The Situation
A small logistics company on Goose Island had four 12-foot commercial sectional doors on their loading dock. Three of the four had deferred maintenance issues that had been accumulating for over a year: two with spring tension well below spec, one with a torn bottom seal letting in Chicago winters. The company had been patching instead of servicing. We were called after the third door started hesitating on the way up during a delivery window.
What We Found
Full inspection of all four doors in a single site visit. Doors 1 and 2 were running at approximately 60% of the spring tension needed for their door weight — the operators were compensating for the difference on every cycle and were at risk of thermal overload failure. Door 3’s bottom astragal seal had a 3-foot tear, fully open to the elements. Door 4 appeared normal but had a cracked cable anchor plate — a failure point that would have dropped the cable and jammed the door with no warning.
What We Did
Adjusted spring tension on doors 1 and 2 back to rated spec. Replaced the 10-foot bottom astragal seal on door 3 with heavy-duty rubber bulb seal. Replaced the cracked cable anchor plate on door 4 before it failed. Lubricated all four doors: springs, cables, hinges, rollers, and operator shafts. Reset limit switches on all four operators to ensure full-seal closure at the bottom.
Result
All four doors back to full spec in a single 4-hour visit. Client signed a quarterly maintenance contract. On the next inspection three months later, zero spring adjustment was needed — just lubrication and a clean bill of health.