Diagnosing Parkade Door Issues: How SineWave Solutions Helped Solve a Persistent Problem

When a parkade garage door in a local apartment building kept getting stuck multiple times a day, the property management team was left frustrated and residents were even more so. What seemed like a simple mechanical issue turned into a months-long mystery involving multiple vendors, parts replacements, and plenty of guesswork. That’s when SineWave Solutions was called in.

The Problem: The Parkade Door Was Getting Stuck

Symptoms of the Failure

The management of a Calgary apartment building had been dealing with an intermittent failure of their roll-up garage door. Several times a day, the door would simply stop working and remain stuck in the closed position. Residents were unable to use their fobs to enter or exit until someone physically accessed the control cabinet and reset the system.

Attempts to Fix It

For months, building staff and third-party contractors tried to isolate the issue:

• Security personnel checked the access control systems.

• Mechanical service crews replaced limit switches and various sensors.

• Eventually, attention turned to the motor, under the assumption that it might be the root cause.

Despite these efforts, the problem persisted.

The SineWave Solution: Data-Driven Electrical Diagnostics

SineWave Solutions was recommended by the building’s electrical maintenance contractor, and once we got the call, we approached the problem the only way we know how: systematically, using real-time electrical diagnostics.

Step 1: Testing the Motor

We began with a full insulation test on the motor. The results confirmed that the motor was in excellent condition and not the cause of the malfunction. This immediately eliminated one of the more costly potential issues.

Step 2: Monitoring the Power Systems

We installed two synchronized meters:

• One on the breaker feeding the control cabinet

• One on the output of the VFD (Variable Frequency Drive), which connects directly to the motor

This dual monitoring setup allowed us to create synchronized power usage graphs, giving us real-time visibility into how energy was flowing (or not flowing) through the system.

*Graphs below show the results and are clickable to enlarge*

Step 3: Pinpointing the Breakdown

The results were clear:

• Power was being drawn from the breaker to the control cabinet

• But no power was being delivered to the motor from the VFD

This indicated a breakdown within the control cabinet itself something that had not been properly identified by previous service providers.

A Permanent Fix

We forwarded our findings and the power monitoring data to the manufacturer of the control cabinet, who reviewed the graphs and confirmed our diagnosis. The faulty components were repaired, the cabinet was serviced, and the issue has not returned since.

The Power of Electrical Diagnostics

Had the property management continued to rely on mechanical guesswork, they might have eventually replaced a perfectly good motor – incurring unnecessary costs and still not solving the root issue.