Automatic garage doors: features and subtleties of choice

Garage doors not only protect your car from intruders, but are also the face of your home. The gate must be not only "smart", ergonomic, reliable, but also have an attractive appearance that matches the exterior of the building.

"Smart" automatic garage doors are needed so that the owner does not have to get out of the car again, open and close the doors, getting wet in the rain or being exposed to a chilly wind. It is enough to get into the car and press the button on the remote control twice: the first time to open the gate and leave, and the second time to close it.

Automatic garage doors have a number of special features:

• automation depends on electricity. If the house does not have an alternative power source (generator), then you will have to open the garage manually, so it is better to purchase models with a torsion spring that allows you to open the doors with your hands;
• save space in the garage;
• have increased sound, heat, waterproofing;

• resistant to rust;
• easy to use;
• burglar-proof;
• the high cost of manufacturing and installing the gate requires a deliberate approach even at the design stage. The garage must be built with a margin for a possible change of car, it is also necessary to take into account the distance of 50 cm between the gate leaf and the roof of the car body;

• long service life. For example, sectional doors will last at least 20 years, while only the moving elements of the mechanism are subject to wear;
• the ability to open both from a stationary button mounted in the garage wall from the inside, and remotely through the remote control, which is hung on the key fob;
• the inability to install and adjust the height of the mechanism yourself. The installer must be experienced.

There are several types of automatic garage doors:

• lift-and-turn;
• sectional;
• roller shutters (roller shutters).

Swing gates are less often equipped with an automatic control system, and departure options take up too much space. They are used only in car repair boxes, since the space allows them to be installed. Automatic swing gates look great if they are not installed in the garage itself, but are used as an entrance gate to the territory of the household.

Models of the first type represent a door leaf that rotates in one plane - horizontal. The folding mechanism lifts the gate leaf and leaves it open at a 90 degree angle.

Such models are suitable for garages with high ceilings, because it is necessary to leave a distance of at least 50 cm between the sash and the top of the car. The cost of this structure is quite high.

Sectional doors are made of several metal strips connected by hinges. Basically, these models are made from sandwich panels, but homemade sashes are also common. The design that allows the gate leaf to move along the guides and go to the ceiling when opening is convenient. The door does not fold like a blind, but simply slides up and locks parallel to the floor. When installing this type of door, it should be borne in mind that the structure reduces the overall height of the garage.

Roller shutters are made of insulated aluminum plates, which reliably adhere to each other. When opened, the individual plates are folded into an accordion or wound on a shaft that is attached to the top of the doorway. An excellent option for those who do not have a garage with high ceilings.

Sliding gates open like compartment doors, accordingly, for the sash to move, there must be a place along the wall equal to the sash width with a margin of 20 cm. This is convenient only if the garage is equipped with a workshop or some other utility room. Sizes of garage doors are usually standard, but all large firms make doors individually for the doorway of customers.

If conventional swing gates are already installed in the garage, then the following types of automatic drives can be used to open them:

• Underground. Difficult for self-assembly: the lower part is mounted in the ground, and the upper part is hinged at the base of the gate. The upper part needs to be lubricated periodically so that it does not creak;

• Linear. Provides high security against burglary. The structure is attached to the door with a mass of no more than 3 tons from the inside. Sometimes requires lubrication. It is put into operation using a remote control or a stationary switch;

• Lever. It is mounted both from the outside and from the inside. Opening occurs due to the fact that the straight pusher transmits the force to the curved lever.

The advantage of these opening mechanisms is that they can be installed on finished gates. The disadvantages lie in the need for free space in front of the garage, high windage of the doors (for example, they can spontaneously swing open), and to install an underground mechanism, you will need to prepare a pit, concreting it and waterproofing.

For sliding gates, a rack and pinion drive is used, which consists of guides fixed on the facade of the garage, a rack with teeth mounted on the gate, and a gear located on the motor. The gear moves the door to the side. Chains can be used instead of a rack, but this mechanism is very noisy.

Lift-and-turn mechanisms are equipped with rollers, guides, levers and springs. The guides are located vertically along the canvas parallel to the ceiling. An electric drive bus is laid along them. This system is the most difficult for amateur editing. Sectional mechanisms have an electric drive and mandatory springs - a manual chain drive that allows you to open the gate without being connected to electricity.

The choice and installation of garage doors is primarily determined by the design of the garage, its height and free space in front of it.

Hormann and Doorhan swing and sectional doors can only be installed in high rooms, and swing and sliding models need more space in front of the garage, otherwise there will be problems not only with opening the gate, but also driving into the garage.

If you live in a warm climate, or your garage is well heated, then Austrian rotary structures or Promatic-3 systems would be an excellent option. The instruction for the gate says that in a harsh climate they cannot be used, since expensive repair of the products may be required.

In the market of automatic garage doors, the leaders are three manufacturing companies: the German Hormann, the Belarusian Alutech and the Russian Doorhan. The difference, first of all, lies in the cost of the products. German samples will cost the buyer 800, Belarusian - 700, and Russian - 600 euros. In fact, the difference is not very significant, especially when you consider that the products are very different from each other in quality.

German and Belarusian manufacturers give a two-year guarantee for their products, while the domestic brand only gives 12 months.The basic number of flap openings and closings is 25,000 times, but Doorhan has released a model with a resource of 10,000 openings. Belarusian doors are perfect for industrial facilities; Alutech's assortment includes gates with an opening resource of 100,000 times.

Despite the harshest winters in Russia, Doorhan does not offer the same level of insulation for garage doors as Hormann and Alutech. The collection of the Russian manufacturer presents doors for the southern regions with a thickness of 30 mm, although the standard thickness is 45 mm.

Based on user reviews, the most popular gate is Alutech. Buyers note the ease of installation, high quality materials, excellent moisture resistance, increased noise and thermal insulation, while the mechanism can be installed independently.

Domestic Doorhan is not favored by most users. Almost all claims boil down to the fact that the gates freeze, the shutters break before the expiration of the warranty period, and they have to be replaced after two months.

The installers also do not give good reviews about the products of the Russian manufacturer, citing the fact that too much has to be brought to mind during the installation process: the components do not fit each other, and they have to be filed, the holes for the hinges need to be cut out independently, the springs ring, the rollers fly out, plastic parts break, the guides do not match.

German Hormann have a rating of 4.5 out of 5. Consumers note the high quality of the product, the ability to order sashes for individual sizes. Particular attention is paid to the function of limiting the movement. It consists in the fact that the sash stops if the machine is standing in the opening. So, this is an additional plus for the safety of the car. The operation of the gate is absolutely silent, the springs are not subject to stretching, the system consumes very little energy.

Composite automatic gates open up the greatest scope for imagination. Their front part can be finished in any style: from standard "planks" to paneled doors in a classic style.

An excellent combination of garage doors and building facade. Both are in the same color, and the white doorway trim is in perfect harmony with the white stripes on the wall.

Brick and wood look good in a rustic style, while both the gate and the garage wall should be made in the same color scheme. The originality lies in the use of various textures.

The garage doors fit perfectly into the landscaping of the Japanese-style courtyard. It is enough to trim the doors so that they imitate doors and walls in classic Japanese houses.

Adherents of authentic design can decorate the gate in the manner of swing doors of a medieval castle, decorating the panels with "forged" hinges and "metal" trim.

Swinging entrance gates can be designed in any style, for example, imitating real forged doors, which are quietly and smoothly actuated using a linear drive.

Sashes, which are equipped with windows, are an excellent solution. They provide additional lighting for the garage. In addition, the designer chose a combination of contrasting colors - burgundy and marsh. They perfectly emphasize the brightness of each other.

How to choose an automatic garage door, see the professional advice below.