5 Causes Of A Sticking Roll-Up Overhead Door
The roll-up overhead door that provides access to your warehouse or loading dock should operate smoothly so it opens and closes easily. Sometimes these doors can begin to stick, which can make them difficult to operate properly. Not only is this a pain, but a sticking door can also be hard to secure so it can pose a risk of intrusion or robbery.
1. Header Alignment
The header is installed across the exterior front of the door, where it hides and protects the drum that the door rolls around when it's opened. Headers placed too close to the roller drum can impede its movement, causing the door to stick. Realigning the header to avoid obstruction is all that is necessary.
2. Tight Guide Strips
Guide strips run along either side of the door. The door sides have rollers that slip into these guides so that the door remains aligned when it is rolling up or down. If the strips are too tight around the rollers, then the door will stick and it may sometimes fail to open. In some cases, it may roll up unevenly because only one strip is too tight. Re-adjusting or replacing the strips will solve the issue.
3. Drum Misalignment
Older roll-up overhead doors often feature a smooth drum for the door to roll around. Over time, the door may skew to one side so that it no longer rolls around the drum evenly. This leads to a door that sags lower on one side when compared to the other. Replacing the drum with a newer corrugated drum is the best solution. Corrugated drums have notches that the door slips into as it begins rollings, which prevents it from becoming misaligned on the drum.
4. Spring Tension
Like most overhead doors, roll-up doors have springs that hold the tension so the door closes gently and raises smoothly. Springs that are too tight can make operation difficult so that the door seems to be sticking. Too-tight springs are also at higher risk of breaking prematurely. Fortunately, it's a simple task for your repair tech to loosen the spring tension so that the door operates more smoothly.
5. Leveling Issues
Leveling issues are often a problem with a new door installation, caused by improper leveling of the guides and drum at the time the door was put in. Leveling problems can also surface later if the building settles and knocks the door frame out of alignment. Your repair tech will need to re-align and level all door components to fix the issue.
Contact a commercial door repair service if your roll-up overhead door is sticking or otherwise seems misaligned.