Eco-Friendly and Practical: The Top Benefits of Composite Storage Units

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Eco Friendly Practical

Composite Advantages: Why Use Composite Storage Units?

There are over 48,000 self-storage facilities in the United States. That’s more facilities than there are McDonald’s restaurants!

Storage units have been built with materials that fall apart over time. That means they need to be replaced every so often, putting a strain on the environment.

If you’re a storage unit owner looking for an eco-friendly option, then units made of composites is the perfect fit for you. As you’ll see, these can also help you save money.

We’ve gathered a list of composite advantages. Keep reading to find out why these are better than metal.

1. Lightweight and Strong

Materials like iron and steel are strong but extremely heavy. This makes them more expensive to buy, maintain, and transport.

Composite materials, on the other hand, are designed to be both strong and lightweight. This is because composite materials are made with two or more components that complement each other.

Let’s consider mud bricks as an example. On its own, mud formed into bricks won’t hold up a lot of weight but it will hold its shape. Straw can hold up a lot of weight but won’t hold its shape. Together, you can build strong structures.

Our composite storage units are built with a mixture of plastics that combine to provide you with stronger and lighter building materials.

2. Corrosion-Resistant

Unlike steel and other metals which rust easily, composite materials are corrosion-resistant. To help prevent metals from rusting, they have to be coated in zinc and need regular maintenance.

Additionally, there are various resin binder systems available for composite materials that provide long-term resistance to most chemicals, temperatures, and environments.

Because of this, composites are particularly great for storing chemicals or being used in areas where humidity is a factor.

3. Nonmagnetic Conductivity

Composites contain no metals; therefore, they are not magnetic. As a result, they can be used around sensitive electronic equipment.

If you’re looking for storage units without magnetic interference, Our PVC composites provide the advantage you’re looking for. For people storing anything that can be ruined by magnetic interference, this is a huge advantage.

This is also why composites are often seen in hospitals. The lack of magnetic interference allows the large magnets used in MRI equipment to perform effectively and efficiently.

4. Customized Design Options

Every storage unit has special needs. You may have space constraints, a unique layout, or something else entirely.

To meet these needs, composite materials make customization easier as they’re built with panels that can be easily assembled and replaced.

No matter what you’re dealing with, you can have a customized storage unit design that works with your space or provides unique benefits to your clients.

5. Low Thermal Conductivity

Another reason composite materials are great for storage units is that they don’t conduct cold or hot temperatures easily. This is why they’re often used indoor and window construction.

In your storage unit, it means when it’s cold out, the internal temperature will stay warm and when it gets hot, they’ll be cooler inside.

When people store items that are sensitive to temperature changes, it’s frustrating for them to come back and find their belongings damaged because a metal storage unit allowed things to overheat.

With composite materials, your clients won’t have to worry about what’s stored in their unit being ruined on an especially hot or cold day.

Additionally, composite storage units won’t expand or contract as much as metal units during temperature changes. This is just another way to ensure the safety of your clients’ belongings.

6. Nonelectrical Conductivity

If you are concerned about electric safety, you will be happy to know our PVC composite materials are nonconductive. This makes our storage units ideal for anything with a circuit board.

In a storage setting, that means people’s belongings are safe in the event of electrical storms or downed power lines.

Consider someone storing electronics against the side of a metal storage unit. If a power line falls onto it, the whole unit will conduct electricity and all of their electronics will be ruined.

Metal units can also create a dangerous situation in these electrical emergencies whereas you could safely weather a storm in one made of composite materials.

7. Low Maintenance Costs

When comparing the cost of maintenance, our PVC composite materials win over traditional materials like wood and metal. This is in large part because they don’t require any protective coating and single parts can be replaced easily.

As mentioned before, metals are coated in zinc to keep them from rusting. PVC composite materials require painting regularly with anti-corrosive paint.

Wood, when exposed to the elements, can rot, needing treatment to avoid falling apart.

8. Low Manufacturing Costs

Composites have low petroleum-based content. This means they’re not subject to price inflation as in petroleum-based products so the price stays more consistent over time.

Beyond that, the manufacturing process itself is often cheaper. Cutting manufacturing costs are combining several previously-assembled parts into a single component.

With other materials, composites manufacturing gets done faster and easier.

There’s also a limited amount of post-processing and additional machinery needed after the initial molding is complete. By eliminating these extra steps, that can help cut costs that get passed down.

9. Durability

Storage units made of PVC composite materials have a long life. Currently, we don’t know how long composite materials last because we haven’t yet come to the end of the life of original plastic composites.

What we do know is that many composites have been in service for half a century with no signs of being worn out anytime soon.

Considering metal shipping containers rarely last more than 20 years, it’s easy to see why you’d want to choose one made of composite materials instead. You can easily get twice as much life out of one!

Do You Want to Enjoy Composite Advantages?

Now you know nine composite advantages over metal. When you have units that last for many more years than other options, you won’t be damaging the environment with the manufacturing or maintenance processes.

If you want to learn more about how composite materials can help your storage facility, contact us today. We would be more than happy to let you know how we can help you meet your business goals.