Many businesses such as warehouses, industrial facilities and retail stores rely daily on their commercial garage doors. It is crucial for these types of businesses to properly maintain their commercial doors to reduce the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns. Even a short period of downtime can be extremely costly and disruptive to operations. An unmaintained commercial garage door can also be a potential safety hazard. For these reasons, it is necessary to ensure that these types of doors are functioning safely and correctly. Regular maintenance should be carried out to help prevent problems arising.
Why are Commercial Garage Doors so Important?
Commercial garage doors are vital to many businesses and offer more than access to certain spaces. These doors are responsible for keeping the interior locations safe and secure and play a major role in the building’s security system. Commercial garage doors are oftentimes used quite heavily on a daily basis and can be opened and closed many times throughout the day. This heavy usage can certainly lead to the doors’ wear and tear which can eventually cause it to malfunction. This is something that most definitely should be avoided, as not only can it cause problems for the business’ operations and loss of revenue but it can also create a risk to employee safety and inventory.
Common Issues with Commercial Doors that can Lead to Downtime
Commercial doors are built to withstand heavy usage, however, this does not mean that they are invincible. Just like any other garage door, problems can pop up, especially over time as they experience normal wear and tear. Here are some issues that commonly cause a commercial door to breakdown:
- Broken Springs
Commercial garage doors operate using springs. They cannot open and close easily and smoothly without them. Springs carry a lot of tension, and balance the weight of the garage door. A broken spring could make your commercial door impossible to open.
- Broken cables
The garage door cables lift and lower the door so when they break, it can make the door lopsided or even prevent the door from moving entirely.
- Track misalignment
The tracks guide the movement of the door. If they become misaligned or worn out, it can prevent the commercial door from functioning. The door could start to operate roughly, move jaggedly or even become stuck. This misalignment can happen naturally over time as the vibrations from the movement of the door can loosen parts.
- Rollers that are worn out
Rollers allow the commercial garage door to move along the tracks. When they become worn out or damaged, they can prevent the door from moving smoothly or can cause the door to become stuck.
- Commercial garage door opener issues
Most commercial garage doors are operated by automatic openers. If there is a malfunction with the opener it can make the door inoperable.
The Financial Impact of Commercial Garage Door Downtime
A commercial garage door that has broken down can be very costly to a business, even if it is only for a short period of time. Having garage doors that are non-operational can lead to missed deadlines and lost revenue due to delayed shipments and deliveries. In addition, businesses can end up spending more money on garage door repairs if minor issues are not dealt with promptly. These can then turn into larger issues which will require more resources and longer downtime to address them.
Commercial Garage Door Preventative Maintenance
Regular maintenance is important for your commercial doors to ensure that they can remain running optimally without issues. Having regular maintenance done will allow minor repairs to be caught in early stages so that larger problems don’t follow. During a regular inspection by a qualified commercial garage door technician common issues such as fraying cables, misaligned tracks and worn out rollers can be taken care of before they cause serious performance issues. You can also be assured that your commercial door is running safely and reduce the chance of accidents that can result in damage or injuries to employees. Another benefit of preventative maintenance is extending the lifetime of the garage door. With regular maintenance, you can prevent excessive wear and tear and address small problems as they come up which will keep your door in good condition.
The bottom line is if you own a business that requires having reliable commercial garage doors for security and operation purposes, it is necessary to make maintenance a top priority. When regular maintenance is a part of your routine, you will reduce your risk of future hassles and very costly downtimes so you can continue to run your business smoothly.