What a commercial install project with us looks like
Most of our commercial installs follow the same order. If you are still deciding between door types, start with our comparison of rolling steel and sectional doors.
The first call
We ask how many openings need doors, what each one is used for and whether the building is up or still under construction.
The site visit
We walk each opening with you, looking at the jambs and header, anything mounted nearby, the traffic that passes through and where power is available.
Measuring
We take our own measurements before anything is ordered, even when drawings exist. Finished openings don't always match the plans, and a commercial door has to fit its guides or tracks closely.
Choosing the door and operator
For each opening, we go over door type, insulation, windows, spring cycle rating, operator and controls. We put your choices in writing so you can review every door before it is ordered.
Coordinating with the general contractor on new buildings
On a new building, we work with the general contractor to confirm:
- Rough opening sizes and what the jambs and header are made of.
- Where each operator mounts and what power it needs.
- Where conduit for wall stations, photo eyes and other controls should run.
- When the openings will be clear of scaffolding, lifts and other trades.
Install
If an old door is coming out, we remove it first. Then we mount the guides or tracks, hang the curtain or sections, set the spring tension for the door's weight and run the door by hand to check that it travels evenly and closes level.
Setting up controls and safety devices
Next we mount the operator, wire the wall station and set the open and close limits. We install the photo eyes or sensing edge the setup calls for, test that the door stops and reverses, and program any remotes.
The walkthrough
Before we leave, we run the door with the people who will use it. We show them the controls, how to run the door by hand in a power outage, and which parts to leave alone: the springs, cables, drums and barrel.
What a repair visit looks like
When you call, tell us which door it is, what it's doing, whether it's open or closed and whether anything looks broken or hanging. Photos taken from the floor help us bring the right parts.
If it's safe, clear pallets and vehicles from both sides of the door, and have someone on hand who knows its history.
On site, we set up a work area and look over the whole door, not just the part that failed. A broken cable often comes with worn drums or bearings, and a door that was hit may be damaged in more than one place.
We explain what we found and what we recommend before we start. After the repair, we run the door through several full cycles, check its balance and test the safety devices.
Parts that wear on commercial doors and how they fail
Here is what trouble usually looks like for each part.
If a spring or cable breaks, keep the door closed, keep people clear and call a trained technician.
- Springs: they balance the door so the operator or hoist only has to guide it. A broken spring often makes a loud bang, and afterward the door may barely move, rise crooked or stall the operator. On rolling doors the springs sit inside the barrel, so you usually can't see the break.
- Cables: on sectional doors, cables run from the bottom corners up to drums on the spring shaft. Frayed strands near the bottom bracket, a slack cable or a door hanging low on one side all need attention.
- Drums: cables wind onto grooved drums. A worn or cracked drum lets the cable jump its grooves, so the door lifts unevenly or the cable comes off.
- Bearings: they carry the shaft or barrel at each end. Squealing, grinding, a wobble at the shaft end or a door that has grown harder to run point to worn bearings.
- Rollers: cracked wheels, flat spots, wobble and loud popping are signs of wear. A failed roller can let a sectional door come out of the track.
- Curtains and slats: dented slats bind in the guides. Slats that shift sideways, missing end locks, cracked joints and daylight through the curtain mean it needs work.
- Guides and tracks: a bent or loose guide or track makes the door scrape, stick at one spot or close crooked.
- Bottom bars: a bent bottom bar leaves gaps at the floor, closes unevenly and can tear the seal or sensing edge attached to it.
- Seals: torn bottom seals and worn brush seals at the guides and hood let in water, dust, heat and pests.
- Chain hoists: a hand chain that slips, jumps the sprocket or pulls much harder than it used to needs service.
- Operators: watch for a motor that hums without moving, stops partway, reverses for no clear reason, runs past its stopping point or lets the door drift after it stops.
- Photo eyes: a bumped bracket or dirty lens keeps the door from closing or makes it reverse. A blinking light on the sensor often means it can't see the other side.
- Sensing edges: torn or crushed rubber, a damaged coil cord or a door that reverses as it touches the floor point to a worn edge. An edge that no longer reverses the door is a safety problem, so take the door out of service.
Setting up a regular service schedule
A door that runs all day on a busy dock wears faster than one that opens a few times a week. Dust, heat and impacts add wear too, so each door's schedule should match how it is used.
- Number every door. Mark the number on the door and its wall station so reports and work orders match.
- Keep a log. Record repairs, hits and replaced parts by door number. Patterns show which doors need upgraded parts or more frequent visits.
- Name one person to take reports. Staff should know who to tell about a new noise or a door acting strangely.
- Plan visits around your operations. Tell us when each door can be out of service, and we'll schedule around it.
A service visit usually covers lubrication, tightening hardware, checking balance, inspecting springs, cables, rollers and seals, and testing the operator limits and safety devices. We point out anything that's wearing so you can plan for it.
When a door is stuck open or won't close at the end of the day
Forcing a stuck door can turn a simple repair into a dangerous one.
- Keep people clear. Cone or rope off the area under and around the door, inside and out.
- Don't force it. Never pull the door down by hand, push it with a forklift, hang weight on the bottom bar or pry it in the guides.
- Check the simple things. Make sure nothing is in the opening, the photo eye lenses are clean and lined up, and the wall station isn't damaged.
- Leave the safety devices working. Defeating a photo eye or sensing edge to get the door down puts people at risk.
- Stop if anything looks broken. A crooked door, a slack or frayed cable, a bang from above or a door off its track means stop using the door and the operator.
- Secure the building another way. If the door has to stay open, plan how to protect the building overnight.
If the power is out and nothing looks damaged, your crew can run the door by hand, using its chain hoist or manual release, if they've been shown how. Otherwise, call us at (903) 294-1846. Emergency service is available by appointment after 5 PM Monday through Saturday and on Sundays.
Protecting doors from forklift and truck damage
Most impact damage happens when a vehicle passes under a door that isn't fully open, or cuts the turn too close to the guides.
- Guards on guides and tracks: steel guards in front of the lower guides or tracks take the blow instead of the door.
- Bollards: concrete-filled posts inside and outside the opening keep forklifts and trailers off the jambs.
- Open the door all the way: set the open limit at full height and have drivers wait until the door stops. A door left partway up sits right at mast and trailer height.
- Driver habits: slow down at doors, know your mast height and never drive under a moving door. Painted stop lines show drivers where to wait.
- Report every hit: a bent guide left alone chews up the curtain with every cycle. Let drivers report a bump without blame so it gets checked early.
Operator controls
- Wall stations: mount them where the person pressing the button can see the whole door and the floor under it. A station behind racking or around a corner invites closing the door on someone.
- Hold-to-close: some setups close the door only while someone holds the button, so a person watches it the whole way down.
- Keyed stations: a key switch limits who can run the door after hours.
- Remotes: handy for drivers. Track who has one and collect it when someone leaves.
- Timers: a timer can close a door after it has been open a set time. Closing with no one watching takes the right safety devices, so we check what the operator requires first.
UL 325 is the safety standard for door and gate operators. The controls you choose affect which safety devices a door needs, and we set that up with the operator.
Questions to ask before choosing a door
- How many times will this door run on a busy day, and what spring cycle rating fits that?
- What sits above and behind the opening, and will the door clear it?
- Will forklifts, trucks or trailers pass through, and what guards make sense?
- Who will run the door, and from where: a wall station, a remote or a timer?
- Is there power near the opening, and what will the operator need?
- Does the opening need a fire-rated or wind-rated door? Your building official, fire marshal or insurer can tell you.
- Which parts will likely wear first, and can they be replaced one at a time?
What affects the cost
For installs, these factors matter most:
- Door type, size, insulation and windows.
- Operator type, controls and the safety devices the setup calls for.
- Spring cycle rating.
- Guards and bollards.
- Removing and hauling away old doors.
- The condition of the jambs and header, and any work needed to mount the door.
- Lift access, working height and working around a business that stays open.
- The number of doors.
For repairs, cost depends on which parts failed, how much damage an impact caused, whether parts are still made for your door and whether the visit is an after-hours emergency call.
How to get started
Call us at (903) 294-1846, Monday through Saturday, 7 AM to 5 PM, or send a request with photos and a short note about each door. You can also email prodoorsandgates@gmail.com.
Pro Doors and Gates is family owned, with our main location at 1940 Everheart Rd in Bells. We work across Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas, including Sherman, Denison, McKinney, Frisco, Allen and Dallas.
If the building's walk-in doors need work too, we also install and repair commercial steel entry doors.
