Electric Up and Over Doors

Electric Up and Over Doors

ll the up and over garage doors we sell can be remote control electrically operated with the addition of the right automation equipment. We generally offer the best electric operator and accessories for the chosen door within the options for the doors in our online shop.

A quick reminder – ANY up and over, one piece garage door is either fitted with a ‘canopy’ or a ‘retractable’ operating mechanism and generally it is accepted that an electric up and over garage door uses a retractable mechanism, because it is a simple pull and push concept for the motor drive when opening and closing.

Canopy Door Automation

To make a canopy type up and over door electrically operated requires the addition of a convertor system fitted to the back of the door which drives the power of the operator to correct parts of the door to make it open and close. These convertors come in various shapes and sizes depending on the manufacturer.

PLEASE NOTE – it is imperative that a canopy door has sufficient panel strength and fixing points to take the stresses of the motor drive. Some garage doors simply won’t be strong enough or maybe even have insufficient balance in the mechanism to make automation possible. Older canopy doors should be left alone or at least speak to a specialist first before buying an electric operator.
All the garage doors offered on GarageDoorsOnline can be automated and be compliant with the relevant safety regulations on obstacle detection when set up correctly.

  

Retractable Door Automation

To make a retractable type up and over door electrically operated simply means choosing the right operator for the size and weight of the door panel. Any up and over door over 8 ft wide will be retractable as standard as the weight of the panel becomes too much for canopy gear.
A retractable door mechanism simply requires a push or a pull on the top of the door panel and this is exactly what any boom and belt drive type electric operator will do. The operator is positioned just above the top of the door panel and connected to the door with a ‘towing arm’ to drive the door panel in both directions.

A garage door should be perfectly balanced as a manual operated door before fitting an electric operator in order for the safety mechanisms to have their best performance in detecting any obstructions. The basic safety on any electric garage door operator is to sense a surge in the requirement to drive the door when an obstacle is hit and then the operator stops and reverses a little. If further enhancement of safety is required, such as a garage door maybe next to a public highway then it is suggested that infra red detection beams are also fitted across the door opening.

Options and Accessories

Standard Controls
Pretty much any remote control electric door operator will be supplied as standard with 2 hand held radio transmitters which control the door on impulse signalling. One press to open the door, the next press to stop the door and then a 3^rd press to close the door. The door will have preset open and close positions so you only need to stop the door if you need to for any reason, otherwise it runs a cycle and then the next button press takes the door in the opposite direction.

Any modern and higher quality electric operator will use some form of encryption now for the radio signal to be secure against interference or capturing by criminals.

Many remote controls are now also 2 way communication so you can see from your handset the door position even if you cannot see the door itself.

Options 

Manual Emergency Release

All electric garage door operators will have an emergency manual release which is operated from inside the garage in the form of a short cord which requires pulling to disconnect the carriage system from the door panel and allow the door panel to be operated manually in the event of a power failure or fuse tripping.

Modern and better quality  electric operators will provide a way you can relock the door panel once you have opened and closed the door so you don’t leave your garage door unlocked.

If you do not have another door into your garage it is imperative you order an external connection of some sort to enable external operation of the internal release mechanism. This will usually be in the form of a key and cylinder system with a cable internally. If the power fails you take your key and unlock the cylinder to give access to the cable which then enables you to pull and release the door from the operator. Another method is attaching the release cable to the door handle if you have retained a handle. Again this requires different kits depending on the door make and model.

Push Button Wall Controls

Many forms of hard wired and wireless push button wall controls are available and these are great for positioning inside your garage or home to control the door without the remote handset.
Basic wall controls will operate one door but you can easily have a 2 button system for 2 doors.

Again, some of these push button stations offer 2 way communication so you can see the status of your door and its position. Ideal for use in the house.