Roller Garage Doors

Although this site is called roller garage door, it is actually a guide to all types of garage door fittings ranging from sectional and sliding doors, to up-and-over and side hinged doors. You can use the menu in the red box above to find out about the style of door that interests you.

What is a roller garage door

A roller garage door does exactly what its name suggests. It rolls up above the garage opening when not in use, and unrolls back down when the garage needs securing. This makes it simple and easy to use and ensures that the garage door occupies the minimum of space when not in use.

Roller garage doors are available in a number of opening formats that include remote control, automatic, motorised and manual opening and closing. They can also be bought in standard sizes, or made to measure.

In addition to the opening mechanism options, there are a number of extras or accessories that can be included in a roller garage door package. These include manual overrides, extra remote control units and lighting.

The advantages of roller garage doors

The big advantage of a roller garage door is that is maximises the space outside and inside the garage when the garage door is open.

With this kind of garage door there is no door overhang, no need for a counter balancing mechanism and no possibility of the door accidentally self closing.

Roller doors can be motorised and automated and their life expectancy is every bit high as that of other garage door models, e.g. up-and-over, sectional, side hinged etc. They require a minimum of maintenance and have good sound and heat insulation properties.

When a roller garage door has remote control opening and closing it also enhances security by enabling the car driver to leave or enter the garage without the need to leave the vehicle.

How roller doors work with garages

Most garage roller doors are made from a sheet of galvanised plastic coated steel. The door rolls up around a tubular drum that is suspended above the garage door opening and stores in a compact and efficient manner. There is usually a rubber seal that acts as an interface between the base of the door and the surface of the ground.

Roller doors can also be manufactured from a double skinned aluminium lath. This is particularly common with insulated garage doors and in this situation the individual panels hinge rather than bend in order to facilitate the roll-up storage.

Roller garage doors have a high ease of operation and this is due to a powerful steel spring balancing mechanism that makes their up and down operation effortless. If the door is automated by a remote controlled drum motor, then operation can be controlled from within a vehicle.

Directional guides (and weatherproof seals) run down the vertical thresholds of the garage door walls ensuring that the door’s movement is smooth and unhindered. Despite this, the door’s appearance from the outside offers no give-away signs of the opening mechanism.

The horizontal ribbed effect, typical of most garage doors, is a result of mechanical pressing during manufacture. This ribbing strengthens the door and gives it the typical appearance associated with regular garage doors.

Opening and closing a roller door

You can choose to have a manual door opening and closing door mechanism, or some variation on a motorised opening and closing door mechanism.

Motorised doors require an electrical connection which may be hard wired or accessed through a mains socket. Automated roller doors work by connecting an external sensor to the drum’s motor and this in turn is activated by a hand held remote control unit.

Most motorised roller garage doors come with remote control units that operate the door up to a range of 20 or 30 metres (60 feet). In the event that other accessories like external and internal lighting are required, these are normally triggered by the remote control unit sensor, or the opening action of the door.

Appearance

For the vast majority of properties, the garage door represents a significant area of a building's frontage. This necessitates that the garage door should be both attractive to look at and present a secure and theft-proof appearance to all passers by.

Roller garage doors succeed in both of these aims by offering a wide range of colours and style variations combined with some of the most secure locking mechanisms in the garage door industry.