In any season, a commercial garage door has the same job. But changes in the weather can affect how it performs, whether it sits at your dock, in a service bay, or at an entrance. The beginning of summer is a good time to inspect your facility’s doors and complete seasonal maintenance that can extend their life. The beginning of winter is the time to do it again.
This guide gives facility managers a six-step checklist for commercial overhead sectional doors, which use rollers, tracks, and tension cables. Rolling steel, high-speed, and other door types have different components, so ask a technician what applies to them. For a full inspection program and service schedule, see our commercial door maintenance guide.
RCI Doors™ recommends completing a seasonal checklist at the beginning of summer and again at the beginning of winter. Facility staff can handle the observation, cleaning, and lubrication steps. A trained technician should handle rollers, track alignment, brackets, and anything that involves springs, cables, or pulleys.
A 6-Step Seasonal Checklist for Commercial Garage Doors
At RCI Doors™, we recommend completing the following checklist at the beginning of summer and again at the beginning of winter.
Step 1: Watch and Listen to the Door’s Movements
Your team sees and hears the door every day, so subtle changes in how it moves and sounds are easy to miss. As the seasons change, take a minute to watch the door run through a full cycle and listen to it closely.
A well-functioning door moves smoothly, with no sudden jerks along the way. A finely tuned door also makes a uniform sound, with no loud clanking or creaking. If you see or hear a problem, the next steps matter even more.
Step 2: Look for Chipped or Cracked Rollers or Worn Bearings
Check the rollers along the sides of the door. They have a simple job, but they can chip or crack, especially as the temperature changes.
If you find a chipped or cracked roller, call RCI Doors™. Our trained specialists can replace rollers without risking personal injury or damage to other door components. Running a door with chipped or cracked rollers eventually causes bigger problems.
Step 3: Clean the Tracks
Even brand-new rollers cannot perform well in cluttered tracks. Check the entire run of the tracks for dirt, rust, or other debris. If your staff cannot clear the debris without risking injury, call RCI Doors™.
Over time, tracks can also shift and create a crooked path for the door to travel. Repairing that requires a trained professional.
Step 4: Check the Tracking Brackets
The frequent, daily motion of a door loosens its tracking system over time. Visually inspect the brackets that hold the tracks to the walls and ceiling. If a bracket looks like it is sagging or pulling away, it needs to be tightened or repaired.
Call a professional, like the staff at RCI Doors™, for that repair. On most door models, at least two brackets hold tension cables that could injure an unauthorized repair person.
Step 5: Lubricate the Moving Parts
Adequate lubrication keeps the door’s moving parts working properly throughout the year. We recommend lightly spraying lithium-based lubricant onto the rollers and hinges, unless the door manufacturer specifies a different product. Do not apply too much, and wipe off any excess. Cold weather can dissipate lubricant, which is one reason to repeat this step at the start of winter.
Step 6: Check the Weather Stripping
The rubber strip along the bottom of the door can stretch and crack in extreme weather. Once it sags, it can no longer seal the building from the elements. On most modern doors, the stripping fits into a groove along the bottom of the door.
Some teams replace weather stripping in house. If you are not sure you can make the repair yourself, give us a call, and our specialists can take care of it for you.
A safety-certified technician can inspect the door and check its balance.
How Weather Affects Commercial Garage Doors
Any kind of extreme weather, whether hot, cold, wet, or dry, can affect the performance of garage doors and door operators. No facility team can predict or control the weather, but regular maintenance and inspections help doors withstand it.
| Weather | What it can do / Where to look |
|---|---|
| Excess moisture | Promotes rust. The tracks (Step 3) and the moving parts (Step 5) |
| Extreme cold | Stiffens components and dissipates lubricant. The door’s movement (Step 1) and the lubrication (Step 5) |
| Extreme heat | Warps panels and stretches weather stripping. The door’s movement (Step 1) and the weather stripping (Step 6) |
| Temperature changes | Chip or crack rollers. The rollers (Step 2) |
When ignored, simple problems that a technician could fix within hours can turn into bigger ones. A small strain on one component usually creates a bigger strain on another. Extreme weather adds a new source of stress to the door system. Regular maintenance and seasonal preventive measures can soften the impact of the elements and add years to the life of a door.
Which Seasonal Tasks Need a Technician
A commercial garage door has a simple job, but it is not simple equipment. Servicing a door without the proper training and experience can damage it. Unauthorized service can also cause serious personal injury, which is the bigger risk.
Some components are too dangerous to handle on your own. Call a professional garage door installer or service company before touching the springs, cables, or pulleys. These components operate under high tension and should not be altered without safety precautions. Our overhead door safety and OSHA requirements guide covers the compliance side.
Throughout central North Carolina, RCI Doors™ can dispatch safety-certified service technicians to your facility for seasonal maintenance. We also check the door’s balance to make sure the motor operator is not working harder than it should to lift and lower the door.
Seasonal maintenance comes down to paying attention to the door and catching small problems before they become big ones. Unlike a simple appliance, a commercial door is not always a good in-house project. You need a specialist who understands how the components work and how they interact. Contact RCI Doors™ to schedule your appointment.
Tell us about your doors and a technician will follow up.
Seasonal maintenance works because it catches small problems early. Your team can observe, clean, and lubricate. Springs, cables, pulleys, brackets, and track repairs belong to a trained technician.
Seasonal maintenance works because it catches small problems early. Your team can observe, clean, and lubricate. Springs, cables, pulleys, brackets, and track repairs belong to a trained technician.
