The type of garage door openers that will suit your particular circumstances will depend on the type of door that is fitted. It is therefore important to identify your door type before going to a supplier to purchase an automatic door opening mechanism.
There are three basic types of panel type garage doors and these are:
- Up and over type canopy door
- Up and over type retractable door
- Sectional door
To see which type you have check the following:
Up and over doors are very popular and consist of a single panel door. As the name suggests the opening motion transforms the door from a vertical plane when closed to a horizontal plane when fully opened, parked above your head, out of the way.
Canopy Door
When a canopy door is fully opened about two thirds of the door panel retracts into the garage void, with the other third sticking out beyond the front wall, forming a canopy like hood over head, hence the term. The door usually has a circular spring running along the top of the door head internally to provide assistance when opening the door as these doors can be quite heavy especially wooden type. Tracks are positioned on the door frame on each side, to support rollers mounted on the door, allowing smooth up and down movement during opening and closing.
Retractable Door
The retractable door works in a similar way to the canopy type except the entire door panel fully retracts into the garage and parks overhead. No part of the door sticks out beyond the front wall. This type also has springs but instead of being overhead they are located on the door frame. One end of the spring is fixed to the door and the other to the frame. Again the springs provide assistance when opening and closing. Rollers fixed to the top of the door run in tracks located within the garage space that provide support to the door panel when in the open position.
Sectional Door
A sectional door again works in similar way to a retractable door i.e. it fully retracts into the garage when in the open position. The door itself is the main difference. Instead of having a single door panel, the door is split into horizontal panels about 500mm high. A standard door may have 4 –5 horizontal panels. The panels are connected to each other with hinges. On the ends or each section are rollers that run in tracks located on the door frame and continue into the garage space for a very smooth opening and closing motion.
Once you have identified your door type your supplier can easily recommend a conversion kit incorporating a motor and a garage door remote control unit allowing you to open and close the door without having to leave your car.
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