Preventive Maintenance for Commercial Garage Doors to Save Time and Money
Ensuring that your business looks good, operates efficiently, and runs in an organized manner is essential when it comes down to making sure that you feel successful.
When it comes to our business’ garage doors, the best thing that we can do is make sure that we prevent any issues from happening before they start. We want to share some tidbits and tips to help empower you when it comes to your garage door management!
Here are 5 things that you can do as a business owner to ensure that you are doing preventative maintenance and making sure your garage door is set up for success.
Take a peek! Use visual inspection:
One of the simplest things that we can do as a preventative measure is regularly inspect the garage door and its components for any signs of wear, damage, or misalignment. Look for rust, loose bolts, frayed cables, or any other issues. Is there anything that’s making a strange sound or doesn’t quite feel right? Give it a look and see if there’s anything amiss.
Smooth it up! Lubrication is key to success:
As with all mechanical items, moisture is key when it comes to things moving along and staying in tip-top shape. Keep all moving parts well-lubricated to prevent friction and wear. Use a silicone-based lubricant on rollers, tracks, hinges, and springs.
Tighten it up! Keep hardware both tightened and balanced
Parts becoming loose and getting more wear and tear is a big reason why garage doors can start to fall apart faster than they need to. Periodically check and tighten all nuts, bolts, and screws on the garage door and its components. Vibrations from regular use can loosen hardware over time.
This is also a wonderful time to check the balance of your garage door by manually lifting the garage door after disconnecting the garage door opener to see if it stays in place. Is it falling? A little wonky? It may be time to get your garage door balanced if that’s the case!
Clean it up! Clean your tracks and take a look at your weatherstrips
One of the most basic things that we can do to keep our garage doors moving right along without issue is to of course clean the tracks regularly to remove any dirt, debris, or obstructions that could affect the door's movement. This is a great time to go back to step 1 and visually just make sure that nothing is in the way of your garage door tracks that would prevent it from opening or closing properly.
While cleaning, take a quick look at your weatherstripping and give it a good cleaning as well. Does it seem secure and strong? Damaged weatherstripping can let in drafts, moisture, bugs and pests and allow other damage inside your garage, so it’s always good to make sure that it doesn’t need replacing.
Test it out! Make sure that your sensors and opener are in proper working order
The most sensitive parts of our garage door can be the most technical – the sensors as well as the garage door opener itself. Test the safety sensors regularly to ensure they are properly aligned and functioning correctly. These sensors prevent the door from closing if there is an obstruction in its path. A great way to test your sensors is by locating the connecting beams that respond to one another and putting an object in the way to “break” the bond between them. If your garage door doesn’t close/open with something obstructing the connection, then it’s in great working order.
Your garage door opener is also a sensitive piece of technology that can get work down over time. Take a look at the electrical connections and wiring of these on a regular basis to see what condition they’re in. Seeing any wear and tear on this ahead of time is a great way to save worrying about having it replaced in the future.
Ask about it! Get a professional opinion If needed
While taking preventative measures for your business’ garage door has many aspects that can be taken care of by yourself, if there’s anything that you’re unsure of or aren’t quite familiar with, always feel confident that you can get a professional opinion just to make sure that you know the ins and outs of how any particular piece of your garage door works out. Knowledge is empowering, and the more you know means the more signs you’ll have on when to take proactive action before your garage door needs any additional maintenance.