You come in from a cold rainy day at work and pull up to your driveway, knowing that you have to go out in the cold weather to open your garage door. If only you had an automatic door, this could all be avoided.
But you don’t want to get a brand new garage door fitted. Instead, you’d like to automate your existing garage door.
Let’s dive right in.
Can you automate your existing garage door?
You can likely automate your existing garage door if it’s less than 10 years old and it was made by one of the major manufacturers, in which case it should already have the potential for relatively easy automation.
There are, however, other factors that should be considered before you convert your manual garage door to an automated garage door.
What to consider when automating your existing garage door
There are a couple of things to consider before automating your garage door, like the condition of your garage door, and what type of garage door you currently have. These factors can change how difficult or easy the automation process is.
The condition of the door
If the garage door has taken significant damage to the point where it’s irreparable, then it may not be possible for the door to be converted into an automated garage door. With this being said there are usually ways to convert any garage door into an automatic door but typically the worse the condition, the more expensive the cost.
The type of garage doors
There are different types of garage doors, each with its own automation process.
Up-and-over (retractable) garage door
Up and over retractable garage doors are one of the easiest and cheapest garage doors to automate, this is because they are already fitted with a tracking mechanism which makes the automation conversion process less complicated.
For retractable one-piece up and over doors, it’s just a simple case of installing a boom above the structural opening and an electric operator motor at the other end. This should be a relatively easy and cost-effective procedure, it also allows the potential for additional locking mechanisms for extra security. Another benefit of converting retractable opened and up garage doors is that they offer a smooth opening action.
Up-and-over (canopy) garage door
Up-and-over canopy garage doors are not as easy to convert as retractable up-and-over doors because of the difference in mechanisms.
To convert a canopy up-and-over door you need a bow arm conversion kit, the bow conversion kit is installed against the door and then connected to the operator boom.
This usually results in a headroom decrease of around 130 mm (around 5 inches) – this number can vary depending on the size of the bow conversion kit. It’s worth mentioning that fitting a bow conversion kit can often increase the cost of the garage door conversion.
Sectional garage door
Almost all sectional garage doors can be automated as long as the door isn’t in irreparable condition. They are easy to automate because all that’s required is a boom and an electric operator.
Sectional garage doors extend more into the garage than other types of doors, so a longer boom is often required for the door.
Side-hinged garage doors
Most types of side-hinged garage doors can be automated by one of the two following methods: swing arm kits or electromechanical systems. The swing arm kits work in a similar way to the retractable up-and-over garage door operator – the difference being that there are two pivotable arms fixed to each side of the side-hinged door and the boom.
When the boom pushes the garage door it causes the sides to separate, so the door opens freely. The electromechanical method involves a series of mechanical components that work together to open the side hinged door.
Roller garage door
Existing roller garage doors can be automated, but they may need some reworking and reconstruction. Often times the garage door needs to be dismantled for the installation of the roller shutter, which can be quite a bit of work.
This process can often be avoided by getting a roller garage door expert to fit you a new roller door.
The benefits of automating your garage door
There is a range of benefits that come with automating your garage door, such as convenience and ease of use, increased security, and general safety improvements.
Safety benefits
There are a variety of safety features that make automated garages a great choice. For one, there’s the increased safety of the user – there’s a risk that the user may damage themselves when lifting a heavy garage door, especially if they’re old or have mobility problems.
With an automated garage door, the door can be raised with the click of a button, avoiding the risk of injury more than if you were to lift the door manually.
There’s also the benefit of security when you use an automated garage door, this is because automated doors often feature a more advanced locking mechanism than manual doors. Take Garolla garage doors, for example, we feature an auto-locking system on our garage doors to keep all your valuables inside your garage safe.
Protection from the elements
There’s nothing worse than pulling up to your manual garage door in the cold weather, knowing you’ll have to go outside to raise the heavy door. Automatic garage doors avoid this problem, instead, all you have to do is click a button and your door will be raised.
You can even get automated garage doors that come with a remote control, so you never have to expose yourself to the cold elements when opening your garage door. Remote controls come as standard with Garollas garage doors.
Automatic garage doors FAQs
What garage doors cannot be automated?
Existing garage doors cannot be automated if they’re irreparable, or if implementing the automation will reduce the headroom of the garage too much.
Can you automate garage doors on your own?
Whilst you can likely automate your garage door with the right equipment, it’s a job best left to the professionals. If done incorrectly, the automation mechanism could be faulty and this could cause potential danger to the users of the garage, for example in the worst case if the garage collapsed onto someone.
How much does it cost to automate a garage door?
Automating a garage door can vary in price, it’s best to book a survey with a reputable garage door company and get a quote. With Garolla you can virtually build your new garage door online, picking what size, style and colour you want and then we’ll give you a quote so you have an idea of the cost.
Garolla doesn’t specifically automate existing garage doors, however, we do build new automatic garage doors at a competitive price. If you’re interested, you can learn more about our garage doors, or you can contact us directly.