At Pacific Experts Garage Doors, we often focus on residential garage doors, but we also specialize in installing and repairing commercial garage doors. Like those on the back of warehouses and storefronts, commercial doors are similar to residential garage doors, but they do require some degree of specialized knowledge. For many businesses that rely on commercial doors to keep their equipment and inventory safe, commercial door repair and maintenance are essential.
You want to identify potential issues that your commercial door will have before it breaks and leaves your business dead in the water while you wait for a commercial door repair company to arrive. Here’s a checklist that you can use for your fall maintenance inspection.
Examine Door Balance and Track Alignment
Both commercial doors and residential garage doors rely on cables and springs to keep them balanced when they are in motion. An unbalanced commercial door occurs when there is an issue with the wires and alignment that causes the garage doors to lift unevenly. Unstable doors can lead to severe injury and property damage if the entries become derailed and fall off. It must catch this issue early on by inspecting the door balance and track alignment.
Routine Visual Inspections
When you contact a garage door repair company to inspect your commercial garage doors, they will go through a comprehensive inspection of your doors to check the balance and track alignment, in addition to inspecting garage door rollers, springs, lift cables, and any loose hardware. This visual inspection is standard in most garage door tune-ups, but you can perform the inspection yourself.
Lubricate All Moving Parts
During your inspection of the commercial doors, you want to keep an ear out and listen for any squeaking or grinding noises. These noises are caused by the friction of two moving parts grinding on each other, and it is responsible for wear and tear. While wear and tear are normal, you want to be sure to extend the life of your garage door by lubricating moving parts. This can make your garage door run smoothly, and more quietly and prevent damage from worn hardware. You can lubricate with WD-40 or any other lubricator that provides lubrication and protects from rust.
Clean Photo Eyes and Sensors
The safety sensors on your commercial garage doors keep your team and your vehicle safe. Photo eyes are located next to the tracks about 6 inches off of the ground. When the sensors and photo eyes are dirty or misaligned, it can prevent your commercial doors from working properly. Clear out dirt from the photo eyes with a rag and make sure that the sensors work.
Check Reversing Mechanism
Reversing mechanisms are a safety feature that works with the photo eyes to prevent the garage door from automatically closing on people and items. You can test the reversing mechanism by placing a block or box on the ground where the garage door would close. When you trigger the garage door opener, it should detect an obstruction and prevent the garage door from closing.