Garage Door Opener will not do anything

If you have an Electric Garage Door that will not do anything when you push the button, there’s a few things you can look at to investigate the problem.

1. Is the the opener plugged into the an electric socket outlet?

2. Is there power coming out of the electric socket? Try plugging another electrical device into the same socket and seeing if it works.  There is always the possibility that there has been a short in the wiring. If this is the case, call a qualified electrician.

3. Another option could be to use an extension lead to plug the opener into another wall socket.  This might be a better option than having to lug a nice piece of electrical equipment into the garage.

4. If all fails, you probably have a mechanical or electric fault with your opener. Before you shell out hundreds to repair your opener, consider purchasing a new garage door opener. It could save you money, hassle, and time.

Electric Garage Door Replacement Remote

Are you looking for a replacement garage door remote control? Have you thought about adding another remote control to your existing installation?

Depending on the age of your electric garage door opener this may or may not be possible.  All the big garage door opener manufacturer’s provide the ability to add or replace remotes.

Programming a new remote control with a opener is easier than you might think. Manufacturers include simple easy-to-follow instructions making it quick even for you technophobes.

If your garage door opener was manufactured before 1980, it is almost certain that a new remote for your opener will no longer be in circulation.

Remote controls differ in price depending on the features of your opener and the manufacturer of the system.

Should I install manual lock for electric door?

Electric garage doors are designed to prevent unauthorised entry protecting not only the contents of your garage but you and your family. Newer electric openers function as the lock where as an older opener would usually require a manual lock.

We strongly discourage homeowners from attaching a lock once an opener has been installed. Accidentally locking the door can cause the opener to pull against the lock causing unrepairable damage to the garage door.

If you know that your garage door is not going to be used for a while because of a family holiday, for example, the vast majority of openers feature a digital lock.  The digital lock can only be lock/unlocked from with inside the garage meaning that a remote control for the door will still not be sufficient in opening the garage door until the digital lock has been unlocked/disarmed.

Please Note: If no opener is installed on your garage door, a lock is highly recommended.

Minimum required headroom space

Have you considered the amount of headroom space required for fitting a sectional garage door?

This all depends on if you plan on automating the garage door.  Automatic garage door openers are fitted against the the ceiling of the garage; this requires additional room between the ceiling and the top of the garage door opening.

With all the benefits offered by an automatic garage door, it’s still worth considering automating your garage door as an option.

Today’s garage doors are designed and manufactured to maximize space for efficiency. Manual sectional garage doors require as little as 70mm of headroom space; whereas, electric garage doors require double the amount of room (140mm).

Space-saving Garage Doors

Does your garage feel very squashed?  Would you like to be able to park right in front of the garage without having to move your car to open/close the door?

Roller garage doors offer a terrific space-saving design. These space-saving qualities are not only felt outside, but on the inside of your garage too.  Roller garage doors roll up into a neat curtain located on the wall behind the opening maximizing the width of your opening without losing any of the depth within your garage and removing the need for a timber frame around the opening.

Foremost, roller doors are ideal for short driveways because the door rises vertically and does not kickout.

Most manufactures offer the option of a discreet, unobtrusive box that resides up near the roof of your Garage.

Automatic Garage Door Spares

Do you have a dilapidated automatic garage door opener that you’re looking to revive?  Are you looking for a company selling spares or parts for your opener or even searching for a company that will carry out the repairs on your opener?

Truthfully, if your opener has passed its warranty date, you’re probably out of luck. Unless the spare part is from a popular manufacturer or is a part that is known to regularly break, you won’t find too many companies stocking the part you’re looking for.

“Why?”, I hear you ask. Consider the cost implications of an individual spending hours attempting to fix a garage door opener.  Good, quality engineers are not cheap.

Then there is the cost of the spare parts themselves.  Other than the bare-bones frame, electric openers are comprised of complicated circuit boards. Fixing a broken circuit often means replacing the entire circuit board.

Taking these costs into consideration (with the chance that the same problem or even ANOTHER problem might rear its head), it is often best purchasing a new opener with a warranty.  It will likely save you cost, time, and hassle.

Roller Garage Doors - Manual or Automatic

Roller garage doors come in two flavours - Automatic/Electric or Manual operation.  A customer’s choice will need to ponder on considerations such as price, accessibility, and access to electricity.

Manual garage doors, like the name suggests, require “manual” opening/closing of the garage door.  Unlike other types of garage doors, roller garage doors are light without compromising structural integrity.  Although light, manual roller garage doors could be unsuitable for accessibility for the elderly or disabled.

Automatic roller garage doors typically have a specialized tubular motor built into a barrel which rests at the top of the garage door and its opening.  The garage door or curtain rolls around the barrel. Other varieties of electric roller garage door will have a motor situated outside of the curtain on the top left/right.

The technology behind motorized roller garage doors makes the price-difference between manual and automatic roller doors substantial. Manufacturers have designed automated roller garage doors with performance and reliability in mind.

We always recommend an automatic roller garage door over a manual roller door for four main reasons:

• Comfort of ease of use
• Accessibility
• Home selling-point
• Security

What are roller garage doors made of?

Roller doors are very different from other types of garage doors in that the door itself (or “curtain”) rolls up into itself.  This characteristic requires that roller doors maintain versatility and lightweight design without sacrificing strength.

A curtain is made up of multiple slats which are hinged together.  The hinge design offers a look

Roller garage doors come in two different forms:

• Single Skinned Doors
• Double Skinned Doors

Being the cheaper of the two, single skinned doors are comprised of and outer sheet of (rust-free) galvanized steel. Each slat is enlosed with high-dense foam insulation. The door has a ribbed effect/shape which is how the door gets its strength.

Double skinned doors are quite similar except the door possess a higher amount of foam insulation providing greater warmth and a greater sound barrier.

For further info, give us a call. We service all of Surrey.

Sectional Garage Door Security

If your prime concern about purchasing a garage door is security then a sectional garage door is your door.

What makes sectional garage doors so secure?

Sectional garage doors are comprised of several lengthy panels. Each of these panels is made of two steel walls/sheets which are reinforced with large amounts of dense insulation. The manner in which each of these panels combines with interleaving edges further reinforces the door.

Those who purchase a sectional door usually purchase an accompanying automatic garage door opener.  Due to a sectional door’s construction and purpose, these doors are slightly heavier and can be more difficult to open. Read our article about Security of an Automatic Garage Door Opener for further information.

Sectional Garage Doors are sought after due to their air-tightness.  These draught-proof doors not only keep out draughts, leaves, and dust but burglars too.  While Up & Over doors are penetrable with merely a crowbar, such is not the case with a sectional counterpart.

Sectional doors are usually mounted against the garage door opening wall as well as the ceiling. In addition, the door sits flush against the wall and floor when in the closed position making it difficult to leverage any tools upon the door.

Sectional Door Draught Strips

The best style of garage doors for keeping draughts down are the roller and sectional garage doors.

Sick of all those leaves blowing underneath the door? Thought about how you can save on your energy bill?

Consider a sectional door that is fitted with a draught strip. The draught strip is attached to the bottom-side of the garage door. Most garage door manufacturers supply sectional doors with draught strips included.

Sectional garage doors create a draught-proof seal for your garage, whilst providing maximum space for access. A rubber seal at the bottom of the door prevents debris such as leaves from entering the garage.