I'm looking at automating my up and over type garage door with an add on remote control type. My door at present only latches (locks) at the top centre. This is supplemented with two extra security bolts at the sides, when we are away for a while.
The type of mechanism I'm looking at has a motorised overhead chain drive running in a track, with a cranked arm fixing to the centre top of the door. I'm a little curious about how one of those would prevent unauthorised entry into the garage. Does locking rely completely on the cranked arm to act as a lock, or is the existing lock utilised?
Normally these mechanisms rely on the chain not being able to move except under motor power and the arm.
There are solutions involving a replacement of the arm.
I had a pair of these before finally replacing the doors entirely.
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do work and the security is then no worse than it was with the manual lock. Arguably it's a little better because the handle on the front of the door is no longer used.
Another approach would be to use solenoid operated bolts of some kind that fire outwards as the door completely closes.
Hi Harry The ones I have met all rely on the cranked arm to secure the door ,in fact the instalation instructions demand you remove the existing lock system to prevent door jamming. This is however quite strong on a smaller door (single car size) but on a 2 car door thieves bent the bottom corner of the door open and gained access on a site I know.
I noticed on holiday in Amerca that the doors have electrically operated catches (like a Yale lock) at either side which release when you open the door. Who knows the system may filter over here!!
You could probably add locking fairly easily - these door-openers often have a switched mains output to turn the light on for a while after opening/closing - you could connect the light output to an energise-to-unlock electric lock, which would unlock automatically on open/closing.
That is how the opener on one of my garage doors works. I would say it is at least as secure as the original door latch.
I was watching the local drugs squad at work on a locked single garage door a few weeks ago. They used a device like a large tin opener to pull the corners back, after which they pulled the whole door off quite easily.
I'm just wondering if the door I have can actually be even operated by that type of system. Permit me to try to describe it..
There are two vertical channels, one either side of the opening and the door has a a sort of 'peg' with a bearing at about halfway up on either side which locates/runs in the channel. A steel arm is located at each side, between door and frame - which makes the door tilt horizontal as it rises. It has the usual pair of heavy coil springs using steel rope and pulleys to counterbalance the doors weight, wire rope end attached at the above 'pegs'.
I'm not sure whether I have the springs set up correctly, but at present I have them set so the balance is such that I can open the door to what ever opening I want - it just balances and stays put pretty much where it is left.
Now it occurs to me that using such an opener pulling the door top in towards the back of the garage, would work fine for most of the opening distance - but the nearer the door gets to fully open and horizontal the more it will be pulling at 90 deg - directly against the vertical guide channels.
So the question is - will one of these devices even work on such a door?
I suppose I could always adjust the springs to make the door want to open all the way open once released. No load on the motor to open, but having to push against the counter weight springs to close the door.
HI If i read you right then the guide rails are vertical on the sides of the door frame and do not arch into the garage. If this is the case I have never seen an electric closer to operate this type of door because as you say as the door rises the torque on the top inner frame will increase and the closer will either stop or rip the door from the rails.
Most closers rely on the fact that the door actually travels into the garage as it opens not simply pivot around its centre as it rises.
Hope I'm wrong or someone has seen one for this type of door.
They are known as canopy doors, as part of the door forms a canopy outside when it is open. You simply need an opener that is designed for use with canopy doors, which will be different from one designed for fully retracting doors..
Electric openers rely on pulling the door toward the back of the garage at the top of the door. Occasionally its necessary to replace the door mechanism with a compatible type, its not that hard. Just avoid henderson mechanism, theyre much lower reliability than any other type I've seen.
Your reading of the situation is accurate, hence my concerns.
'nightjar' has described it as a 'canopy door'. Those openers I have tracked down seem to suggest that an adaptor is needed to operate this type of door. The adaptor seems to be nothing more than a cranked operating arm to link the moving operator to the door.
My best guess on this at the moment, is that these operators must only lift the door part way up - leaving them still at a bit of an angle to the horizontal when at maximum opening.
That's not correct - or at last the conclusion isn't.
A canopy door is simply one where a proportion of it - the lower
20-25% or so - is left projecting out of the front when the door is fully open. This is because the mechanism pivots from points on the vertical part of the frame only - a simple design. The fully retracting versions require a different pivot arrangement or some form of sliding track for the pivot point such that it ends up inside the garage when the door is fully open.
The issue with the simple canopy door is that the arm on a typical opener is too short, and at the wrong place to permit a correct attachment at the right place on the centre line. The cranked arm extends the length, avoids potential fouling when the door is near to its fully open position and positions the attachment point correctly.
The rail and chain arrangement supplied with the opener positions the motor mechanism far enough back in the garage to allow the arm to travel sufficiently for the door to fully open - assuming that the door isn't 4m high or something like that of course.
Before they were replaced with a Silvelox door, I had this arrangement on my (Cardale) doors using two openers with additional arms. These were canopy type, pivoted simply on the frames and opened fully, exactly the same as if they were being opened by hand.
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