For the most part, commercial doors take somewhat more abuse than residential doors do. People often are flying in and out of them many times a day, so door hardware can end up being used throughout the entire day. At Nonstop Chicago, we make thousands of service calls per year when the condition of these service doors degrade and affect their operation. The most common issues are broken levers, sagging doors, leaking closures, broken hinges, and a misaligning latch. In many of these cases, the issue could have been completely avoided by utilizing some of the below preventative tips:
Never leave doors propped open
Even if you’re just grabbing groceries or going outside to smoke a cigarette, it’s not a good idea to leave doors propped open . Unless doors have specially made “hold-open” types of closures, it’s not a wise practice to leave them in a propped open position, since the wind can catch them, and it puts great strain on their hinges. This additionally causes alignment issues and cheaper doors to bend greatly.
Treat all commercial doors gently
If you use your foot to kick open crash bars on commercial doors, it will have an effect on the its long-term functioning ability. Turning your keys super hard to force it open will also eventually cause broken keys or broken key cylinders. If an aspect of the door is posing you some difficulty, have it checked out before it’s an absolute emergency, and safe some money.
Take Advance Action
If one afternoon your key doesn’t seem to be working right, don’t procrastinate, call a locksmith right away. If you wait it’s just going to end up costing you more money in the long run – it’s especially important to fix any door or lock issue while it’s still semi-functional, and before it’s completely broken. This way you’re only dealing with a repair, not a replacement.
Don’t let the door get wet
If you’re cleaning the house with a house make sure that you don’t get the door or door hardware wet. For the most part, exterior door hardware is made to be weather proof however the soaking that a hose can provide is much more intense than simple rian. Water will cause rust which will in turn cause the hardware to malfunction and the doors to fall apart.
Always Paint Doors
Particular kinds of paint are made to be rust resistant and can extend the life of a normal commercial door – and if the paint is chipping, always apply another coat and prevent rust from forming or causing damage.
Door Closers need Adjustment
It’s important to prevent door closers to slam or close over and over – this indicates that something is wrong – look to see if any fluid is leaking from the device, and use an allen wrench to make any correct adjustments.
Fire Exits need Special Treatment
If a door has a lit fire exit sign above it, be careful with any of the changes that you make with it. If you install a certain kind of lock or hardware that’s against the established fire code you could be liable if an unfortunate accident occurs. Make sure to consult with the fire department or a locksmith before changing any of these commercial doors.
All Battery Operated Devices need battery checks
Similar to with smoke alarms, all exit alarm and card access system batteries need to be checked regularly. If something is making a weird noise or beeping, it usually indicated that the batteries need to be replaced – and if the batteries are totally drained, the device is utterly useless even when it’s up on the wall.
Allow exit devices to be “dogged-down”
This means that the crash bar will remain manually pressed for the day – this extends the lifespan of the bar since it gets used much less regularly, and the door itself will experience much less regular pressure that can degrade its internal mechanisms.