NEWS
| » The Garage Door Centre - South Wales | 
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We use two main manufacturers based on quality ( Novoferm and Garador ). The doors are produced in both single and double sizes up to a maximum of 5500mm Wide and 3000mm High. The doors are called sectional doors because they operate in four separated individual panel sections (5 panels for very high door sizes), opening and closing vertically within the structural opening cutting out the possibility of any door swing out that you find with up and over doors. Sectional doors when open are stored overhead and the mechanism type with it opening vertically will allow for almost any type of structural opening to be accommodated for, i.e. arched, angled corners, etc. The construction of a sectional door with rollers on either side of each panel and panels available in 20 – 45mm thick steel sections give it a robust and secure feel when pushed against. Whether in manual with a quality manufactured lock or in automatic with a reliable motor the door will be very secure when closed. Sectional doors provide rubber seals to the top, sides and bottom of the door panels as standard which combined with the operational action offer efficient protection and insulation against the weather. The bottom seal will only provide full , effective sealing against any leaves, drafts or light excess water if the floor is level. The insulation and sealing properties are excellent compared to any other type of door due to the combination of the rubber seals and the panels that are foam filled. These aspects of sectional doors help to reduce the heating costs in homes with integral garages certainly feeling the benefit of the insulation properties the door provides. These doors come in three main designs Large Rib, Narrow Rib and Panelled (seen below respectively) and are available in a variety of finishes from most RAL colours to that of golden oak and rosewood.
Overall Sectional doors offer secure, insulated and versatile factors that are cost effective and reliable. These doors would be a great choice for any home. garagedoorcentre.blogspot.com So.. you have decided that an Up and Over door is for you but, did you know that there are two types of mechanism that the door can run on and what one is right for you? Canopy Mechanism This is the standard and most commonly used mechanism on an up and over. The door works by sliding up and down on the side frame, it is counterbalanced by and overhead torsion spring and when fully open it is parallel to the roof. The door though when put into the full open position hangs out of the garage about one third of the door height hence the name Canopy: 
As with any up and over you will require clearance room at the front of the garage and this clearance will need to be kept as with the door sticking out feature. This door comes with what is called a wind lock and is a lock that keeps the door secure in the open position..It does this because as the door is hanging out if there is a gust of wind the door will not close or come down whilst your in the garage. If you wish to drive your car into the garage the normal drive through is 40mm less than the opening size and 130mm less and the opening height. This is the cheaper of the two mechanisms but offers a simple, reliable and functional opening system. Retractable Mechanism The retractable gear allows for the entire door to be retracted inside the garage when open by means of having horizontal overhead tracks that are supported by brackets that are attached to either the ceiling or wall. This mechanism is an optional extra price option for single doors but comes as standard for double garage doors. The door like the Canopy option when fully open lies parallel to the roof although as the diagram illustrates the entire door is concealed within the garage becoming a more secure unit. However for this to happen the door when opening does need a little more clearance room in both width and height from the garage. Unlike the Canopy door, the retractable has a total of 6 springs balancing the door three on each side and provides a more reliable system as the door will still work if on the unlikely occasion a spring should snap. 
This mechanism is most commonly used in conjunction with automation. If you are looking to put the car in the garage the mechanism will require 105mm less than the opening width and 110mm less than the opening height for single doors, 140mm less than the opening height for double doors. This system does offer an optional extra to cut the clearance needed in the width when putting the car in, it is called Retractable Plus Gear. When fitted the Plus Gear creates clear drive through width at the crucial wing mirror height and gives you peace of mind if the garage is a tight fit for your vehicle. This mechanism does not cost that much extra to add to a single size up and over and does offer a more secure and robust system especially if you are planning to fit automation with the door or at a later date. garagedoorcentre.blogspot.com 
More often than not households who have a garage built from the 1960's onwards will have a up and over type door fitted, that is , if it is still the original door. Back then there were very limited designs and the doors were almost always made of alluminium or steel. In the past there were only a few standard sizes and the spring operating systems and lifting mechanisms all would now be seen as dangerous, complicated and unfit for purpose. Fast forward 50 years and modern up and over garage doors offer the widest range of styles and materials. They are still most commonly made from steel but can be manufactured from materials such as timber, UPVC and GRP (Fibreglass) with each bringing a wide variety of cosmetic finishes, designs and colours. As well as an enormous choice of standard designs and sizes companies like Garador and Novoferm offer the doors with or without frames, unfinished or completely finished when we talk about timber and they also offer the up and over door with two types of mechanism, canopy and retractable both will be explained in the Picking The Right Mechanism section. garagedoorcentre.blogspot.com Insulated garage doors are manufactured nowadays in many forms. The 2 main types of insulated garage doors sold within the UK are either a sectional or roller type. These 2 door types open and close vertically without any part of the door swinging out like other garage door types, this gives the best possibility of sealing the door around the edges with rubber seals and therefore give the best overall insulation value when combined with the double skinned foam filled panel designs available. Insulated roller doors are usually manufactured from individual slats each approximately 75mm tall and 20mm thick with a slight curve to give the best possible rolling properties.
Each slat is linked to the next one by a shaped aluminum hook formed as part of the overall process of producing each slat and this is the weak point if any that means aluminum roller doors do not usually have a ‘U’ value as they cannot be properly tested with these tiny gaps possible. The sectional door however has a very precise formed top and bottom edge to each panel, of which there are only usually 4 in a standard height door, and these panels have rubber seals as well to give an excellent seal between the panels when the door is closed. This means sectional doors can be given insulation ‘U’ values and these vary depending on the thickness of the door panels which vary from 20mm through to 45mm.
The insulation values generally from either of these 2 door types gives an incredible difference inside your garage, cool in the summer and warm in the winter or more the point a possibility of a constant temperature – ideal for car collector enthusiasts but also ideal if your garage is attached to your main house as it will not draw heat away in the winter so much. Of course another great benefit of an insulated garage door is that because the panels are double skinned they are very strong and resistant to damage and attempted forced entry by would be burglars and this is another reason for purchasing the door even if you do not think you need the insulation. garagedoorcentre.blogspot.com 1. Does your door stick or not operate as smoothly as it used to? This could be that the tracking has slipped or the automatic sensors need replacing. 
2. It never used to make that noise. It can be hard to tell where those ominous noises are coming from. Your garage door may need oiling or a spring may have come loose. 3. Do you notice a draft coming from your garage door? Keeping your garage door weather tight is vital in your garage door living a long and healthy life. If you notice any or all of these seemingly harmless behaviors when using your garage door it probably means it could do with a service by a knowledgeable professional. And remember the longer you leave those little niggles, the more expensive the repair could be. garagedoorcentre.blogspot.com |
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