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Classrooms and corridors can harbour hidden obstacles when it comes to fitting lockers. Below are a few of things that you might encounter when measuring up for your smart new lockers and how to overcome them,
Radiators
Despite normally being quite obvious it's amazing how many people miss radiators when measuring up for new lockers.
Most of the time they are hidden behind existing furniture, make sure you check along your proposed runs to see if there is an old rad hiding behind.
Switches or sockets
It's common to come across switches or sockets along your locker run and if no longer in use it's fine to cover them up, just make sure you don't cover up a light switch or spur that is still in use.
Access panels
Access panels are used to cover up maintenance access to essential services such as water, gas or electricity. They are often left for years without use but need to be accessible in emergencies or during maintenance. They can be identified by either a door or even a piece of wood over the existing wall. They are often not marked or labelled.
You can often cover these up as long as access is easily achievable. Our tip when covering access panels with lockers is to fix the locker covering the panel back to the wall but not to the lockers either side. You can mark that locker with a label showing clearly that there is an access panel behind. This will make it both easy to find and the locker will be simple to remove. When fixing your locker in front of the access panel back to the wall, make sure you are aware of where the pipe is so you don't screw through the pipe and cause an emergency. If unsure seek help. Access panels can also be in the floor, the same rules apply.
Fire sensors
These are normally at around head height but so are standard height lockers. This means that these sensors will affect your run lengths and it's worth taking that into consideration.
Skirting boards or coving
These are the biggest issue we come up against in schools or any installation for that matter. Lockers look best and are most secure when they are fitted directly back to the wall. Skirting boards and coving prevent you from doing that so you will have to do one of the following to overcome this.
Fix the lockers back using batons
A baton is simply a length of wood approximately the depth of the skirting board or coving. First fix the baton to the wall using appropriate fixings for that type of wall. Then simply fix the lockers back using screws. Most metal lockers have pre-drilled holes in the rear of the frame to fix through.
Use locker stands to clear skirting board or coving
A locker stand is simply a frame with legs that the locker sits on. these raise the locker off the floor and if you ask for inset rear legs the locker will clear the skirting board and fit flush back against the wall. When measuring up for your lockers, make sure you measure the height and depth of the skirting board or coving so that the manufacturer can fabricate your stands to fit. Stands can also be supplied with adjustable feet in case your floors are uneven.
locker stands
If you'd like more information about locker stands click here
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