Overhead door repair
Sectional overhead doors do thousands of cycles a year in a busy building. When one fails, we connect you with a local company that services commercial overhead doors.
Request service- Free to use: the repair company pays us, not you
- Independent local companies that work on commercial doors and docks
- You get the quote directly from the company doing the work
Common overhead door failures
- Torsion spring failure. The most common cause of a door that suddenly won't lift. Springs are rated for a set number of cycles and wear out.
- Frayed or snapped lift cables. The door hangs crooked or jams.
- Bent track. Usually impact damage from vehicles or pallets.
- Weather seal damage. Gaps at the bottom or sides that let in water, dust and pests.
- Operator and control problems. Limit switches, push-button stations, remotes and photo eyes.
High-cycle doors
If a door opens more than about 25 times a day, ask the repair company about high-cycle springs. They cost more up front and last several times longer, which usually means fewer emergency calls.
Keep the door safe until it's fixed
Don't let staff force a door that is jammed, hanging unevenly or has a broken spring. Block off the opening, keep people from walking under it, and wait for a technician.
The parts of a sectional overhead door
Knowing the names helps when you describe a problem:
- Sections. The horizontal panels that make up the door, joined by hinges.
- Tracks. The steel channels on each side that the rollers run in. Tracks may run straight up (vertical lift), follow the roof line, or turn back horizontally.
- Torsion springs. Wound springs on a shaft above the door that counterbalance its weight.
- Drums and cables. Cables wind onto drums at each end of the spring shaft and lift the bottom of the door.
- Operator. The motor unit. Commercial doors typically use a jackshaft operator mounted beside the door or a trolley operator above it.
- Safety devices. Photo eyes across the opening and a sensing edge along the bottom of the door.
Spring cycle ratings
One cycle is the door opening and closing once. A standard torsion spring is commonly rated for around 10,000 cycles. At 30 cycles a day that is under a year of working days. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000, 50,000 or 100,000 cycles cost more but last proportionally longer.
If a door has broken springs more than once, count how many times a day it actually opens and give that number to the repair company. The right spring for the door's real use is the single most effective way to cut repeat breakdowns.
What the symptom usually means
| What you see | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Gap in the coils of the spring above the door | Broken torsion spring |
| One side of the door lower than the other | Cable off its drum, or a broken cable |
| Door drifts down when left half open | Springs have lost tension or are the wrong size |
| Door shudders or binds at one point | Bent track, damaged roller or a failed hinge |
| Operator trips its overload | Door out of balance, so the motor is doing the springs' job |
| Push button does nothing | Power, a tripped interlock, or a control fault |
Insulated and cold-storage doors
Insulated doors are heavier than plain steel doors and need springs matched to that weight. If sections are replaced with a different thickness or type, the springs must be re-sized. On cooler and freezer openings, damaged seals and thermal breaks cost money every hour through lost cold air and ice build-up, so seal repairs there are worth doing promptly.
Protecting the door from the next impact
Most overhead door damage in warehouses comes from vehicles. Three inexpensive measures prevent a lot of it: steel bollards or track guards at the base of each track, a clearly marked floor line showing the door's swing, and a rule that doors are fully open before a forklift passes under them. Ask the repair company to quote track guards while they are on site.
Overhead door repair: common questions
What is the difference between an overhead door and a rolling door?
A sectional overhead door is made of hinged panels that travel along tracks. A rolling door is a curtain of narrow slats that coils up into a barrel above the opening. They fail in different ways and use different parts, so tell the repair company which you have.
Why does my door keep breaking springs?
Usually because the springs are standard-cycle springs on a door that opens many times a day. High-cycle springs sized for the door's actual use last several times longer.
Can a single damaged section be replaced?
In most cases yes, provided the manufacturer still makes a matching section. The repair company will need the door's make, model and section height.
My door opens by hand but not with the operator. What does that mean?
The door itself is probably fine and the fault is in the operator, its controls or its safety devices. That is generally a quicker and cheaper repair than a spring or track problem.
How do I know if my door is out of balance?
With the operator disengaged, a balanced door stays where you leave it when lifted half-way. If it drops or rises, it needs adjusting by a technician.
How long do commercial overhead doors last?
With regular maintenance the door itself often lasts 20 years or more. Springs, cables, rollers and seals are replaced several times in that period.
Need a door or dock fixed?
Use the form at the top of this page.