Washing a roller garage door

It is inevitable that your garage door is going to get dirty especially when it is exposed to the elements. Garage doors are manufactured with “cleaning” in mind. How are you supposed to clean your garage door? Grime, dirt or dust can be quickly removed from the door with a cloth/sponge dipped in soapy water - it’s that easy.

Many consumers believe that they have to resort to using a pressure washer or other cleaning utensil, but this is not the case. The vast majority of today’s garage doors come with a manufacturer’s warranty on the finish ensuring that your garage door will survive the test of time without losing it’s “new” look.

Automatic roller shutter door without power

So you’re considering purchasing an automatic roller shutter door but you’re worried about access to your garage during a power cut. Fear not.

The vast majority of roller garage doors on the market have a manual release which is situated on the side of the motor. Yes, you can open the garage door manually by operating it this way. When the power returns, returning to an automated mode is trivial.

Now, if the garage door opening is the only access to your garage, you might share a real concern. Just how are you supposed to gain entrance to the rear of the door if you can’t open the door from the outside? Roller garage doors can be fitted with an external mechanical override switch which will provide a manual mechanism to open/close the garage door during a power outage without sacrificing the security to your garage.

Lubricating a roller shutter garage door

What is the best way to lubricate your roller garage door?

First off, let’s discuss what NOT to use. Do not use thick oils or grease to lubricate to your door. Both of these types of lubricants will gather dust, grime and sand over time. The garage door will end up being worse than before the grease/oil was applied.

Roller garage doors should only have lubricants applied to the guide rails of the garage door curtain.  Applying lubrication elsewhere could hamper your door’s normal operation.

The best form of lubrication is a silicone spray. This gives a clean lubrication to the door. Before applying the lubricant, rub down the guide rails with a cloth to remove any webs or dust that has gathered. Once complete, apply a fine spray of lubricant down the guide rail, but do not apply too much.

Other similar substitutes may work well, but again it’s all about small quantities.

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.

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.