23 Jan Common Types of Commercial Door Problems and Possible Solutions

If you have a commercial garage door, it may eventually malfunction, or fail to operate altogether. These problems may not be caused by simple wear and tear. They may be caused by some environmental factor, such as a fallen tree or they could be due to human error, such as having a truck drive into your commercial garage door. Here we consider more about common types of commercial garage door problems and how you can fix them.

Damaged Rollers

Garage door rollers are the wheels on which the door sits, and they move the door along the track. Depending on the quality of the door and its components, these rollers can be plastic, nylon, or metal. Some rollers will wear away over time, decreasing the radius of the wheel. At some point, the wheel will become small enough to pop off its track. Metal rollers are much less susceptible to this problem but are vulnerable to rust and corrosion. Damaged, shrunken, or corroded rollers will need to be replaced.

Damaged Torsion Spring

If your commercial garage door does not rise, the culprit could be a broken torsion spring. In some doors, the torsion spring is what provides lifting power when you use an electric door opener. Torsion springs are rated for a certain number of cycles (up and down movement), typically ten thousand or more. Springs can wear out from use, but they are also vulnerable to rusting (which can be made worse in humid environments). You will need to replace a spring once it is past its life, worn out, or damaged.

Damaged Cables

Depending on what type of spring system your door uses, it has cables with different jobs. In torsion spring systems, if the cable breaks, the door will not move. In extension spring systems, the cables are there as a safety measure. Cables can become damaged by wear and tear. In torsion spring systems, there are signs that the cables are starting to give out—the door squeaks or shakes. For extension spring systems, you will want to visually inspect the cable from time to time—looking for signs of fraying, rust, or pinching. If the cables begin breaking down or break completely, you need to replace them.

Misalignment

Garage doors run on metal tracks, which can become corroded, and disrupt the alignment of the door on the tracks. Also, if something hits the door, the tracks can go out of alignment, even if the door itself is not damaged. Once the tracks are out of alignment, the rollers can end up further ruining the tracks, or the motor can burn out as it tries to operate on the tracks. If caught quickly, you may be able to make adjustments to correct the alignment. However, if the problem is not detected or if the damage is severe, a single damaged track could cause havoc in the whole system, which will require replacement.

Panel Damage

A damaged door panel will disrupt the normal functioning of your garage door. The most common cause of door panel damage is from impact by something big and heavy hitting the door (usually a vehicle). Luckily, if this impact did not cause damage to the entire door that one panel can be repaired or replaced. However, in some cases, the entire door will need to be replaced.

If you have problems with your commercial garage door, you may want to contact a professional service company. Call Frontier Pacific as soon as possible to have our experts come and identify the cause of the problem and make the repairs for you. With rapid, high-quality service, we get your commercial garage doors back in order, and your business in full operation again as quickly as possible.