4 Common Commercial Door Problems and How to Fix Them

Overhead doors are a critical but often overlooked part of loading and shipping operations. Although they might perform flawlessly through thousands of cycles, even the toughest materials aren’t immune to wear and tear. Breakdowns are inevitable, and when they occur, they aren’t just inconvenient, they are disruptive, potentially leading to delays, missed deadlines, and failed deliveries. Some malfunctions can even endanger the safety of your customers and staff! Knowing how to respond to common commercial door problems ensures your company runs smoothly day to day. Vortex has been troubleshooting doors for over 88 years, and in this short guide, we’ll break down the issues we encounter most frequently, explaining how they develop, how to spot them, and how to fix them.

Misaligned Doors

Are your doors sitting crooked? Do they jam repeatedly? Does the metal scrape when they open and close? If so, you’re most likely dealing with a misalignment, which occurs when the door doesn’t sit or move evenly in its tracks. While the problem can sometimes be traced back to a single incident, such as an impact or the door closing on something in its path, normally it develops gradually as a result of:

• Bent or warped tracks
• Worn or broken rollers
• Weak springs
• Loose hinges and hardware
• Foundational or structural shifts

In some cases, the door won’t align because it wasn’t properly installed. Poor installation isn’t always obvious. Often, problems emerge gradually, as vibrations and performance demands exacerbate poor workmanship. Vortex technicians diagnose the problem by inspecting and correcting faulty components, replacing them entirely if needed. This may include:

• Tightening mounting brackets to ensure the tracks are plumb and parallel
• Installing long stem rollers to ensure smooth movement
• Testing the springs to make sure their tension is distributed evenly
• Swapping out warped or bent components

Finally, after re-aligning the door and checking its balance, our service techs lubricate all moving parts and set the proper tension, in order to restore safe and proper operation.

Stretched or Broken Springs

Is your door a struggle to operate? Can you hear the motor straining to lift it? Has it ever slammed shut when you tried to open it? A broken torsion spring is the most likely cause. Torsion springs act as a counterbalance. Mounted at the top of the door frame, they help the unit open and close in a fast, controlled manner. A standard torsion spring is designed to handle approximately 10,000 cycles, which translates to 7-10 years in most settings. A worn or broken spring is one of the easiest problems to diagnose. Signs include:

• A loud bang, indicating the spring has snapped
• Crooked or uneven movement
• Sluggish or jerky movement
• A visible gap between the metal coils
• Slack or loose lift cables

Without springs to act as a counterbalance, manual doors will also feel heavier when you open them and fall hard when you shut them. While replacing a damaged spring is a straightforward process, don’t attempt it on your own. Springs are kept under tremendous pressure. For your safety, call a professional service provider like Vortex. Our experts will:

• Disconnect the opener and clamp the door in place
• Release the spring with a winding bar
• Remove the spring from the shaft assembly
• Slide the new spring into place
• Wind the spring to its proper level of tension

Once the new spring is secured, Vortex technicians will reconnect the opener and test the door, adjusting tension as necessary. Broken springs can cause doors to fail unexpectedly and injure workers. Preventative maintenance is the best protection, as it allows our specialists to replace springs nearing the end of their lifespan, helping you avoid potential incidents.

Worn Weatherstripping

Have your heating and cooling costs gone up? Is there a draft around your door? When it rains, does water seep underneath? If this is the case, it probably means your weatherstripping needs to be replaced. Weatherstripping is made from plastic, rubber, or vinyl gaskets that seal your doors, in order to block air, dust, noise, pests, and moisture. Commercial grade weatherstripping is extremely durable, but wears down due to a number of factors, including:

• Sun, rain, snow, and extreme temperatures
• Constant use and friction
• Compression fatigue
• Buildups of dirt, mold, and mildew

Depending on where you’re located, you may even have to worry about damage from rodents. Weatherstripping needs to be replaced when it becomes frayed, tattered, and brittle to the point it can no longer provide a suitable barrier against the elements. Signs your weatherstripping has reached the end of its life include:

• Air leaks
• Water leaks
• Rising energy bills
• External noises audible indoors
• Visible daylight under the door

If you live in an area prone to dust, you’ll also notice more dirt inside your doorway. There may also be an unusual number of pests inside your building as well. Fortunately, weatherstripping can be relatively inexpensive to restore. For our professionals, the standard procedure consists of only four steps.

• Measure the length, width, and profile to ensure an exact replacement
• Remove the fasteners, adhesive, and retainers holding the old material in place
• Choose a commercial-grade weatherstrip suitable for the door
• Align and secure the new material with crews, clips, or adhesive

Finally, they perform a few test cycles to make sure the gaskets are stable and the door is adequately sealed. Even though weatherstripping doesn’t affect your door’s operation, it does affect productivity and operating costs, which is why it should always be included in your regular inspections.

Malfunctioning Openers

Does your door emit grinding or buzzing noises when you open it? Does it stop midway or reverse direction? When you activate it, does it hesitate or move intermittently? In such cases, a failing opener is the most likely culprit. Openers are tough, but can develop issues due to a combination of factors, including:

• Heavy use
• Electrical or motor failures
• Exposure to dirt, moisture, and salt air
• Worn-out sensors, sprockets, bearings, and gears

Often, motors burn out because the door is misaligned or unbalanced, putting additional strain on their gears, belts, drive chains, sprockets, and bearings. To get them back in working order, Vortex technicians perform a full diagnostic on your opener. They check every component, including the:

• Power supply
• Wiring
• Drive belts
• Safety sensors
• Limit switches
• Remote control
• Key or button station
• Door alignment
• Track condition
• Torsion springs

Depending on the nature of the problem, they might:

• Replace faulty wires
• Tighten loose connections
• Swap out malfunctioning circuitry
• Install new gears, chains, or belts
• Tighten loose mounting brackets
• Realign tracks and anchor points
• Adjust limits
• Clean, adjust, or replace safety sensors
• Reprogram controls if necessary
• Install missing safety features

Once the issues have been addressed, our service specialists always ensure the motor’s operation and internal safeguards function as expected. However, if the motor is more than 10-15 years old, it may be more cost-effective to simply replace the operator, especially if it’s suffered a previous breakdown.

Commercial Door Service and Repair

Vortex Doors has the training, resources, and experience to handle any number of common commercial door problems you might encounter. Whether you need regular maintenance or emergency repairs, our fully stocked service trucks allow us to complete jobs quickly, often in a single visit. No matter the problem, we have the solution. Contact us today to make sure your doors have the support they need to function reliably!