Commercial operators are incredibly important pieces of commercial door equipment. Your business needs them to operate smoothly hundreds of times a day. If your commercial door is acting up, you can take a few troubleshooting steps.

Opener Troubleshooting Steps

First, rule out a problem with your tracks, rollers, or springs. With the door closed, pull the emergency release cord and lift the door to see if it opens and closes smoothly. If it doesn’t, call a professional to inspect and correct the problem.

If the emergency release cord works, then try these steps.

1. Motor plug. The motor is typically attached to the light near the ceiling at the end of the commercial door chain. If the plug isn’t inserted into the socket, you’ve found the problem. Plugging it back in should get your commercial door back up and running.

2. Lock. Many commercial openers have two buttons: one for opening and closing and another for locking. If someone accidentally pushes the lock button, the door won’t open. Push the lock button and try again to open the door. If it works, you’ve solved the issue.

3. Circuit breaker. If your commercial door is unresponsive, the circuit breaker may have tripped, or a fuse may have burned out. There’s a good chance you won’t be able to turn on the lights. To fix this, try resetting the circuit breaker.

4. Drive gear. Does your commercial door opener make a grinding noise, but the door doesn't move? The main drive gear is probably toast. The main drive gear comes in direct contact with the worm drive gear on the motor. This component must be installed by a professional.

5. Chain tension. If you have a chain drive commercial door that won’t open all the way, check the chain tension. There should be about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of slack from the rail to the chain. If the chain is too tight, it can put excess wear and tear on the shaft and gears. If it’s too loose, it can skip off the sprocket and fall. It’s best to have a professional come and sort out the issue.

6. Opening and closing limits. If the commercial door doesn’t fully close, check the opening mechanism. Every door’s opening mechanism is programmed with a limit telling it when to stop closing so the motor doesn’t keep pushing the door into the ground. If this limit isn’t calibrated correctly, the door won’t stop when it should. Most openers let you adjust the limit by simply turning a screw in the motor. A professional can do it if you feel uncertain.

Finally, if your commercial door goes up but only goes down when you hold the wall switch, check that the photo eye sensors are working correctly. First, make sure nothing is interrupting the beam. Then, check that the sensors are properly aligned to face one another. Finally, wipe off the lenses of each photo-eye to ensure that their line of sight isn’t clouded over with anything.

Signs You Need to Replace Your Commercial Door Operator

Here are a few signs it’s time to invest in a new commercial door operator for your business:

• It misfires. If your commercial door opens and shuts on its own, the opener may be misfiring. The last thing you want is someone getting access to your property because the door opened on its own when you were away.
  
  
• It makes loud noises. Like any piece of machinery, commercial door openers make noise when they operate. But loud noises like creaking, squeaking, or clanking are a telltale sign your opener is on its last legs.
  
  
• It’s sluggish. If your commercial door operator suddenly takes much longer to rise and close than it did in the beginning, it’s having trouble lifting the weight of the door and needs to be replaced.
  
  
• It’s old. Is your door operator more than 15 or 20 years old? If so, the tech may be out of date. Your safest bet is to invest in a new one with the latest technology like emergency disconnect and auto reverse.

Don’t wait until you notice signs of a commercial door opener failure. A worn-out commercial door operator can cause unexpected breakdowns, leading to injuries and costly downtime for your business.

Commercial Door Operators and Opener Repair

At Creative Door Services^TM, we carry a wide variety of easy-to-use commercial door operators, like Genie, and state-of-the-art access control solutions to automate and secure your door.

To learn more about our products and services or get a free quote, contact us today. We have eight locations from which we’re happy to serve you. You can find us in Kelowna, British Columbia; Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Fort McMurray, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.