What a Maintenance Contract Is
It's an agreement for a technician to inspect and service your doors on a set schedule, usually for a set price per door per visit. Repairs found during a visit are quoted separately or at a contract rate.
The goal is simple: find the worn spring, frayed cable or loose bracket before it fails with a truck halfway through the opening.
What a Visit Usually Covers
- Lubricating springs, rollers, hinges, bearings and chains.
- Checking springs, cables and drums for wear and rust.
- Tightening hardware and track fasteners.
- Checking the balance of the door.
- Testing safety edges, photo eyes and the reverse.
- Checking the operator, its limits and its manual release.
- Inspecting seals and weatherstrip.
- A written report of each door's condition.
How Often
It depends on how hard the door works. A door that opens a few times a day may need a visit once or twice a year. A busy loading door running all day may need one every quarter or more often.
Doors close to salt water often need more frequent lubrication, since rust builds faster. See rust on hardware.
Fire Doors
Rolling fire doors are generally required to be inspected and drop tested every year so they close properly in a fire. A maintenance agreement can include that test and the paperwork your fire marshal or insurer may ask for.
Benefits Beyond Fewer Breakdowns
Planned spending. Worn parts get replaced on your schedule, not during a busy week.
Records. Written reports help with insurance, safety audits and warranty claims.
Priority. Many companies put contract customers ahead of the line when a door goes down. Ask whether yours does, and how fast.
Storm prep. A visit before hurricane season can check bracing, fasteners and tracks. See garage door bracing for what bracing can and can't do.
Signs a Door Needs Attention Between Visits
Tell the technician right away if a door gets louder, slower or starts to shudder, stops short, or reverses on its own. Frayed cables and gaps in a spring coil are reasons to stop using the door until it's checked.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
- How many visits a year, and what exactly is checked on each?
- Are parts or labor discounted for contract customers?
- How quickly will someone come when a door is down?
- Does it cover the operators and fire doors too?
- Can you cancel, and how much notice is needed?
Read the commercial garage doors page for door types and common repairs. Want a quote for your doors? Call (850) 555-0147 or send the form.