When storing your dock out of the water for the winter, we have a few helpful tips to share with you for proper care.
One of the best places to store the decking is in the aluminum dock frames as they were when the dock was delivered from the factory.
The frame helps contain the decking so it doesn’t slide around or get bumped out of square. Decking is built in the factory and placed on pallets with wood strips between the deck panels to prevent them from scratching each other. The pallets are accessed when Aluminum frames come through the shop and orders are filled by placing the customers’ choice of decking in the aluminum dock frames. The dock frames are then stacked for each customer and scheduled for delivery. The best way to haul the decking for shipping to the customer is inside the durable dock frames, and latched down where the panels can’t slide around or blow out on the road.
What happens if the decking panels are stacked next to the dock frames for the winter?
A lot can happen to the decking if it isn’t placed back in its original frame.
Some deck panels would fit differently in newer or older frames as modifications are sometimes made to the products throughout the years. If you have a dock section that is 10 years old, that frame design may be different from one that was purchased more recently. You may find it frustrating trying to fit deck panels back where they fit properly. More importantly, deck panels can curl with changing temperatures and not hold the shape as they would in the aluminum dock frame that contains them. Deck panels sitting on the ground or leaning on a tree can become warped, covered with sap from the trees, dirt from the ground, or even blow over from strong winds. Tall stacks of decking can slide around and topple over as well.
What if the decking is wood and you want it indoors and out of the elements for the winter?
It is a good idea to put wood decking in a dry storage space, away from the sun’s rays and other elements as long as it is stored flat and not leaning on a wall. When stored flat, use the method of wood strips between the decking so the hardware doesn’t scratch against the latch hardware.
Wood decking can be stored in the aluminum dock frames and covered allowing good ventilation.
What is the advantage of having decking inside the frames when stored outside?
When snow in the yard fills over a dock frame or a stack of dock frames on the property, they can be hazardous to anyone trudging through the deep snow. Imagine stepping through the snow down inside the dock frames banging your shins and getting snow in your socks. Deck panels left in the frames would prevent falling through the empty dock frames.
The frames with decking inside them will take up less space in the yard (less clutter) and covering them with a tarp will allow the water and snow to slide off the edges rather than pooling up and stretching the tarp down inside the frame openings.
Kids like to climb on things and a stack of docks is tempting for a child to play around or on top of. The openings between frame supports wouldn’t be there if the decking were placed back in the frames. Deck panels will remain square and will not slide around or tip over on things when they are simply placed back in the frames. The deck panels do not need to be latched while in storage, saving time as they will just be taken out again for the seasonal dock installation.
The aluminum dock frames should be stored up on blocks to keep the dirt and leaves from discoloring the aluminum framing.
Coverings over the dock should also be held away from the aluminum sides and ventilated so that standing water with minerals is unable to discolor the aluminum as seen on the aluminum in this photo above.
The aluminum docks with synthetic decking are the easiest to care for, as the decking holds up to the weather better than wood. These docks can be left uncovered allowing plenty of ventilation.
Sap and mildew from the trees cleans off fairly easily with a power washer. With the decking in the frames, the section on top usually protects the docks beneath it in the stack so there is only one dock section that needs to be cleaned before installation.