The door automatics means immense comfort, more and more often chosen by owners. Comfort is clearly the most important argument in favour of the automatic operation, although safety must also be considered. If you are facing the choice of the motor drive for the garage door, read our guide and learn what is of special importance.
Dimensions and weight of the door
It is not a secret that the drive mechanism is selected for the specific type of the door. The key parameters here are pushing and pulling forces, which depend on the weight of the door. Weak mechanism will quickly break down and only cause irritation (e.g. due to slow operation). Excessively strong mechanism will unnecessarily consume energy, and besides there is no point in paying too much.
For a single lightweight door, a 500-600 N drive mechanism will be sufficient. A double door, 5 metres wide or larger, requires a mechanism rated at more than 1,000 N.
Number of cycles
This parameter allows to approximate the duration of the drive mechanism quite reasonably. If the garage door is used maximum four times during the day (two cars, departure in the morning, arrival in the afternoon), investing in the drive mechanism of the top class and capacity is practically unnecessary.
However, if the garage door has to be opened and closed several or several dozen times per day, buying a drive mechanism suitable for heavy duty applications (e.g. in parking lots) will be a better idea.
Industrial doors
Speed of operation
Standard drive units operate with the speed of about 17-18 centimetres per second. If quick leaving of the garage or parking in it is necessary, the drive mechanism offering the speed of 22-25 centimetres per second will be best.
Safety
This parameter is not to be compromised. A good drive unit for the garage door must be secured against overload, provided with the system stopping the door when an obstacle is hit (e.g. a child’s bike or a parked car).
Securing the door against sagging is also useful. It will be activated if a spring cracks, thus securing the door against damages to itself, to the property or preventing major accidents (a child in the way of the door).
Sectional garage door
Another protection measure is the function of automatic locking in the rail of the drive unit, which prevents prying the door from the outside.
Additional functions of the unit
Many drive units feature useful functions it may be appreciated in daily use, like soft start and stop (which increases durability of the drive unit), providing additional lighting of the garage (with the integrated light), battery power supply (very useful when voltage drops in the mains) or activation from the outside (for example, with a button on the wall of the garage).
To summarise: a good drive unit for the garage door must be first of all selected specifically for the type and weight of the door. The brand of the manufacturer and the conditions of the guarantee, as well as the speed of operation of the drive unit have to be considered. The issues related to safety and the possibility of programming the largest possible number of remote control units are also important.
The purchase of the drive unit is only halfway covered on the road to success. In practice, professional installation is decisive for the duration and usability of the drive unit.
Now Aikon Distribution offers up to 6% discount for garage doors: ask the sales department about the promotion.
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