How to Prepare Your Industrial Doors for Winter

During the winter months and colder weather spells, industrial doors and roller shutter doors are particularly prone to problems developing.

But, for the most part, these issues are easily avoidable. By implementing the right preventative measures, and keeping an eye out for any early warning signs of these issues, you can minimise the risk of these common problems developing into a costly repair job.

Below, the Access Innovations team have shared their insights into industrial door care during the winter, including the most common problems that these doors can develop during colder periods of the year, and the most effective ways to prevent them.

What are the most common problems that industrial doors experience in winter?

During colder weather, the most common problems that can arise with industrial doors include:

• The moving parts freezing
• The door jamming or opening and closing less smoothly
• Increasing the strain on the motors, making them more likely to malfunction
• Ice accumulating in the door’s tracks, hinges and other components, impeding its usual operation
• Making the lubricants less effective
• Reducing the flexibility of the seals, meaning they cannot form a secure, tight seal. This can compromise the thermal efficiency of the doors
• If the door is metal, it can be prone to warping
• Decreasing the security of the doors, due to incomplete closing

What are the best ways to prevent issues with your industrial doors developing in winter?

General maintenance is a key part of prevention. By maintaining your industrial doors thoroughly and regularly, you can minimise the risk of these issues developing.

When it’s cold outside, you should regularly check the door’s seals, and the lubrication of its moving parts. By ensuring the seals are tight and working, you can prevent cold air and wind from seeping through and damaging the door. Then, ensuring sufficient lubrication helps to keep the door working at peak performance in cold environments.

You can also enlist the help of a warehouse door specialist, to arrange a regular industrial door maintenance schedule. At Access Innovations, our servicing and maintenance schedules are conducted by our own team of highly trained, fully qualified experts. We will ensure that your doors are consistently operating at peak performance, and can even provide warehouse door repairs or replacements, if required.

As such, these services represent one of the most effective ways to extend the lifespan of your industrial door, retain your site’s high safety standards, and give you and your team complete peace of mind during the colder months.

Other effective preventive measures for industrial doors during the winter include:

• Using cold-resistant lubricants
• Applying de-icing sprays to the door’s moving parts
• Insulating the doors, or adding insulated covers to key components of the door, such as the motor
• Regularly removing any snow or ice that has built up
• Regularly checking how your motors are performing
• Checking the spring tension is correct
• If you do spot any issues, arranging a prompt inspection and repair, from an industrial door professional

We also highly recommend that you choose an industrial door that has the option for manual operation. This means that, in the event of a malfunction or an issue with the door’s power source, you can continue to open and close the door manually.

You can prepare for the winter months by securing Access Innovations’ repairs and maintenance services. Our team of garage door specialists are available on a 24-hour emergency basis for account holders, providing rapid, dependable callouts across the West Midlands and the rest of the UK.

If you have any further questions about warehouse door maintenance, or the best ways to keep your industrial doors performing safely, efficiently and securely, the Access Innovations team is here to help. Contact our team for a quote.