If your small construction or service company has a garage, it’s likely going to be classified as a commercial garage door. These doors are typically around 12 feet high and 10 feet wide, and are too large to fall into the residential category.
Commercial doors require regular care and maintenance, just like your home garage door, regardless of whether you use them once a day or a dozen times. This guide can help you maintain your sectional door and keep it working throughout the years to come. Keep in mind that some of these tasks will require the assistance of a professional garage door technician.
If you rely on your garage door multiple times throughout the day, it’s even more important that it operates properly. In these instances, our Preventive Maintenance Program can help keep your door in good shape.
What You Can Do for Your Door
You’d be surprised just how much you can do by merely keeping an eye on your door. Monthly inspections of the door and its various parts are a must. Here are some things to watch for:
1. The horizontal track should be straight and you should make sure that the rollers are not flared because this could cause them to come off track.
2. Make sure rollers aren’t damaged or close to falling out.
3. Check all of the brackets and hinges to ensure that screws are tight and nothing is missing.
4. Make sure that the lift cables are sturdy, and that there are no frays or strained areas may break.
You can also extend the lifespan of your garage door and its parts by keeping the various parts lubricated. Using 5W30 motor oil, you should rub down the rollers, hinges, and other metal parts to keep them from rusting and keep everything rolling smoothly.
Oil should also be applied to the extension or torsion spring system. The PVC weatherstripping along the door should be lubricated with a silicone-based product.
Warning: Don’t use white grease on the door or the rollers. They are not meant to slide, but to roll. The grease can also cause damage to the track system due to buildup over time.
Check for Balance
Any garage door that is properly balanced and in working order should not weigh a lot when you lift it manually. This is easy to check with a manual door. If the door seems like it weighs more than it should, there may be an issue. If you have an electric door, all that you have to do is release the emergency cord to the automatic opener and lift the door manually.
If any part of opening your door seems like a struggle, you need to contact a qualified technician from Garaga right away. They will be able to diagnose the issue and repair it immediately for the safety of everyone and the proper operation of the door.
When to Call a Technician
While the items listed above are fairly simple tasks, we strongly advise against you repairing or replacing any major parts on your garage door. A lot of injuries can result from this type of work without an experienced door technician on the job.
Only qualified garage door service techs should perform any kind of spring repairs or replacements. They should also be responsible for all balance issues causing improper operation or a non-operational door. These repairs could result in serious injury or death if you don’t know what you’re doing. Some examples of when to call the pros include:
- Replacing broken torsion springs
- Replacing lift cables that are damaged
- Changing hinges and brackets
- Repairing cables or hinges
- Putting a door back in place or back on track
You can find out more maintenance information in our helpful commercial garage door care document.
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