A commercial overhead door combats the elements every day. From scorching summer heat to freezing winter temperatures, weather conditions impact how well a door operates and how long it lasts. Weather-related door problems don’t just cause minor inconveniences; they can lead to costly repairs, energy waste, and security vulnerabilities for your business.
The good news is that most weather-related issues are preventable. Understanding the effects of weather on commercial overhead doors can help businesses improve the doors’ performance despite seasonal challenges.
Temperature Extremes and Door Materials
Extreme temperatures, whether it’s severely hot or cold, can take a toll on commercial overhead doors. The door’s material can react in a variety of ways to each extreme, including expanding, contracting, or even warping over time.
Hot Weather Challenges
Extreme heat puts considerable stress on commercial overhead doors. Metal components expand when temperatures rise, which can cause doors to bind in their tracks or create gaps in seals. This expansion affects the door’s alignment and can make opening and closing more difficult.
High temperatures also accelerate wear on rubber seals and weatherstripping, reducing their effectiveness at keeping out moisture, dust, and pests. These components can crack, harden, or lose their flexibility.
Additionally, extreme heat can cause an increase in friction on moving parts due to the breakdown of lubricants at severe temperatures. This causes additional wear on the moving part; be sure to address the issue promptly before it causes serious problems in the overhead door.
Cold Weather Complications
Winter and cold weather bring their own challenges for commercial overhead doors. Lower temperatures cause metal components to contract and can cause alignment issues, similar to those caused by the heat. Springs become stiffer in cold weather, requiring more force to operate the door and putting additional strain on the opener mechanism.
Cold weather also causes batteries in remote controls and backup systems to lose capacity. This scenario is inconvenient and can affect operations because workers cannot open or close the door.
Ice formations on the door frame are another worry. They can hinder door operation by blocking the rollers or tracks from functioning properly. Not to mention, ice could damage the seals if a worker forces the door open.
Moisture and Humidity Issues
Excess moisture and high humidity levels can create a range of problems for your garage door. Understanding how these conditions affect various commercial door components is essential to keeping everything in good working order.
Rain and Water Damage
Water is a constant threat to overhead door systems. Poor drainage around the door area can lead to water pooling, which may seep into the door’s mechanical components and cause rust and corrosion. Over time, corrosion can compromise the structural integrity of the tracks, springs, and other metal parts.
Weatherstripping plays an important role in keeping water out of the door, but it requires regular inspections to ensure it is working properly. Damaged or worn weatherstripping allows moisture to penetrate the door system, leading to rust formation and potential damage to stored goods or equipment inside the facility.
Humidity Concerns
Metal doors are exceptionally strong, but they aren’t immune to high humidity levels. Humidity accelerates corrosion, especially in coastal areas where salt air compounds the problem.
Wind and Storm Damage
Strong winds and storms pose both long-term and immediate threats to commercial overhead doors. Severe wind pressure can force the doors out of their tracks, bend panels, or damage the door opener mechanism. Large overhead doors with a high surface area are particularly vulnerable to wind damage.
Flying debris during storms can dent panels, crack windows, or damage tracks and hardware. Even minor damage can affect the door’s balance and operation, leading to premature wear on other components as the system works harder to compensate for the damage. Regular inspection of door balance and hardware tightness becomes especially important in areas prone to high winds or severe weather events.
Seasonal Maintenance Strategies
Seasonal maintenance helps ensure your door remains safe and functional against the elements all year long. By addressing issues before they become serious problems, you can extend the life of the door.
Spring Preparation
Start the spring with a comprehensive door inspection. Check all weather seals for winter damage and replace any that show signs of cracking or wear.
Lubricate all moving parts with weather-appropriate lubricants, and test the door’s balance and opener settings. Spring is also a great time to clear any debris from tracks and ensure drainage around the door.
Summer Readiness
Before the heat sets in, inspect and adjust door settings to account for thermal expansion. Ensure adequate ventilation around the door opener to prevent overheating, and consider upgrading to high-temperature lubricants if the facility experiences extreme heat.
Check that cooling systems for opener mechanisms are functioning properly, and verify that all safety systems operate correctly under high-temperature conditions.
Winter Preparations
Prepare the doors for cold weather by switching to low-temperature lubricants and ensuring all heating systems near the door area function properly. Remove any sources of moisture that could freeze and cause operational problems.
Consider installing door heaters in extremely cold climates. Make sure the backup power systems are ready to combat winter storms that might cause power outages.
Protect Your Investment
Preventive maintenance is always more cost-effective than emergency repairs. Establish a regular inspection schedule that includes checking weatherstripping, lubricating moving parts, and testing door balance and opener operation.
Weather can do major damage to your commercial overhead door, so work with a reliable repair service when necessary. Same Day Door Service provides commercial overhead door repairs, which can benefit your business and keep your door working efficiently. Our expert technicians can install or repair your commercial doors quickly and efficiently. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Keep Your Doors Ready for All Types of Weather
Weather will always affect commercial overhead door performance, but understanding these impacts allows you to take proactive steps to minimize problems. Regular maintenance, quality weatherstripping, and prompt attention to minor issues can significantly extend your door’s lifespan and reduce unexpected repair costs.
Remember that your commercial overhead door is a critical component of your facility’s security, energy efficiency, and daily operations. Investing in proper weather protection and maintenance pays dividends through reliable operation, lower energy costs, and fewer disruptions to your business.
If you’re experiencing weather-related door problems, don’t hesitate to reach out to Same Day Door Service to speak with one of our qualified technicians. Regardless of what Mother Nature throws at your commercial overhead doors, Same Day Door Service is ready to assist.
