What is a hangar door rail drainage?
When designing or refurbishing a large door for a hangar, it’s strongly advisable to include a drainage system on each side of the bottom tracks for rainwater to run off.
Historically, inadequate drainage means ASCE rail will corrode in stagnant rainwater. This will reduce the life expectancy and lead to partial or complete rail replacement. Both of these are expensive and can be avoided through implementation of drainage.
Who is responsible for the drainage?
Implementation and design is the responsibility of the engineer on record. When the project is out for bid the drainage requirements are commonly found in the plumbing or trench drain division.
Rail drainage installation is by a plumbing contractor and should be coordinated with the hangar door installer.
How is it installed?
Two common designs of rail drainage:
- A grate cover made from galvanized steel, manufactured to handle vehicle loads as instructed by the EOR. This feeds into a PVC plumbing system and into the main storm pipe or trench plumbing.
- A ⅝” hole drilled into the concrete on each side of the ASCE rail. This feeds into a PVC plumbing system and into the main storm pipe or trench plumbing.
Rail drainage does not fall under the scope of the hangar door manufacturer (08 34 16) so always take the advice of a reputable engineer for design and components.
Design Examples
Examples of rail drainage design taken from past projects:
Repair or Complete Replacement of ASCE Rail
AeroDoor offers the following furnish and install services if your ASCE rail is failing:
- Demo and replacement of a section or sections of ASCE rail including anchors, leveling angles, and concrete.
- Complete new ASCE rail system including anchors and leveling angle.
The new ASCE rail will meet the wheel and door load requirements of the old rail.
- Hangar Door Motor Guide - April 11, 2024
- Safety Edge for Hangar Doors - October 31, 2023
- Why specifications are so important for floating door configurations - July 11, 2023
