Waterbury's industrial history left a lot of working buildings: shops, warehouses, auto repair bays, contractor yards and storefronts along the main corridors and in the industrial areas near Route 8 and I-84. A stuck loading door or a jammed roll-up gate can stop a business cold, so commercial door problems tend to be urgent ones.
Common commercial door types
- Rolling steel doors. Slats coil around a barrel above the opening. Common on loading docks, storage units and storefronts.
- Sectional steel doors. Like a residential door but heavier, often insulated, with windows for light. Common in auto shops and service bays.
- Security grilles and gates. Open-mesh roll-up grilles for storefronts and counters.
- High-speed fabric doors. Used in warehouses and cold storage to cut down on lost heat.
- Commercial operators. Heavier-duty versions of a garage door opener, often with three-button stations, timers and safety edges.
Problems we hear about
- Door won't close all the way or reverses, often a safety edge or photo eye issue.
- Broken springs on a heavily used door.
- Slats bent by a forklift or truck, so the door binds in the guides.
- Motor or operator failure, or a door that has to be chained up by hand.
- Bottom seals and weatherstripping torn up after a winter, letting cold air and snow into the building.
Cold-weather notes for businesses
An open loading door in January costs real money in heat. Worn bottom astragals, side seals and dock seals are worth replacing before winter. Busy doors also wear springs much faster than a home door, and a spring failure in the middle of a shipping day is a lot more expensive than a planned replacement.
What to have ready when you call
- The type of door and its rough size.
- The operator brand, if it has one.
- Whether the door is stuck open or closed, and whether that's a security problem.
- The business address and the best time for a technician to come out.
Costs
Commercial work varies too much for useful averages. Size, door type, the operator and how fast you need it all change the price. Ask for a written estimate, and confirm the company carries commercial liability insurance.
Common questions
Can you help with commercial garage doors?
Yes. We can try to connect you with an independent company that works on commercial doors in the Waterbury area. Not every residential company handles commercial work, so mention it when you call.
What kinds of commercial doors are there?
The most common are rolling steel doors that coil above the opening, sectional steel doors like a heavy-duty version of a home door, and high-speed doors for warehouses. Fire doors and security grilles are specialty items.
How often should commercial doors be serviced?
Doors that cycle many times a day should be inspected at least twice a year, and some facilities do it quarterly. Springs on busy doors can wear out in a fraction of the time a home door's springs last.