so I thought I was familiar with the business. I couldn't have been more wrong, but that's another post for another time.

Anyway, I had been on the job for a few months, and I wanted some more responsibilities, so I was asked to do a hard count. A hard count is basically taking inventory of the property to see that the units available matches the unit count on the books. It was a hot and humid summer day, but there was a slight breeze, so I headed outside.

The process of taking a hard count takes a couple of days depending on the number of empty units. We have over three hundred and fifty units and a quarter of that needed to be cleaned and inspected, so it was going to be a while. The procedure was simple: open the door, look for trash or cobwebs, and inspect the unit from the inside. After ten units I started getting a routine set-up, and knocking the units out one-by-one. About half-way, I started to open a unit but the door appeared stuck, which perplexed me, but I figured the door rails just needed to be oiled. The fact that the door refused to budge when I opened it was a clear red-flag, but, due to my ignorance, I shrugged it off and used my inner He-Man strength to force it open.

He-Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

There was only dust and a few pieces of trash so I took a few steps inside to clean house, then... *SSSSSSLLLLLLLAAAAMMMM!* 

   TOTAL DARKNESS   

To give you some background on Self-storage doors, the self-storage roll-up door on units are the younger brother of garage doors. Like garage doors, they have springs to counter the weight of the door, making it easier to open 200+ pounds of dead-weight. The common fault with these springs is that they need to be oiled to stave off rust and corrosion (especially in humid climates like mine). If not, their life-span is drastically cut and they snap prematurely. (Side-note: Its actually kind of terrifying to hear a high-tension spring snap because it sounds like an unanticipated shotgun blast.)

Rick from Anchorman

Jumping from the sudden clamor, I spun around in complete confusion to find that the door had not only slammed shut but was locked in place. Unbeknownst to me, this particular door's springs had snapped a long time ago. To add insult to injury, the lynch pin holding the scaffolding, which was holding up the door as well, had also snapped. Though it was a newer unit, it just so happened to be built with lower quality/faulty building equipment. All of which has since been replaced.

From personal experience, I can confirm a few things about being locked in a storage unit.

1. It is very dark. Units have no skylight and are usually sealed off from the outside world to keep out vermin from both the outside and other units. 
2. There are NO purchase holds from inside a unit. These are not habitable units (you can't live in them), hence there isn't need to put a handle on the inside. The roll-up door wouldn't open correctly, anyway.
3. It is not a place you want to be in on a hot, humid Summer day at high noon. Think back to science class when you learned that certain metals are great conductors of electricity AND HEAT. Not an ideal situation to be in without water.

Luckily, I had thought to bring my cellphone from the golf-cart. I used it as a flashlight on the unit just before this one, so it was still in my pocket. That is probably the only thing that saved me from being in a sweat box for six hours.

I then called the office and had one of the employees come and assist me in opening the door without causing the entire frame to come smashing down. Wiping the sweat off my face, I called the owner and explained what just happened. Later that day, we marked the unit for repair and locked it so no one would have the same.... enjoyable experience as I did. There are now procedures in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening, again.

There are a few things that you need to take away from this story.

1. If a roll-up door is not opening correctly, leave it alone and inform the property manager immediately! This is for YOUR protection. A door could not only slam closed behind you, but could actually close on top of you. Ignorance is not bliss in this circumstance.
2. Do not tamper with the roll-up door or door assembly. Leave that to the experts.
3. Always have someone with you whenever you are getting stuff out of your unit. The buddy system is not just for swimming at summer camp (Insert Heavyweight movie reference here).
4. Before you move into a unit, have someone inspect the unit including the springs. It is annoying for the office staff, but its better to be safe than sorry. NOTE: They might bring out an inspection form that you would have to sign. Signing the document gives them more freedom from liability, be aware of that.
5. If a door does not feel more than 30+ pounds when you open it, it is probably safe. Don't be a chicken little or the boy that cried wolf. The facility is there to provide a service to you AND to others. Don't alienate the staff with constant, crazy demands. Use your brain.
6. Finally, I'm not an attorney nor am I pretending to be one. Furthermore, I am not giving out legal council or advice. Getting legal council from me is both stupid, irresponsible, and, quite frankly, in bad form, good sir. Talk with a REAL lawyer to answer any legal questions that you may have about liability, etc. ;)

Remember to check those doors and use the buddy system! 

The Buddy System from Heavyweights

Be safe out there guys!