How To Fix An Automatic Sliding Door-Stanley, Besam, Horton, & More

Commercial Automatic Sliding Door

Automatic sliding doors can be found in nearly every grocery store. They play an important role in any retail market as they are the first thing the customer interacts with to enter your store. This means you need to make sure your automatic door is running properly each day. If the automatic door stops operating this can impede the flow of traffic or stop customers from entering your store all together. In most cases, architects will typically spec in atleast 2 automatic sliding door systems in one given building. So if one door stops working, customers can be routed through the other automatic sliding door. In any case, if you find that your automatic door is not working properly, do not panic! Simply, turn off the automatic door and manually push the doors open, so customers can enter your building. In this article we will be going over some tips and tricks that work on virtually any automatic sliding door system to get it back up and running.

Tip #1: Check The Power Switch and Circuit Breaker

First thing to check is the power. Is the power switch on. Typically all automatic sliding doors, whether it is the Stanley Duraglide or Horton 2000 Linear Drive, have an On/Off switch. On Stanley automatic doors the power switch is the illuminated red switch typically found on the side of the door system jamb tube or on the underside of the header. On Horton automatic doors the on/off switch can be found either on the side of the door system jamb tube or on the underside of the header at the very end of the door package. If you confirm, that the power is on and the automatic sliding door is still dead, then check the circuit breaker. It is possible circuit breaker tripped and just needs to be reset.

2 Bi-Part Automatic Sliding Door Systems

Tip #2: Do The Doors Move When You Turn The Power Switch On....And Then Suddenly Stop

When you turn on the power to the automatic doors, do the automatic sliding doors open and then suddenly stop. If the door does not open all the way, then turn the power to the "Off" position. Manually slide the doors all the way open and then closed. Feel for any physical obstruction. If you push the automatic sliding door manually and you feel it jammed it could be a number of things such as a broken top roller, a broken bottom guide, etc.

Automatic Sliding Doors In A Shopping Center

Tip #3: With Power On, The Automatic Doors Do Not Move At All

There are two popular configurations of automatic sliding door systems. The Full Breakout Model where all door panels, the moving panel(s) and the stationary panel(s), can swing out. The other configuration is called the fixed panel or fixed sidelite. In this configuration only the moving panel(s) can swing out. The stationary panels are fixed in place. In both configurations the doors will not operate if any of the panels are partially swung out. Carefully inspect each door panel. Sometimes the door panels may look like they are in place, but after further inspection you may discover that the door panels are slightly swung out. Door panels get hit by pedestrians with shopping carts or bags all the time. If hit hard enough, the door can easily snap out of place. A sure fire way to confirm all door panels are snapped in, is to first turn the power off on the door system. Then manually swing out each door panel and firmly snap them back into place. Then turn on the automatic door back on and see if it runs.

Tip #4: Doors Stay Open and Will Not Shut

All automatic sliding doors feature sensors. Typically most automatic door sensors feature a light display. When the sensor is triggered an LED lights up on the sensor cover. Crouch down out of the sensor's path and see if the inside sensor's LED is lit up. Then check the outside sensor's LED and confirm it is not lit up. If one of the sensor's LED light display is illuminated this means the sensor is being triggered and keeping the door open. Look around the sensor path, is there anything impeding the door way such a shopping cart. Many times, a sensor will readjust for a stationary item such as a shopping cart, but you may need to wait a while for it to relearn the new environment. In a scenario where the sensor is relearning the environment it will typically require a few cycles of the door to open and close. When the sensor is relearning it is best to make sure no pedestrians are passing through the entry way while this occurs, as it can affect the sensors learn cycle. Another thing to check is for a moving object in the sensor's path. If there is a moving object, the sensor will always trigger due to the motion tracking. Look around your door panels. Is there a flyer or sales poster taped to the glass that came undone and is swinging in the wind.

Automatic Sliding Door With Sensors

Tip #5: Visually Inspect The Doors and Header

Although this seems simple, you would be surprised what you can diagnose from simply inspecting your door panels and door header. Look for anything that looks out of place. Do you see a rubber belt hanging out of the door header. If so, your door's timing belt has snapped. Or maybe you see a loose cable hanging out of the header. Look around the bottom track, many times you will see pieces of the failed component such as a bottom wheel from the bottom guide, etc

And there you have it. With these tips you will be able to diagnose most automatic door problems. For model specific troubleshooting tips refer to the manufacturer's installation instructions and always make sure these adjustments are made by certified automatic door technicians. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at custsvc@autodoorandhardware.com . We are always happy to help. And if you need to purchase automatic door parts please visit our website where we stock all major automatic door parts for all automatic door brands.

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