What NOT to do When Buying Commercial Garage Doors
Materials, inventory and equipment expenses can add up when you run a business. If you aren’t careful those costs can compound, especially when purchasing volume garage doors for a storage facility, warehouse, loading dock, hospital, retail complex or other commercial building. How can you make a well-informed purchase? By being aware of what can go wrong when selecting and installing commercial garage doors. Here’s what you don’t want to do:
- Choose a garage door ill-suited for operations. Residential doors are a bit easier to buy because design and convenience are the focus. Commercial garage doors, however, must also meet criteria around industrial weight, material type, security functionality, safety, and frequency.The door you choose should support your industry. Be sure to discuss day-to-day operations with your vendor, so that you can identify the right door type. Your options may include:
- Commercial rolling garage doors: Used in settings that involve a lot of activity, rolling garage doors can provide a better fit than sectional garages. That’s why you may see these types of doors in storage facilities. They are also durable and strong — key factors for security.
- Commercial sectional garage doors: These doors, ideal for loading docks, are streamlined and can be decorative, but they offer plenty of strength and durability for continuous use. Unlike commercial rolling garage doors, they may require more headroom. Sectional garage doors are manufactured in different styles, including raised panel, thermal, rail, ribbed, and stile.
- Commercial traffic doors: This is a rolling-door style but instead of metal, the door is constructed with heavy-duty fabric. These doors are most often used in hospitals, clinics, and restaurants.
- Commercial fire doors: Fire doors are also used by businesses prone to high occupancies, like hospitals and restaurants. However, they are specifically designed to meet fire door/firewall safety requirements. Many fire doors have an auto-release capability to close when temperatures exceed a certain temperature, or if an alarm system or smoke detector kicks off.
- Fail to research pros and cons of opener systems. The frequency in which employees use the garage could dictate whether you need a hand-operated or power-operated commercial garage door opener. A hand-operated option may be sufficient for occasional use. If you decide to use a power-operated opener, make sure you have enough horsepower to cover frequency and security.
- Cut corners on installation. Don’t do it: quality installation has everything to do with dependability and safety. Compromising in this area could result in premature wear-and- tear–and accidents. Hiring techs with extensive commercial experience is just as essential as choosing the right garage door.
It doesn’t stop there. According to the New York State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation, companies should prevent accidents by:
- Making sure workers stay clear of overhead door paths
- Developing an overhead door safety program and implement employee training
- Creating an installation/service manual for workers who are repairing overhead garage doors
We believe focusing on the best long-term value is the key to a commercial garage door investment. Doing so could save you time and minimize productivity loss due to poor functioning garages.