Small business owners: don’t forget about your garage doors!

Maintaining your garage doors may fall off or your to-do list as a small business owner, but it is actually very important if you want to avoid having to replace them every few years. Commercial doors often see more use than residential doors, as they are likely 10 feet wide and 12 feet high and often used as dock doors. However, even if they are only used about as often as the garage doors on your home, wear and tear still happens.

So that you can better understand the recommended maintenance your sectional door needs, we have compiled these tips. All of these maintenance tips are important, and you can do some yourself while others require hiring a professional.

One thing to remember is that a garage door should open easily and with a smooth motion, regardless of how many times it is used per day. Our Preventative Maintenance Program can ensure that your door works each and every time just as intended.

Visually inspect your garage door on a regular basis

Each month, you should look for the following:

• Lift cables: Keep an eye out for fraying or other damage to the cables
• Rollers: they should be in good repair and properly aligned on the tracks
• Hinges: The should not be loose and there should not be any missing screws
• Horizontal tracks: The tracks should be straight without any flaring

For those that have manual doors, these considerations will apply:

• The door should not feel terribly heavy when it is lifted. You may need to seek service if it feels like you are lifting 100 lbs.
• When using the chain hoist, your door should also not feel heavy or like it “weighs a ton.”

Electric garage door openers need to be checked monthly as well:

• Pull the emergency release cord, and then try to open the door. It should open easily with a single hand. If not, there is a problem with either the spring system or the tracks.

When any of these issues arise, one of Upper Level Doors’ qualified technicians should be contacted right away to troubleshoot the issue and make repairs. Failing to fix an issue like this can be dangerous and lead to even more damage.

Extend the life of your garage door

Self-maintenance begins with lubrication. The key parts of your garage door that should be regularly lubricated include:

• Metal Pieces
  • Rollers and Hinges: 5W30 motor oil is the best options for these parts. Make sure you swipe every single metal part that comes into contact with another metal piece because it will protect them from rust and keep them functioning longer.
  • The Spring System or Counterweight System: Using the same motor oil that is used on the rollers and hinges, apply to the top of the spring with a clean and soft cloth. Then continue the application around the spring. This should reduce noise when opening and closing the door because the springs will not be rubbing against each other.
  • Caution: white grease is not advised, and rollers should never be lubricated. They need to roll on the tracks, not slide on them.
• All PVC Parts
  • Be sure to maintain the weatherstripping on the exterior frame, at the bottom of the door (U-shaped), and between door sections, and always use a silicone-based lubricant.
• Electric Garage Door Openers
  • The commercial central or jackshaft electric door openers were created specifically so that no maintenance or lubrication of parts is required.

Upper Level Doors can supply both types of lubricants, for metal and PVC, and they are also created specifically for garage doors.

Leave these tasks to the professionals

These following situations should be left to the professionals because there is a very real danger of injury or even death if done incorrectly or without the necessary safety measures being taken:

• Changing out a broken torsion-type lift spring
• Changing a lift cable that is broken or frayed
• Replacing a lift cable that is was wrapped improperly
• Repairing a lift cable that has come off its drum
• Changing out the bracket or hinge from the bottom of the door
• Attempting to put a garage door back on its horizontal tracks
• Repositioning a garage door that was hit by a vehicle

Only experienced and qualified technicians should try to repair the spring system or the counterweight system because an attempt to do it without proper training could result in a serious injury or death.

To learn more about the required maintenance for your commercial garage door, you can read this document. It should give you a better understanding of your door’s systems as well as tips on keeping your door working for you for years to come.