But don’t think that the warm weather now means door maintenance can be ignored till the next winter. Summer brings its own issues with it and we’re going to look at how you can prevent your doors from succumbing to the perils of summer.
Exposure to the sun.
We all know that like just like our waistlines over Christmas, expansion is an issue. Prolonged exposure to intense heat can affect the functionality of your doors with component parts like guides, bearings, and springs literally growing in size and affecting the operation of your door. As we now regularly seem to have heat waves and weather warnings, it is recommended that you constantly evaluate the operation of your door and should you notice any performance issues, especially catching or a louder than usual operating noise level, get the door checked asap. This could be the start of wider issues relating to heat affecting the door.
Keep your doors lubricated.
Doors are no different to any other mechanical product that rely on lubrication to maintain a smooth operation. The sun and exposure to heat has every opportunity to dry out your existing lubrication measures. Keep them topped up and prevent the mechanism from drying out and then having knock on effects that could cause more damage.
A little bit of elbow grease.
More and more businesses are recognising the importance of industrial doors being part of the business brand. At Arrow, we’re constantly asked to produce doors in corporate colours. One thing that comes with the typical English weather is rain, natures natural cleanser. But (hopefully) summer reduces the chances of rain and thus, helping to keep your doors clean.
In the summer, it is natural that dust is kicked up with the lack of rain keeping it tempered down. These dust particles and the other dirt that can get kicked up can have a dramatic effect on not only the door operation, but also the general aesthetic. When so much has been invested in branding the door, don’t let the dirt and dust compromise the overall aesthetic. A regular clean does wonders!
Sun damage to the exterior finish
The sun is all powerful and colour fading is a common issue to many products that are left out in the sun.
Industrial doors are no different.
Out of our portfolio of products, our roller shutters can be supplied with a special coating that is more resistant to sunlight and help reduce dramatically the effects of sun exposure. Currently this coating is only available on our roller shutter range.
Don’t wait for it to get worse!
This is the most important piece of advice we can give you. At the first sign of lack of performance, get your door inspected. What can be fixed relatively quickly and cheaply if identified as soon as possible, could, if left to fester, turn into a big and costly fix.
Arrow have a national network of engineers who aren’t just here for the emergencies, we’re here to visit and offer expert opinions on any door concerns you may have. Visit our location page to find your nearest branch and get that problem looked at before you need us on an emergency basis!
