Walk through a warehouse, food processing facility or coolstore and there’s a good chance you’ll pass through a set of PVC strip curtains without giving them much thought.
They’re simple, but they play an important role. A correctly specified PVC curtain can help separate environments while still allowing people, trolleys and suitable vehicle traffic to move through the opening.
When strips become worn, damaged or unsuitable for the environment they’re installed in, that barrier becomes less effective. With shutdown approaching, it’s a good time to walk your doorways, check the condition of your PVC and identify anything that needs replacing.
Quick answer:
PVC strip curtains help maintain separation between areas without requiring a solid door to be opened and closed for every movement. They can support temperature control, help reduce the movement of insects, dust and debris, and maintain visibility through busy openings.
The important part is choosing the right PVC for the application and keeping the strips in good condition.
What are PVC strip curtains actually doing?
The basic idea is simple. The strips form a flexible barrier across an opening, part as traffic passes through and then return to position.
That makes them useful anywhere you need some separation between two environments without completely restricting movement through the doorway.
For a cool room or chiller, the aim might be reducing unnecessary air exchange between conditioned and unconditioned areas. At another opening, the priority might be reducing dust or insect entry. At a busy pedestrian or vehicle entrance, maintaining visibility through the opening can be equally important.
The application changes, but the principle is the same: maintain separation without unnecessarily getting in the way of normal traffic.
The benefits are easy to overlook
Temperature control
Worn, missing or incorrectly specified strips can make it harder to maintain separation between conditioned and unconditioned areas.
Keeping the correct PVC in good condition helps reduce unnecessary air exchange through frequently used openings. Ulti’s current Standard and Freezer Grade PVC products are both specified for temperature-control applications.
Pest and contamination control
A PVC curtain creates a physical barrier across an opening while still allowing traffic through.
Torn, curled or missing strips can leave gaps that give flying insects an easier way into a facility. Where flying insects are a particular concern, Ulti’s Anti-Insect PVC contains citronella intended to provide an additional deterrent.
Workflow
PVC strips allow pedestrians, trolleys and suitable vehicle traffic to move through an opening without manually opening and closing a conventional door each time.
At busy openings with many movements throughout the day, this can help keep traffic flowing.
Visibility
Clear PVC lets people see through an opening before passing through it.
As strips become cloudy, scratched or discoloured, that through-visibility can reduce. It’s particularly worth checking at busy pedestrian or vehicle entries where maintaining a clear view through the doorway matters.
Low running requirements
PVC curtains don’t require power to operate. Individual strips can also be replaced when necessary rather than automatically replacing the entire curtain.
If your existing rail and hardware are still suitable, replacement PVC may be an option rather than installing a completely new system.
Choosing the right PVC for the doorway
Not every doorway needs the same PVC.
The temperature, traffic and purpose of the opening should determine the grade and configuration you use.
Standard PVC
Standard PVC is suited to ambient applications and pedestrian or light-vehicle use. Ulti’s current Standard PVC Strip Curtain Kit is specified for temperatures from-10°C to +38°C, with ribbed PVC available for higher-traffic applications.
Freezer Grade PVC
Lower-temperature areas need PVC formulated for those conditions.
Ulti’s current Freezer Grade PVC Strip Curtain Kit is specified for-55°C to +25°C and is intended for applications including cold rooms, chillers and walk-in fridges.
If you’re working with cold-storage doorways, it’s worth looking at the operating temperature rather than simply assuming an existing strip is suitable because it has always been there.
Anti-Insect PVC
For openings where flying insects are a particular concern, Anti-Insect PVC provides the physical barrier of a strip curtain with an additional citronella-based deterrent.
If insect control is the bigger issue at your site, our insect-prevention guide looks at when PVC is appropriate and when a larger ventilated doorway solution may make more sense.
Welding Grade PVC
Welding areas have different requirements again. Rather than using standard clear PVC everywhere, make sure the material you select is intended for the application.
The important part isn’t simply having a strip curtain across the opening. It’s having the right PVC in the right place.
How to Tell When PVC Strip Curtains Need Replacing
There’s no alarm that tells you your strip curtains have reached the end of their useful life. Often, a quick visual inspection will tell you what you need to know.
Six signs your PVC strip curtains need replacing
- Yellowing or cloudiness: If you can’t see clearly through the strip, neither can a forklift driver. In a busy entry that’s a safety issue.
- Cracking at the edges: Once cracks appear, they spread. Replace the strip rather than waiting for it to fail.
- Strips that stay bent after contact: A strip that doesn’t spring back leaves a permanent gap in the barrier. No amount of adjusting fixes that.
- Tears or missing sections: In food and cold storage areas, replace these straight away rather than monitoring.
- Strips that drag or don’t return to centre: Healthy strips swing back by gravity. If they’re slow, stiff, or catching, they’re not sealing.
- Visible gaps when the curtain is at rest: If light is getting through when nobody is using the doorway, air, dust and insects can get through too.
Don’t only look at the PVC material. Check the rail, hangers and fixings at the same time.
A replacement strip won’t solve the problem if the hardware holding it is damaged or the curtain has been configured incorrectly.
Why Shutdown Is the Right Time to Replace PVC Strip Curtains
Planned downtime gives you a practical opportunity to inspect doorways without normal traffic getting in the way.
It can also make replacing worn PVC or correcting an unsuitable grade simpler than trying to address it during normal operations.
Use your shutdown walk-through to look at the complete opening:
- Is the PVC still clear and flexible?
- Are any strips torn or missing?
- Is the overlap still correct?
- Is the rail and hanging hardware in good condition?
- Does each strip return to position?
- Is the PVC grade still appropriate for that environment?
- Has the way the doorway is used changed?
This last point is worth considering. An opening that once handled occasional pedestrian traffic may now see regular trolley or vehicle movements. A cold room may be operating under different conditions. A doorway may now have greater exposure to insects than when the curtain was originally installed.
Shutdown is an opportunity to check whether the curtain still suits the job, rather than simply replacing like for like.
Ulti’s current Standard PVC Strip Curtain Kit lists a four business day lead time before shipping, while the current Freezer Grade kit lists four working days before shipping. If you’re ordering for a fixed shutdown period, check the current lead time and configuration before placing the order.
Don’t automatically replace the whole curtain
If some of your strips are worn, that doesn’t necessarily mean the entire installation needs replacing.
Where the header rail and hardware remain suitable, replacing individual PVC strips may be enough. Ulti also supplies replacement Standard Clear PVC Sheet per metre alongside complete made-to-measure curtain kits.
A complete kit may make more sense where the existing hardware is damaged, the doorway has changed, or you’re correcting an unsuitable curtain configuration.
If you’re unsure, measure the opening and check the existing rail, strip dimensions and PVC type before ordering.
Flat or ribbed PVC?
Traffic is another part of selecting PVC.
Ulti’s current PVC selection guide recommends flat PVC for pedestrians and light trolleys, while ribbed PVC has a thread-reinforced profile and is intended for heavier traffic such as forklifts and other vehicles.
Not every grade or strip dimension is available in every format, so the application should come first rather than choosing flat or ribbed in isolation.
A simple job worth checking before shutdown
PVC strip curtains aren’t the biggest or most complicated piece of equipment in a facility, which is exactly why they can be easy to overlook.
A quick inspection can tell you whether your existing curtains are still doing what they’re there to do.
Check the condition of the strips. Check the overlap. Check the hardware. Most importantly, make sure the PVC itself still suits the temperature, traffic and environment of the doorway.
If something needs replacing, dealing with it as part of your planned shutdown maintenance is generally much easier than discovering the problem once normal operations are back underway.
FAQs
Do I need a full kit or just replacement strips?
Not necessarily a full kit. If your existing rail and hardware remain suitable, replacement strips may be enough. If the hardware is damaged, the doorway has changed or you’re correcting the curtain configuration, a complete kit may be more appropriate.
Can our team install them?
It depends on the curtain and header system. For Ulti’s Standard PVC curtain kits using a Standard Header Rail up to 3 m × 3 m are supplied ready-made for attachment to the wall. Larger Standard Header Rail curtains require assembly, while Hook Track systems are supplied with prepared rail and strips separately and also require assembly.
If you’re unsure about the configuration or installation requirements, check with the Ulti team before ordering.
Flat or ribbed PVC: which do we need?
Flat PVC is suited to pedestrians and light trolleys. Ribbed PVC has a thread-reinforced profile and is intended for heavier traffic such as forklifts and other vehicles. Available configurations depend on the PVC type and size.
What temperature can PVC strip curtains handle?
Ulti’s current Standard PVC Curtain Kit is specified for temperatures from-10°C to +38°C, while the current Freezer Grade PVC Curtain Kit is specified for-55°C to +25°C.
Always select PVC for the actual conditions at the doorway rather than using one grade across the entire facility.
Getting your facility ready for shutdown?
Check your PVC now so you have time to identify worn strips, confirm measurements and select the right PVC for each opening.
If you already know what you need, explore Ulti’s range of Standard, Freezer Grade, Anti-Insect and Welding Grade PVC Strip Curtain Kits.
If you’re not sure which grade, strip size or configuration is right for a doorway, talk to the Ulti team before ordering.