Commercial Garage Door Service
When a commercial garage door fails, part of your business stops with it. A rolling steel door stuck halfway can shut down a loading bay, and a fire door that will not close is a life-safety problem, not just a repair ticket. This page explains how commercial doors differ from residential ones, why spring cycle ratings matter so much on busy doors, and how to request service for one door or a whole building of them.
Request ServiceCommercial Doors Are Built Differently
Most commercial buildings use one of two door types. A rolling steel door is a curtain of interlocking steel slats that coils around a barrel mounted above the opening. Its torsion springs sit inside that barrel, out of sight. A sectional commercial door looks like a heavier version of a home garage door: hinged steel panels riding on track, but built from thicker-gauge steel and often running on high-lift or vertical-lift track so the door clears ceilings, racking, or dock equipment.
The hardware is heavier too. Many commercial doors ride on 3-inch track with 3-inch rollers, where most residential doors use 2-inch. That matters when something breaks: commercial parts are not interchangeable with residential ones, so telling us the door type up front helps the repair go right the first time.
High-Cycle Springs: The Number That Matters
One cycle is one full open and close. A standard torsion spring is typically rated for about 10,000 cycles. On a house, that can last more than a decade. On a warehouse door that opens 20 times a workday, that is roughly 5,000 cycles a year, so a standard spring can wear out in about two years. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000, 50,000, or even 100,000 cycles solve this with heavier wire and a longer spring body sized to the door.
Do not work on commercial springs yourself. They store even more tension than residential springs, and on rolling steel doors the springs are sealed inside the barrel, where adjusting them takes special tools and training. A spring that lets go can cause serious injury. Describe the door in your service request and let a technician assess it.
Loading Dock Doors Take a Beating
Dock doors fail differently than other doors. The most common cause is impact: a forklift or trailer clips the door and bends a bottom section, knocks rollers out of the track, or bows the track itself. Warning signs include:
- A door that drags or binds on one side as it moves
- Daylight showing along an edge that used to seal tight
- A rolling door curtain that no longer coils evenly on the barrel
Impact damage gets worse with every cycle, because bent parts grind against straight ones. If a dock door has been hit, stop using it and submit a request. Running a damaged door can pull the lift cables off their drums and turn a repair into a replacement.
Fire Doors and Annual Drop Testing
A rolling fire door is designed to close on its own during a fire, released by a fusible link that melts at a set temperature or by a signal from the building alarm system. NFPA 80, the national standard covering fire doors, calls for a full drop test at least once a year, and again after any repair, performed and documented by qualified personnel.
In a drop test, the door is released and must close completely at a controlled speed, then be properly reset. Fire doors are not designed to be pushed back up by hand after a drop. If your building has fire doors, say so in your service request so the work is matched to a technician for that door type.
What Door Downtime Actually Costs
A door problem at home is an inconvenience. At a business, it compounds. A stuck-closed door can trap fleet vehicles inside or block an entire loading bay while trucks wait. A stuck-open door leaves inventory exposed overnight and lets conditioned air pour out of the building. The more clearly you describe the problem in your request, including the door type, what it is doing, and whether it was struck, the better prepared a technician can be for the visit.
Planned Maintenance for a Fleet of Doors
If you manage a building with several doors, planned maintenance beats emergency repairs. A maintenance visit typically covers:
- Lubricating hinges, rollers, and springs
- Checking lift cables for frayed strands near the bottom brackets
- Testing door balance and hardware alignment
- Tightening track bolts and hinges that vibrate loose under heavy use
- Logging approximate cycle counts so springs are replaced before they snap
Replacing a spring on schedule keeps a bay open. A spring that breaks mid-shift closes it. To set up service for one door or every door in the building, describe your doors, their types, and how heavily each one is used, then submit a service request through the contact form on this site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a rolling steel door and a sectional commercial door?
A rolling steel door is a curtain of interlocking slats that coils around a barrel above the opening, with its springs housed inside that barrel. A sectional commercial door uses hinged panels on track, like a residential door but with heavier-gauge steel and often high-lift or vertical-lift track. The parts and repair skills differ, so note which type you have when you submit a request.
How often do fire doors need to be drop-tested?
NFPA 80, the standard covering fire doors, calls for a full drop test at least once a year, plus a retest after any repair. The test releases the door, confirms it closes fully at a controlled speed, and requires a proper reset afterward, since fire doors are not meant to be lifted back by hand. Testing should be performed and documented by qualified personnel. If yours has never been tested, mention that in your request.
Why did my commercial door spring break after only a couple of years?
It was probably a standard-cycle spring on a high-use door. A typical torsion spring is rated for about 10,000 cycles, and one cycle is one open and close. A door cycling 20 times a workday uses that up in roughly two years. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000 to 100,000 cycles are built for that duty. Never replace springs yourself; they hold dangerous tension. Note the door's daily use in your request.