Door Industry Journal - Winter 2021

THE door industry journal winter 2021 Domestic Garage Doors Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 56 There’s Always a Solution Rick Hamill, Garage Door Technical Support Engineer at JD (UK) LTD, has a wealth of knowledge within the garage door industry. A joiner by trade in his early days, he has specialised in garage doors for 24 years, since 1997. He joined JD (UK) LTD in August 2020, providing installation assistance and technical support for Alutech sectional garage doors and garage doors operators. You’ll mostly find him out on the road assisting new and existing customers with support on their first installs and providing training for staff and customers alike. With his years of experience, there’s rarely a problem he can’t solve. “There’s always a solution,” says Rick. Here he shares some top tips and answers to frequently asked questions… Surveys The initial survey can be the difference between a good install that runs smoothly or a problematic one. “Much like building a home, it all starts with great solid foundations, getting the basics right first.” Make sure you take into account all obstacles on the sidewalls and ceiling such as electrical boxes, boilers, gas and water pipes, beams and pillars. “It’s not only about making sure the door fits within the opening at the front, but you also allow for the working of the door all the way back into the garage. You’d be surprised how many times people have been caught out by this.” Make sure there are adequate power points of the correct type for your automation system. On installation, always measure the new door BEFORE you take out the old door to make sure it fits, double checking sizes and even the correct style and finish. A bit like the old saying, going back to my joinery days, “Check twice, cut once.” For personnel doors, check the gradient of the floor level in the opening direction to make sure the bottom of the door doesn’t catch on the ground when opening. Depending on the height above ground level the door is being fitted and the level of the gradient, a false step or ramp threshold could be installed to overcome the issue. Torsion sectionals One of the most common questions is: Why, when open, is one cable tight but the other is slack? Check the horizontal track that goes back into the garage is square with the face of the garage door opening. Do this by using a tape measure and measure diagonally across, corner to corner. These measurements should be the same on each side. If the measurements are different, either move the tracks on the back bar over to the left or right to suit. The panels should be level with the fascia. If the panels are not level, adjust by undoing the coupling on the spring bar and turning the winding bar slightly to lift the panels level and tighten the centre coupling back up. If a mistake has been made with the height measurement, the panels can be cut down depending on the panel design and how much needs to be cut off. This can be done by taking off the top cap of the top panel, cutting off what is required and replacing the top cap. Whatever has been cut off the top panel must also be cut off the bottom of the frame legs. Depending on how much has been cut off, this may affect the tension in the cables on side sprung sectionals – adjust accordingly. The same can be done with width. For a horizontal design, you need only cut down on one side but with a Georgian design, both sides must be cut down equally. Depending on how much, you can also cut some off the fascia and back bar. We have a full PDF manual available to help with this if required. Should you need to cut down the horizontal tracks, be aware that some drive-through height may be lost when the door is open. The operator boom/rail can also be cut down if necessary. First, look at how the rail has been assembled. Undo the bolt and take out the holding bracket and pulley at the front end of the boom/rail. Undo the belt coupling. Cut the required amount off the boom/rail. Reassemble the front tension bolt/bracket/pulley. Cut off the excess from the belt and reassemble the belt coupling. Re-tension the front bolt and pulley.