If you are thinking about replacing an existing garage door, and with the onset of winter now is a good time, it might be an idea to look at the different opening mechanisms that are currently available.
Traditionally garage doors tended to have a side hinged or up and over mechanism, but there are #8 Garage Door Hinge now a number of different opening alternatives offering advantages and greater ease of use.
The main garage opening options are:
Side hinged
Up and over
Roller
Sectional
Sliding (or around the corner)
Here is a summary of how each door type works and the relative advantages/disadvantages that it has.
1. A side hinged door usually has two separate doors which may or may not be of the same width. Heavy duty hinges allow the doors to open outwards and they can be secured using Garage Door Beeping And Not Closing various locking mechanisms. These doors are easy to install and repair, but their “typical” timber construction means that they require regular maintenance and upkeep.
2. Up and over doors come in two forms, the canopy door that projects beyond the face of the garage when open, and the retractable alternative that disappears into the opening. Both of these mechanisms are popular, but they can require some strength to open and close and they are prone to sticking and having an irregular and uneven motion during their lifespan.
3. A roller garage door uses a cylinder that is held above the opening to wind up the panelled construction of the door and store it “out of the way” in the roof space. This kind of door can be opened and closed when a car is directly in front of it and the spring mechanism makes the motion smooth and effortless. This style of door is ideal for motorisation and the use of a remote control panel or portable unit to open and close it.
4. A sectional door is similar to the roller option described above, however instead of rolling around a drum or cylinder the horizontally hinged panels travel up and then through 90 degrees to leave them suspended horizontally in the roof space. This system requires a more extensive roof storage area than the roller option, but the advantage is that motion is smooth and the mechanism has all of the benefits of a roller door. It is also ideal for remote operation.
5. A sliding door is comprised of vertical sections (panels) that are hinged together in order to allow the door to bend around corners. This has led to this style of door being known as a “slide around the corner” door. The door itself runs on both floor and head mounted tracks that ensure its smooth transition as it is opened or closed. By extending the length of the tracks it is possible to take the “opened” door to any point within the garage and store it out of harms way. This style of door has one further advantage, namely that it can be partially opened (to the size of a standard door) to allow easy human ingress and access, whilst still keeping the greater area of the opening closed from the elements. It can easily be motorised.
