As a distribution centre, you have a lot of deadlines to make and products to ship out. Whether you have a single door for loading or a whole array of them, you rely on your sectional doors to operate smoothly and efficiently, allowing you to easily load products off or onto the delivery trucks. Like any moving parts, your door will require maintenance from time to time.

In this blog, we’ll go over why investing in regular sectional door maintenance makes a lot of sense for your distribution centre.

The Cost of Forgetting Quarterly Sectional Door Maintenance

Commercial sectional doors see a lot of use every day. That kind of usage means the wear and tear can add up very quickly if you’re not careful. That means that lapsing on your regular sectional door maintenance can be costly.

If you’re not keeping up with your sectional door maintenance, you could be ignoring potential problems with your door, such as:

• Misaligned Tracks – your sectional doors require tracks to open and close. If the tracks are misaligned, it can result in your doors having difficulty opening or closing. It may even result in permanent damage. Misaligned tracks can result from debris in the tracks or from general wear and tear. A qualified professional can straighten and repair your tracks for you.
• Damaged Weatherstripping – The weatherstripping at the bottom of your door helps keep pests and debris outside where they belong, plus it improves your energy efficiency by insulating your door against outside air. Damaged weatherstripping can result in an irritating flapping noise when you open or close the door.
• Loose Hardware – vibrations from day-to-day operations can cause the door’s hardware to shake loose over time. Loose nuts and bolts can present safety hazards and threaten your door’s structural integrity.
  
  

• Lubrication Issues – your door requires lubrication to provide smooth operation during opening and closing. If it’s lacking lubrication, that can result in extra friction leading to extra wear and tear on the moving parts. You may notice a grinding or squeaking noise or that your door is not moving as smoothly as it used to.
• Spring Tension Issues – torsion springs are a key part of counterbalancing the weight of the door. Signs of damage should be taken seriously as it can lead to the door not working at all.

How Sectional Door Maintenance Benefits You

The upfront cost for sectional door maintenance can be intimidating for many business owners. However, we promise that it is worth it. There are many benefits to quarterly sectional door maintenance, such as:

Minimize Downtime and Improve Productivity

You rely on your sectional doors for operation and productivity. Running a warehouse is a delicate balancing act and downtime is the enemy of profitability. Imagine if suddenly a component fails, and you can’t open your door. You won’t be able to load products onto trucks as efficiently, meaning you’ll be behind on your productivity and therefore falling behind on revenue.

Reduce Repair Costs

Wear and tear are natural on anything with moving parts. Over time, that wear and tear can add up, leading to bigger breakdowns with a repair bill to match. A quarterly maintenance plan can help reduce the cost of repairs by catching problems and obtaining replacement parts before they turn into massive headaches.

A small investment upfront on sectional door maintenance can save you a lot more money down the road on repairs and replacements.

Save Money on Energy Costs

Energy efficiency is another area where regular sectional door maintenance can save you money. Wear and tear on your sectional door can lead to reduced energy efficiency. The insulating elements can wear down over time, leading to air escaping. That means your HVAC system will need to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. That leads to higher energy costs and can put an extra strain on your HVAC system. That strain can mean your system requires more repairs and maintenance as well.

Improve Safety

Safety is always a big concern in any distribution warehouse. Commercial doors involve many heavy components and moving parts.

Wear and tear on your sectional doors can lead to safety issues as the components wear out naturally, leading to noise, operational difficulties, and potential safety risks. Hinges failing or cables snapping can pose a risk to life, property, and product. Proactive preventative maintenance can help reduce the risk of safety incidents.

Extend the Lifespan of Your Door

Your sectional door is an absolute workhorse. It opens and closes many times per day. That frequency of usage leads to more wear and tear over a shorter period of time. If you’re not scheduling regular preventative maintenance, that can mean the lifespan of your sectional door ends up being much shorter than you expected.

Maintenance tasks such as tightening loose hardware, lubricating parts, checking the door’s balance, and testing safety features can greatly extend the lifespan of your door.

What Does Maintenance Include?

Sectional door maintenance from a licensed and experienced professional should be comprehensive and encompass all components in the door. A maintenance session includes:

• Inspecting, adjusting, and lubricating all door components (includes the sections, track, hinges, rollers, bottom fixtures, cables, drums, bearings, shaft, torsion springs, chain hoists, brake solenoids, rollers, worn hinges, cables, motor belts, etc.)
• Inspecting your weatherstripping for damage, shrinkage, or wear
• Testing and adjusting the balance of doors in a manual position

Creative Door Services™ Provides Comprehensive Sectional Door Maintenance in Western Canada

Managing a distribution centre can be stressful. Let someone else take care of the maintenance tasks. At Creative Door Services™, we offer comprehensive sectional door maintenance plans for distribution facilities throughout Western Canada. A quarterly maintenance plan can improve your productivity, energy efficiency, and profitability.

For more information on sectional door maintenance, you can contact us today. We can’t wait to hear from you. You can find us in Kelowna, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Fort McMurray, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg, Manitoba. We look forward to working with you.