We have seen doors swing open and shut dozens of times. How often do we pause to think about their maintenance, especially for commercial doors? Literally, never!
Commercial doors are the most overused and the least maintained of all doors. Business owners do not even think of cleaning them on a regular basis, let alone maintaining them! Yet, they do not fail to complain about the costly repairs they incur for these doors!
This lack of routine maintenance is what makes commercial doors get worn out soon. And this is why every business owner should think of maintaining their commercial doors on a regular basis. They should call a Certified Seattle locksmith or a garage expert to do this regular maintenance.
Ways to maintain your commercial doors
Inspect often
The first thing to do to maintain your commercial doors is to inspect them often. Look for signs of wear and tear of the panels. Check the tracks, cables, and hinges for any damage or rust. See if there is any debris or dirt buildup on the tracks.
The moment you see any signs of damage, call the service technicians at once. Periodic inspection can help you do quick repairs and yield cost savings in the long run.
Clean and lubricate
To start with, you can clean the tracks because that is where dirt, dust, debris, etc build up. You can also lubricate the hinges using a good garage door lube like WD-40 that prevents corrosion. Oil the rollers and springs as well to prevent rusting. Do not forget to oil the locks using a dry lubricant.
Tighten loose hardware
With frequent use, door components become loose and lose their screws. Check the hinges, tracks, rollers, and cables for any loosening and tighten them. Check the lock bolts and tighten them as well.
Check the weather stripping
Commercial garage doors usually have a weather seal called weather stripping around their frame. Check if this weatherstripping is cracked or broken. You can identify this if you see any light around the door. If the weather seal is damaged, moisture can seep in during cold weather. Call a reliable garage door maintenance service team and get it replaced without delay.
Check the door closers and door stops
Look at the bottom of the door closer and on the floor. Do you see any oily substance like a residue? This could be due to a leaking door closer. Address this immediately by calling experienced technicians as this leakage can pose a safety hazard. It not only makes the door slippery but also makes the door swing freely and that could hurt anyone.
Next, have a look at the door stops as well to check if they are working alright. If not, they may apply pressure on the hinges and damage them. So, check for loose door stops and replace them.
Check the exit devices
Exit devices need their batteries changed every now and then. Check and replace the batteries with good branded ones.
Check the garage door openers
In an automatic door, it is the garage door opener that fails often. There could be a dead battery, a loose wire, or even a dirty photo-eye sensor causing the issue. A host of alignment issues usually crop up with garage door openers causing them to stop the door midway. Get these issues sorted by calling emergency service experts for the proper operation of the door.
Check the alignment of the lock latch and strike
Inspect the lock to see if its latch and strike are properly aligned. If they do not match well, crafts of air can enter through the gaps. This could hike up your heating bills and energy costs.
Use the above Commercial door maintenance tips to care for your doors. Always call use good quality doors of knob commercial door brands to prevent frequent maintenance issues. Most important of all, engage an efficient commercial door service team to undertake preventative maintenance. This is the only way to prevent unplanned downtime due to unexpected commercial and garage door breakdowns.
Pi Security Solutions Owner/Operator Nim Gil is a product of a rigorous apprenticeship and has locksmithing experience from 2012. He possesses the knowledge and technical expertise to work on difficult, unique, and antique locks as well as all modern safe, vault, and lock technologies. He has successfully completed numerous entry control projects in the given time frame. Nim is fully licensed, bonded, and insured. He understands the Safe and Vault Technicians Association (SAVTA) and the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA) and works by the standards of these two leading organizations. Nim is also well-versed in state safety codes and other Seattle locksmith requirements.
