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Leisure lockers for wet area changing

Considerations when choosing wet area lockers

Rust corrosion and how to avoid it

When choosing a locker for wet area leisure environments you have a number of materials on offer some of which are unsuitable. The lowest wet specification locker is a  zinc plated mild steel locker with a powder coat paint finish, these are not suitable for wet areas and it is unlikely that they will be durable enough, though they would probably function just beyond the guarantee period.

Metal leisure lockers

The next level up would be a locker with an aluminium body, stainless steel door frame and door and then powder coat. This is our budget offering. This product is completely rust free and will not be affected by a humid chlorine environment. Our standard locker is suitable for light to medium duty leisure environments. We offer the option to upgrade the door material to 1,2mm stainless steel to improve durability.

All compact grade lockers

All compact grade laminate lockers, these lockers are made entirely from compact grade laminate which is completely water resistant and hard wearing. These lockers are very heavy and tend to be made by companies that manufacture cubicles.  The down side of these lockers is the hardware on the hinges, which are usually standard kitchen unit hinges and are not designed for continuous leisure centre use. The other disadvantages are that the lockers are very rigid with little give, if large forces are applied to the door there is no give in the structure, and this force can result in extreme damage to the frame and hinges. The lockers are also hard to repair given the method of construction.

Laminate door leisure lockers

Laminate door leisure lockers, these are in my opinion the most suitable for leisure centre use, they have been specifically designed for municipal leisure centre use. There are a number of companies that have manufactured this type of lockers for many years, refining their design over this period.

These lockers are manufactured from aluminium with high impact plastic shelves and compact grade laminate doors. The better versions of these lockers have a structured door frame or hollow section extruded door uprights, the lower end of the market have aluminium angle sections. As the strength of the lockers is dependent on the structure of the door frame it is better to keep away from the lockers with just angle section.

Hinges are one of the most important structural features of the locker and this will have a large impact on the life of the locker. Items to consider are is there the possibility of a finger trap? How robust are the hinges? What happens if you push hard on the locker door? How easy is it to replace the hinges?  How much do replacement hinges cost?  Are replacement hinges available?

If you buy a locker that has a long pedigree, you can then expect to be able to purchase locker parts for the life of the lockers.

Locker laminate

Most locker manufacturers will offer compact grade laminate from the following manufacturers, Arpa, Polyrey and Formica.

Locker locks

Coin locks

If you are buying a wet area locker lock, you must check that the lockers are also wet specification. We have seen lockers supplied with dry specification locks, these will not last very long in wet chlorine environments as the lock springs rust and the lock fails, they usually have a life of about 18 months.

Good examples of wet specification locks are Ojmar security key, ASSA classic and L&F classic. Locks are in order of preference.

Locks with removable barrels are preferential to fixed barrel locks as the barrels can be removed and replaced when the keys have been taken, This enables you to get the locker back in use immediately while keys are being replaced. You can also move the barrels around your lockers for increased security.

Multi coin locks are also available these are particularly useful when you want to collect the coins. These locks allow the use of two coins one deposit and one retained. For example, a £1 coin can be used as a deposit and a 20p used and collected. Most of the duel coin locks have a red button on the back of the lock, which allows the lock to be used multi times without collecting the coin. The deposit is only returned when the red button is pressed.

Other locker locks are available such as hasp locks, which take a padlock, mechanical and electronic combination locks and RFID locks

Locker numbers

Most manufacturers supply their lockers with door numbers some offer both tactile and braille numbers.

Locker installations Edinburgh National Galleries

Lockers Edinburgh National  Galleries locker projects

In the constant strive to improve customer satisfaction whilst maintaining a control of their costs. The team at the National Gallery asked how they could improve their existing provision for their customer’s luggage and bags. The current system is an attendant controlled system located in two areas of the gallery. The plan was to go to a customer controlled locker system; this needed to fit into their existing space and look suitable for the venue and easy to use.

lockers Scottish Gallery

We at Total Locker Service like to work with our customers to ensure that they achieve the best solution. Given the complexity of the problem, we arranged a visit to better understand their requirements. The team wanted the lockers to be easy to use, take a £1 returnable deposit in the coin lock and have a variety of locker sizes to cater for articles such as handbags, rucksacks, small cases, umbrellas and raincoats. The main baggage area contained a large number of units designed to store coats. These were well-constructed substantial cupboards with an umbrella rack at the bottom. The main problem with this area is they wanted to keep these units and fit the lockers inside them. After an initial inspection, we discovered that the umbrella rack could be removed and that most of the units were a uniform size.  The second area was more straightforward, it also had some storage units though these would be removed, except one which the team would like us to blend and match our lockers into.

Given this demanding brief, we proposed a metal locker for the first area with a £1 coin return lock and a reinforced door; the lockers would be sized to fit the units. We proposed a selection of locker configurations from 1 through to 6 doors. The plan was to maximise the space available and look as if it were designed with the storage units originally.

The second area required a locker that would look more pleasing so we proposed a laminate door locker on a laminate faced plinth with laminate faced top infill box at the same height as the last remaining old storage unit. These lockers would also have a £1 coin return lock fitted. The aim was functional and good looking to blend into their existing surroundings.

Laminate door lockers

 

After some refinement of the proposal, we were awarded the contract. We installed the locker in two phases to minimise disruption to the gallery.

These lockers have now been in service for a number of years with no problems. Currently, we are converting the lockers to a coin collect system. To minimise disruption to the gallery our engineer will be working nights so we can complete this with no disruption.

Since this initial installation of lockers we have supplied a number of the Edinburg galleries with locker systems, all of which were selected to meet the customers objectives, of both cost and functionality. We supplied the Royal Scottish Academy with metal lockers with reinforced doors and £1 coin return locks.  For the Dean Gallery, we supplied mild steel lockers for their staff, in addition to System 2000 laminate door leisure lockers with £1 coin return locks. For the Modern Art Gallery, we supplied mild steel lockers for their staff along with Laminate door coin return locks for their customers use.

Total Locker Service works with customers to provide cost-effective solutions for new changing rooms and provides service and spare parts to assist customers in getting the best out of their equipment. We aim to minimise any disruption, and complete the job safely and in time. 

To find out more ring us on 01283 749211 or 01284 718771

Or visit our website: www.total-locker-service.com

 

John Scott

Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre System 2000 lockers

 Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre System 2000 lockers

 

Total Locker Service supplied H H Atkins builders with System 2000 laminate door leisure lockers fitted on top of our seat stands. The System 2000 lockers where 3 compartments fitted with £1 coin return locks, door laminate Turchese Pastello from our Arpa range which is just 1 of the 3 ranges of compact grade laminate within our standard offering. Other laminate ranges offered as standard is from the Formica 10mm range and the Polyrey 10mm range of compact grade laminate. The lockers dimensions are 1800mm high by 300mm wide by 450mm deep. The seat stands provide an economical space saving bench seating solution when space is limited.

Total Locker Service has previously provided both locker service and refurbishment of their existing lockers along with supplying them with locker parts and consumables. This locker order through H H Atkins is the second new locker order for Geoff Moulder Leisure Centre, the centre staff are more than satisfied with the product, the System 2000 lockers are both aesthetically pleasing, robust, long lasting and low maintenance, providing years of trouble-free service.

Formica laminate range

Arpa laminate range

 

Product specification sheet

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