Let’s face it. Having too many small parts can become a big hassle. Odds are you’ll eventually lose something.  It’s an inconvenient truth with machinery.  It’s the sum of the parts that makes the whole. You can’t side-step parts.  They are necessary to maintain your warranty, to keep the product working properly and, sometimes, to get the product working-period!  A lost part is frustrating if not anxiety-inducing.  There’s the ordering, the waiting, and the unsealed access panel. We have all been in the position where we have lost a part, and it can either be extremely frustrating or make us kind of anxious. When you don’t have a part, you will have to wait for that part to be ordered; leaving your access panel unsealed! So, to save yourself the grief of trying to recover those lost parts for those tiny parts, we have put together some tips to prevent losing access panel parts.

Find the Objects that are Small First

Some of the small parts that may come with your access panel can include but are not limited to: bolts, weld studs, latches, and wing nuts. When you receive your access panel, the first job is to locate these small pieces and ensure that you have enough of each to install your access panel correctly. This will help ensure that you have all the pieces you need. If you find that you are short from the get-go, you will know that it was not you that lost one of these small objects. Contact your provider to receive the exact number of bolts, weld studs, latches, and wing nuts that you need.

Put the Small Objects in a Safe Place

Once you have located and confirmed that you have all the small parts needed to install your access panel, put them in a safe place (that you will not forget about) until they are needed. If they are not already sealed in a baggie, put them in some sort of container so that they are not loose. If you end up with extra of something, make sure you save these in a safe location just in case you need to use them one day. Do not throw away extra parts just because you don’t need them right now! It’s better to be safe than sorry!

Purchase Access Panels Without Small Parts

Why didn’t I just start off with this one, you say? Learning to keep small parts safe for any product is detrimental! And maybe you already have an access panel from a company other than Omni Containment. These steps will help you keep a sane mind. Omni’s access panels are patented to have no removable parts! Yes, you read that correctly. No more scrambling around for missing parts or leaving your panels unsealed. We thought it through and got you covered! Plus, all our access panels panels are NFPA 96 compliant!

Whether you went the easy way and ordered your access panels from Omni Containment, or went the hard way with lots of tiny parts, we are here to help you make it easier! Let us know some ways that help you make the installation of access panels easier! If you have a story about losing small parts for a product, we would love to hear from you!

*Written with contributions from Dawn Brown.