We always enjoy the warm weather, don’t we? All too soon, winter will be upon us. If your commercial doors aren’t ready for the colder weather, you could be in for higher energy bills and chilly employees.
At Authority Dock & Door, we highly recommend you to start getting your commercial property ready for winter, right now. Make checking your commercial doors a top priority in the fall, this way you keep your costs under control and your employees happy and warm.
Inspect Your Commercial Doors
According to Material Handling & Logistics, close to 50% of energy use in warehouses is from heat. You can imagine how your energy bills can go up in the winter if you don’t take a proactive stance in the fall.
The first course of action should be to inspect your commercial doors, especially if it’s been a struggle to keep up with regular preventative maintenance throughout the year.
The first step is to test the commercial doors’ balance. To do this, simply pull the small release pull chain. This disconnects the door from the opener. Open the door and keep it at waist height. Let go of the door and see if it falls down on its own. If it does, you need to make adjustments. If it pulls back up, that means the springs are too tight.
Next, visually inspect every part of the door and look for:
- Rusted, worn, or bent tracks and rollers.
- Fraying, rusted, or worn-out cables.
- Any light that can be seen coming through the seals on all four sides.
- Loose, rusted, broken, or cracked hinges on the door.
Make a Plan to Prepare Your Commercial Doors for Winter
Now that you know where the problem areas are, it’s time to make a plan to fix them. The extent of the damage will tell you what you need to do.
When it comes to commercial doors, it’s always a good idea to get an expert’s opinion. For example, an expert can tell you:
- What parts on your commercial doors need to be replaced, if any?
- Whether adding something like a loading dock seal or shelter might lower your energy costs.
- If it would be more cost-effective for you to simply replace your commercial doors instead of repairing them.
Consider Preventative Maintenance Going Forward
It’s always best to prevent issues when you can. Taking the right preventative measures now can save you a lot of money in the short and long term.
At Authority Dock & Door, we offer a preventative maintenance plan for commercial doors for just this reason. We catch issues before they become serious problems for our customers.
Choose Authority Dock & Door for Your Winter Commercial Door Needs
The last thing you need is high heating costs this winter. Whether you need help inspecting your commercial doors for problems, repairs, or a plan to prevent serious issues in the future, we can help you at Authority Dock & Door. We can assist you with keeping productivity up and costs down.
