With only a few exceptions most garage doors can be automated either at the point of install or retrospectively. Electric garage door openers allow your garage door to be opened without getting out of the car by means of a radio controlled hand transmitter. This not only gives you the luxury of not opening your garage door in the bad weather or in the dark, it also offers you greater security . With an integral garage you can even close the garage door after you have entered the garage before you leave the safety of your car. Please telephone or e-mail us for a free estimate or brochure.
Automating Up & Over Garage Doors
Retractable (Fully Tracked) Garage Doors:
These type of garage doors are the easiest and most straightforward to automate. An electric garage door motor can be fitted to this type of door either at the time of installation or anytime after, without modification to the door. The easiest way of determining if your door is of this type is by the tracks, which are hung parallel to the ceiling and by the springs which are normally either side of the door. Most double garage doors are retractable doors. The most important factor with this type of door is that it is well balanced and runs smoothly. As part of our initial free survey we will check that the door works well and is suitable for automation.
Canopy Garage Doors:
These type of doors can not be automated without some modification. A canopy door can usually be identified by the tracks running up the side of the timber posts and by the spring(s) being above the garage door. Because an electric garage door opener pulls the door the from the front of the garage in a straight line towards the back of the garage and a canopy garage door runs along vertical tracks at the side of the timber posts, there reaches a point where the motor wants to pull one way and the door wants to go another way. Over the years there have been several inventions to overcome this conflict with varying amounts of success. As a company we prefer to take down the existing garage door and remove the canopy lifting gear. The existing garage door is then re-fitted with fully tracked mechanism (retractable ) as above. This ensures that there is no conflict between the door and the motor and that both move in the same direction. This puts less stress on the door and electric garage door opener and prolongs the life of both.
Automating Sectional Garage Doors
Sectional garage doors can be automated without any modification to the door. Sectional doors can be automated at the time of installation or we can automate your existing door. As there is a continuous track that runs from ground level up the side of the garage door and then parallel to the ceiling, the door can be pushed and pulled along this track by the door opener without any hinderence.
Automating Roller Shutters
The majority of roller shutter garage doors are now installed with a built-in electric motor. However many older roller shutters were just used manually. An electric garage door opener can be fitted to an older roller shutter with very little fuss. There are two different motors suitable for roller shutters and we are happy to attend site to quote you on the correct motor for your garage door.
Automating Side Hinged Garage Doors
Side hinged garage doors can be automated very easily by the use of a standard electric garage door opener and a pair of extending arms. Apart from all the normal advantages of an automated door with side hinged doors the extending arms keep the doors held stable in the open position which prevents them being blown closed in the wind.
Which Garage Door Motor ?
As a company, we have for many years used the Hormann range of garage door openers for automating up & over, sectional and side hinged garage doors. They are available in two main models, the Pro-Matic and Supra-Matic. Both models are supplied with 2No radio hand transmitters. They are both pressure sensitive and will stop if the garage door comes into contact with an obstruction. They are also both capable of being used manually in the event of a power failure. At the time of installation, we would also normally supply and fit a “bell push” type button adjacent to the pedestrian access to the garage which allows operation of the motor from this point.
What is the Cost of Garage Door Automation?
We are happy to attend site and give a free, without obligation quotation on automating your garage door. Alternatively if you would like to telephone us on one of the numbers above or by e-mail via our contacts page we would be pleased to supply you with a guide price for automating your particular garage door. We are also able to supply a brochure on request.
Electric Garage Door Repairs
In addition to installing new electric garage door motors we are also able to repair many faults that occur in older motors. There are still many spares available for some of the older type electric garage door openers. If the spare is not available we may have a used one in stock , as we try to salvage as many spares as possible for these motors.
Remote Control Hand Transmitters
It is not uncommon for an electric garage door opener to be working perfectly but the radio hand transmitters to be lost or broken. We are often able to replace the hand transmitters from stock but in the case of older, obsolete models we are able to fit a generic radio receiver with new hand transmitters. These hand transmitters are often smaller and lighter than the original hand transmitters and are on a frequency that operates the door from a greater distance and are subject to less interference. We can also supply transmitters and receivers that can operate several garage doors or garage doors and gates from the same hand transmitter.
For further details on any of the above please telephone us or e-mail via our contacts page
