Rolling steel door service that keeps the curtain moving

How a rolling steel door is built

A rolling steel door is a curtain of interlocking steel slats that coils around a barrel mounted above the opening. Torsion springs inside that barrel counterbalance the weight of the curtain, so the door can be raised by hand, by chain or crank, or by a motor operator.

Guides on each side keep the curtain tracking straight. A bottom bar with a rubber seal closes against the floor, and a hood covers the coil at the top. Every one of those parts takes a beating on a busy loading dock or shop door.

Rolling doors show up wherever ceiling space is tight or security matters: loading docks, warehouses, shops, storage buildings and storefronts. They take up little room inside because the whole curtain coils into a compact space above the opening.

Spring tension is not a do-it-yourself adjustment

When a roll-up door gets hard to lift, drifts down on its own or shoots up too fast, the spring tension inside the barrel is usually off. Those springs hold a large amount of stored energy, and releasing it the wrong way can cause serious injury.

Please don't loosen the tension wheel, remove the barrel brackets or try to rewind the springs yourself. Adjusting rolling door tension takes the right tools and the right sequence, and it's a core part of the rolling steel certification Tony and Jake both carry.

When a spring breaks inside the barrel, we replace it and set the tension so the door balances again, then check the rest of the door while we're up there. Worn barrel bearings and loose brackets get caught at the same time.

Bent slats and damaged curtains

Forklifts, trucks and the occasional backing trailer are hard on rolling doors. A dented slat can bind in the guides, and a door run with bent slats can jam in the coil or tear itself apart.

In many cases the damaged slats can be replaced without replacing the whole curtain. Endlocks on the slat ends keep the curtain aligned in the guides, and worn or missing endlocks get replaced at the same time.

If a door has been hit, stop running it and keep people out from under it until it's been checked.

Guides and bottom bars take the daily abuse

Guides get knocked out of line, anchor bolts work loose and the curtain starts to rub, jump or bind. We straighten or replace guides and re-anchor them so the curtain runs clean top to bottom.

The bottom bar and its seal take the rest of the punishment. A torn or flattened seal lets in snow, cold air and critters. On a heated building in a Northern Michigan winter, a new bottom seal is one of the simplest ways to stop wasted heat.

We also service whatever drives the door. Chain hoists wear, cranks slip and motor operators need their limits and safety devices checked. A door that's balanced and tracking cleanly is easy on whatever moves it.

Counter shutters for service windows

Counter shutters are small rolling doors that close off service windows, concession stands, pharmacy counters, reception desks and school kitchen lines. They run on the same principles as a full rolling door, only smaller.

We repair sticking and binding shutters, replace damaged slats and locks, and install new manual or motorized counter shutters. Fire-rated counter shutters also need yearly inspection and testing like any other fire door, which we handle as well.

New rolling steel doors fitted to the opening

When a door is past repair or a building needs a new opening covered, we measure and install new rolling steel doors. Choices include insulated or non-insulated slats, manual push-up, chain hoist, crank or motor operation, and how the door mounts to the wall.

Insulated slats make sense on heated shops and warehouses, while non-insulated doors are common on cold storage and security openings. We walk through the options on site and quote it free.

Motor operators can go in at installation or be added later, and we size them to the door and to how often it runs.