Maximum Security Through Preparation and Vigilance: Maintaining Commercial Garage Doors

As a business owner, it's important that you educate yourself as much as possible on every vital component of your operation. If your facility includes a commercial garage door, it's likely to see a large amount of traffic every day. If the door breaks down or becomes unstable, that traffic might be impeded, and you could see serious problems with your workflow.

Awareness is perhaps the most important tool in your arsenal for combatting garage door breakdowns, but without understanding the steps you need to take to maintain your door, you may not be able to perform them in time.

Below, you'll find a guide to some preventative maintenance suggestions for a commercial garage door. Keeping these practices in mind is perhaps the best way to secure your business and to guarantee that you won't be left struggling to recover from delays and mechanical failures.

Your garage door isn't simply an entry and exit portal for vehicles transiting on your property. It's also an important security tool that can help keep out unwelcome visitors. Those visitors, of course, don't necessarily have to be human. Without a properly secured door, animals like mice and insects could seek shelter inside your business. The forces of nature might also have a strong effect on your business if you don't act to properly secure your garage door and keep out wind, rain, and uncomfortable temperatures.

The weatherstripping that surrounds the perimeter of your garage door might frequently come into contact with the door frame or be subject to the forces of friction as the door operates. This contact may cause it to crack or separate from the door, leaving you struggling to properly secure your facility. Consult with your door manufacturer as to the proper time period for replacing your door's weatherstripping, and make sure that the task is considered a priority.

As mentioned above, regular door operation will subject your door to the forces of friction. Over time, standard wear and tear can create substantial damage, and the contact between your door and its frame might cause the frame to bend, or the surface of the door may be at risk of cracking. Rather than settling for this as an inevitability, it's important to investigate products on the market that may alleviate those concerns.

Proper door lubrication is an important step that helps guarantee smooth and proper operation of your garage door. Your manufacturer and service company will be able to identify the correct grease weight for your door and can help highlight the trouble spots that may need the most assistance. You may be able to identify these yourself by checking for any visible rub spots on the door or its frame and listening for any grinding or dragging that may occur when the door is operated.

Ultimately, it's impossible to address a problem that goes unnoticed. If you use your door every day without stopping to inspect it, a serious issue might develop that can cause the door to fail before you even become aware that anything is wrong.

Make sure to build time into your daily maintenance tasks for going over the potential trouble spots on your door. Catching loose nuts, misaligned panels, and signs of friction early can help guarantee that you can address those issues before the stability and security of your door is threatened.

The Zumwalt Corporation has the experience necessary to provide you with the professional garage door service that you expect. Following these suggestions can help those service visits be as routine and painless as possible, guaranteeing a door that performs well and stays secure for many years to come.