Every organization, whether big or small, has to follow the workplace safety rules for their employee’s health and safety, if there’s an issue with particular machinery, product, or in this case, garage doors, it needs to be addressed immediately. Nearly 10,000 injuries are being caused by faulty garage doors, whether private or commercial. To maintain the workplace safety of your employees, below are a few points to help you decide when to use garage door repairs services and keep it in good working order.
- A Shaky Door
All garage doors shake when they are being opened or closed but if you notice excessive shaking or vibrating, then you may need to repair it. You could be facing problems with a loose screw, dislocated rollers, or other serious issues. So instead of waiting for the accident to happen, ask a repairman to check it out and have it fixed as soon as possible.
- Doors don’t work
When you see that your commercial garage doors have stopped working, you can ask a technician to check it out. A breakdown is typically easy to fix, but if the problem is somewhere else, for instance, the door suddenly stops halfway and doesn’t open or close, you need to get it repaired.
Usually, during winter, garage doors tend to become frozen in places where the snow gets lodged in. Keep removing snow every day from the path and use a hairdryer or some equipment that emanates heat to break the ice and di freeze your door.
- Door panels damaged
If a car or truck has damaged the garage door panels, then no need to worry. As long as a single panel is damaged and fixed immediately, no costly repairs or replacement of the door is needed. However, if you do not take action immediately, multiple panels may get damaged, and will be expensive to repair and may cost the same as replacing it with a new door. So fix the garage door when the problem is minimal, and there will be no hassle for you, your employees, and co-workers.
- An imbalanced door
If you see one side of your commercial garage door lower or higher compared to the other side, you have an imbalanced door. That indicates, one of the springs has worn out and needs immediate replacement.
Balance is very important when it comes to the efficiency of the working door. So if you see one side is lower than the other, call your repairman. These issues are fairly easy to fix as the repairman will only take your door down, replace the springs, and put it back again. Replacement is not necessary.
- Strange Noises
Your commercial garage doors are meant to make noise, no doubt about that. However, loud screeching or grinding noises may tell you that something is not right and needs to be fixed.
- A Mouldy door
Sometimes, due to incessant rainfall, and excessive moisture, garage doors start getting moldy. If you don’t take any action soon, the mold will start infesting and spreading across the commercial building by that time it’ll be a time-consuming process to get rid of it.
When mold starts to grow, clean it right away with some hydrogen peroxide and if it has gotten out of hand, call a professional who deals with mold removal as they are trained for such work, and can easily sanitize the garage door along with the entire building.
- Wearing off Paint
When you see the paint in your garage door is wearing off or has been scratched in lots of places, you can try repainting it. You can do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you.
Your business garage door may not always need repairing. There are times when the door is broken or has aged over time, or moves slower than normal, you need to get it replaced instead of trying to fix it. Repairing it will only work for the short-run but eventually, it’ll wear down again. So instead of wasting money on repair, replacing your commercial garage door will be a good idea. It’ll also reduce your energy bills, as the new door will be more energy efficient than the old one which may become unable to handle the difference in temperature between your garage and office building.
Repairing commercial garage doors
It is usually recommended to hire a professional when it comes to repairing or replacing your garage door. However, if you have got the time and are on a tight budget you can do it yourself.
Maintenance like loose screws, damaged hinges, uneven tracks, hardened greasy rollers can be done by yourself. If it’s a roller door and has a spring in the middle, it can be difficult to repair and may injure you. It is best to ask for help in repairing these types of garage doors.
Cost of repairing commercial garage doors
Typically, repairing your garage doors require more or less around $600 - $2800 depending on the problem. As for replacing the doors, it’ll cost up to $3k according to the type of garage door you’ll be installing. If you’re on a budget then repairing is the way to go, however, if your garage door is badly damaged that requires frequent repair, get a new door instead. Even if it is expensive for you at the time, it’ll be a good investment in the long term. Otherwise, you’ll be wasting money every other month to repair your damaged door.
Commercial garage doors pose safety concerns especially if it's an old model. Automatic doors have greatly reduced accidents but, you need to make sure the door opener is properly installed and maintained. If the door opener is broken it will be reasonable to replace it. It is not a matter of convenience but a matter of health and safety for yourself and your employees.