Automatic door maintenance is crucial for your business; it increases the lifespan of your doors and saves on costly replacements or repairs. Equally important, it ensures the safety of customers, by keeping your automatic doors in good working order to reduce the risk of accidents.
Getting the longest lifespan possible will free up money to spend on other aspects of your business, ensuring you have the best return on investment. Avoiding preventive maintenance is a false economy, as it could lead to extra costs in future if negligence causes a breakdown.
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How long should automatic doors last?
When you’ve spent money on making your shopfront more welcoming with an automatic door, it can last for up to 20 years with the proper care and attention. Basic maintenance, on a regular basis, through a series of simple checks, will not only help improve your doors’ functionality, but it can also add years to their lifespan.
Most installers agree a scheduled full service and maintenance visit should be carried out by a professional at least once a year for all types of automatic door system, although many business owners choose to have a service more frequently to keep the doors in tip-top shape.
Automatic Access can tailor the service and maintenance schedule to your individual requirements, as we offer five different packages to meet clients’ needs. These range from an annual maintenance, service and safety check to a fully comprehensive package, including two full service and maintenance visits per year, replacement parts and all reactive callouts.
Safety
Automatic door safety is crucial for your business, as it prevents malfunctions, ensuring smooth operation and reducing the risk of an injury to employees and customers.
As a business, you have a duty of care to anyone entering and leaving the building and the doors should comply with British and European safety standards. If you fail to maintain your automatic doors properly, this could result in legal action if an accident occurs that injures a customer or member of staff. Not only could a person suffer serious injury, but this could also damage your reputation.
Training should be given; someone in charge should know how to operate automatic doors and the correct procedure in an emergency.
Security
Business security should always be a primary consideration, so keeping the doors secure and functional to prevent potential security breaches is crucial. They must deter opportunist thieves from taking a chance on your property and prevent burglars and other undesirable individuals from entering.
An integrated control system can improve security by monitoring who is entering and leaving the building. If a suspected criminal is hanging around outside your premises, you can quietly lock the doors remotely and call the police, without any employee having to manually lock the doors and potentially put themselves at risk.
In the case of civil disturbances in the street outside, automatic doors can be a massive benefit, as your property can be secured instantly and remotely.
Cost efficiency
Automatic door components can have their longevity extended by keeping them in good working order, saving you money in the longer term and protecting your investment.
As a business owner or site manager, it’s advisable to conduct regular visual inspections of all powered doors yourself to look out for anything untoward. Although this doesn’t remove the need for a professional to carry out routine maintenance and a service, it can give you advance warning if something isn’t right.
Customer experience
Improve the overall customer experience by having smoothly operating doors, which will automatically create a positive impression of your business.
Sensors will open the doors as people approach, enabling automatic access for everyone including disabled customers, parents with small children and prams, others laden down with shopping and the elderly, who won’t have to struggle with heavy manual doors.
Compile a checklist
Compiling an automatic door maintenance checklist to highlight the key aspects of your routine will help to keep the schedule on track.
As well as regular inspections and professional services, you should check for dirt and debris that can impact smooth operation. Dirt can collect in the tracks with regular use over time. You will know if this has happened if there’s a grinding noise as the door operates. This can leave the motor struggling, ultimately causing a costly repair if you don’t nip it in the bud.
Contact a professional if you hear any strange noises coming from the door system to resolve the issue before it gets worse. Check the sensors, emergency stop buttons, remote and manual activation switches and the power supply. Review the door’s operation frequently, looking for any obstructions that may impact its smooth running. It should open without delay and close gently without impact.
Keep an eye on the glass panels to make sure none are cracked, chipped or damaged in any way. If there are any issues at all, contact a professional to resolve them.
Look after your automatic doors and they’ll look after you and your business.