Nowadays, many people use their garage as a glorified shed, however there are still a select few individuals who use them to store a vehicle such as their car or motorbike. If you are one of these people, then you’ll want to ensure that you’re benefitting from a garage door that is not only easy to use but offers you maximum security, without compromising on style.
An electronically controlled garage door is the ideal solution. We’ve put together this helpful guide to better inform you about what these are, how they work and the benefits they can offer you.
What is a Remote Control Door?
As its name suggests, a remote control door uses an electric operating system that is controlled using either a handheld or wall-mounted remote. As well as being popular in industrial environments, electronically operated doors are also a popular choice to have for garages.
From the inside of your garage, they allow you to open and close the door from the opposite end rather than have to walk down to physically open the door then walk back again. As for when you’re outside your garage, assuming you use it to park your vehicle, then you can use the remote control to open it without having to get out your car, allowing you to drive straight in – this is particularly useful when it’s tipping it down with rain outside!
How Do They Work?
There are some key parts that make up an automated garage door mechanism in order for it to work the way it does. This includes:
- Rollers: Rollers allow for smooth and easy movement of the door as it opens and closes, letting it glide quietly along the tracks.
- Tracks: The tracks are what the garage doors move across with the help of the rollers; most consist of a track on each side and one in the middle, where the drive operator is located.
- Drive operator: Consisting of either a chain, belt or screws, the driver operator works with the springs and the motor to raise and lower the garage door.
- Curved door arm: The curved door arm is what attaches the door to the drive operator, usually located in the centre.
- Torsion spring: An essential part of the system, the torsion spring is connected to the drums and cables and will wind or unwind depending on whether it’s raising or lowering the door. This rotating force is used to counterbalance the garage door’s weight.
- Drums and cables: There are two drums – one located either side of the top of the door – that turn as the torsion spring winds or unwinds. As for the cables, these are wrapped around the drums and also wind or unwind to help lift or lower the door in a controlled manner.
- Emergency release: Should your power go out or there be a scenario whereby you need to operate your garage door manually for safety reasons, there is usually an emergency release cord that you can pull in order to do so.
Many modern automated garage doors will also come with a safety sensor, which is responsible for sensing if anyone or anything is in the way of the door as it closes, allowing it to stop operating to avoid causing potential damage/harm.
All of the aforementioned parts of the garage door system are controlled by an electric motor, which is connected to an inverter that converts your household AC power to a DC current in order for it to work. A radio transmission system is then used to let your motor know when it needs to power on.
When you push the button on your roller shutter remote controller (the transmitter), this sends a code to the receiver, which then operates the electric motor, thus opening or closing the garage door.
The Benefits of Automated Garage Doors
Increased Security
Automated garage doors provide you with additional security in a number of ways. Firstly, not only is your vehicle out of sight when parked in your garage, but automated doors are harder to gain entry to than a traditional garage door.
Considering that garages are a prime target for many burglars, this can act as a deterrent since the remote control is necessary to gain access, whilst they would make a lot of noise and draw attention to themselves should they try forcing their way in. Drawing attention to themselves is the opposite of what burglars want to do, meaning they’d quickly leave your property alone, keeping your vehicle, garage and home more secure.
Increased Safety
As well as increased security, automated doors also offer increased safety when accessing your garage. This is because of the inbuilt sensors that many of them come with. Not only does this protect your car from damage if the door were to close prematurely, but it also ensures the safety of you or anyone near the door when it’s closing. This is especially important if you have any young children or pets that aren’t always as situationally aware of their surroundings.
Another safety benefit is the ability to access your garage without leaving your vehicle, especially should you need to do so at night when you may not feel as safe leaving your car in order to go open the garage door.
Intuitive Ease of Use
There’s no denying that garage doors are much more easy to operate than manual doors. Their intuitive design is incredibly convenient for anyone to use. Rather than needing to leave your vehicle when it’s cold or wet outside or risk leaving it unoccupied in order to physically open your garage door, electronically operated garage doors allow you to open and access your garage without a fuss.
Should you or a family member have any mobility issues, then this also makes access to the garage actually possible in the first place, not just easier. Manual garage doors can be heavy and/or awkward to operate, requiring strength and the ability to bend down in order to lift the door. Pushing a button, as you do with automated doors, is a much easier option!
Style and Design
With a wide variety of electric garage doors available on the market, you can guarantee that there will be a style and design that suits your taste and meets your requirements. Many of these doors are made from aluminium, giving them a sleek, modern appearance, and are available in a range of colours and sectional designs.
Increased Curb appeal
Because of their aesthetic appeal, alongside the increased security and safety they offer, electric garage doors are a valuable commodity that can actually increase the curb appeal of your home, which is worth considering should you ever plan on selling your home in the future.
Should that be the case, then as well as increasing your property’s curb appeal (bringing in more prospective buyers), it even has the potential to actually add some value to the overall sale price of your home.
Insulation from Weather and Noise
Many automated aluminium garage doors are insulated. As such, they create an ambient environment inside your garage, not only keeping it a more comfortable temperature but also reducing noise pollution from outside. This is especially convenient if you use your garage for an alternative purpose, such as a workshop area or home gym.
These types of aluminium doors are also weather resistant.
Aluminium Garage Doors from Atlas Security Doors
If you’re looking for high-quality automated aluminium doors, then look no further than Atlas Security Doors. Operating across the south of the UK, we are proud to offer a range of electrically operated garage door systems to suit your needs.
Our garage door systems come in a range of finishes so that you can find one that matches your home’s aesthetic. Not only do we offer aluminium doors, but we also offer steel roller shutter garage doors as well as contemporary panel sectional overhead garage doors.
Alongside our garage doors, we also specialise in automated gate entry systems, offering you easy access and better security to your property overall.
If you’d like to learn more about the security solutions we offer and would like to discuss the best door that meets your requirements, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.