Garage Doors

Rob Rides EMTB

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Anyone have any recommendations for rollover electric garage doors? Saw Costco do them for around £1499 installed, but have no clue about how good / anything to look for etc.

Rob
 

RustyMTB

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I put one in last year. There's not much to them really, just an electric motor winding a bunch of plastic slats up & down, so in that sense, they're pretty generic things.

The choices you'll need to make are around insulation on the door, itself safety features eg. whether the door stops if someone is standing beneath it etc. remote controls, that sort of thing. FWIW, I bought from these people & it was a decent experience. Delivered on time, decent after care etc.

 

Stihldog

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Chamberlain (or similar) direct drive is super quiet. But you need the clearance and a power source close by. Gives you more head clearance also. I wish I could use this model again.
 

Zimmerframe

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I take it the garage door ones are a lot stronger than say the window ones ??

1705930599867.png


First one I saw and it has a crap review .. but the same size as a standard garage door.

They're aluminium, electric, bla bla .. The roller box sits internally the same as a garage one.

Changed my obscenely heavy hardwood one (which also needed it's own enormous void to roll up in) last year for an aluminium one. Not sure which would be stronger without taking a sledgehammer to them. Probably the hardwood one.

The garage ones I've looked at don't seem to give you much in the way of specifications.
 

Stihldog

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I take it the garage door ones are a lot stronger than say the window ones ??
On my previous double wide door I had windows in the upper horizontal panel. Privacy was not an issue and this allowed natural light into the garage.

I would not get window panels on my tandem single wide garage now. Natural light would never reach the back of the garage and privacy is now an issue. Too many bikes to see.
 

Zimmerframe

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On my previous double wide door I had windows in the upper horizontal panel. Privacy was not an issue and this allowed natural light into the garage.

I would not get window panels on my tandem single wide garage now. Natural light would never reach the back of the garage and privacy is now an issue. Too many bikes to see.
Yeah, but you could put chairs outside and sell coffee/beers to people who would want to come and watch you tinker !

By "window" ones I was meaning "window" roller shutters - rather than roller shutters with windows :)

In Le France ... it's normal that every house also has "shutters" on windows/patio doors/doors. For security, insulation. It's like jumping upto 4x glazing and if someone wants to break in they have to get through the shutters before they can get through a window/door.

As it's so common, they're generally pretty cheap because they churn out millions of them.

Presumably there's some significant spec differences, though some of the garage ones are also cheap :

1705932352473.png


and some less so :

1705932414052.png


The cheap ones seem to be about 13mm insulation and the expensive ones 15mm (40mm on the larger panel ones which must go down rails rather than roll) ... Seem to weigh in at about 85-95kg's - so more than the window ones - I don't remember struggling at all with the window one on my own and I'm sure I'd have struggled at least a bit lifting 90kg's of cumbersome over my head on my own.
 

Stihldog

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Ah, I see!
A glass see through door would be cool though.
But here in Canada I think we are regulated by the Hockey Puck Standard (HPS). Any garage door must be able to withstand an 85mph slap shot from a hard rubber puck.

Ps; that can really friggen hurt 😢. Trust me on this one.
 
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steve_sordy

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Nov 5, 2018
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I have thin galvanised sheet steel doors, of the up and over type. They are heavy to use and take up a lot of room inside the garage when in action. They also radiated heat into the garage in the Summer and radiated heat out of the garage in the Winter. In addition, they don't fit too well around the four edges, so they let a lot of air in/out. They were not at all burglar proof.

I have added 3mm of mirror finish polystyrene foam insulation on the inside (the absolute best thing! So I agree with Stihldog on that). I have also added a pair of steel bolts on each door that prevent the door being opened from the outside. It was a compromise, but I needed to protect my bikes.

So, I'd go for insulated doors as a minimum, that must come with effective sealing around all four edges.
Then I'd go for security measures to prevent forced entry.
Then roller, to take up less room inside the garage. (Although I have seen horizontally hinged panels that are up and over and they take up much less room than the single panel type. Well worth considering).
Whether you want power up and down is up to you. If it is for a car to gain access then it may be worth it, but otherwise not (IMO).

Then let your fingers do the walking! :)
 

Stihldog

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I have thin galvanised sheet steel doors, of the up and over type. They are heavy to use and take up a lot of room inside the garage when in action. They also radiated heat into the garage in the Summer and radiated heat out of the garage in the Winter. In addition, they don't fit too well around the four edges, so they let a lot of air in/out. They were not at all burglar proof.

I have added 3mm of mirror finish polystyrene foam insulation on the inside (the absolute best thing! So I agree with Stihldog on that). I have also added a pair of steel bolts on each door that prevent the door being opened from the outside. It was a compromise, but I needed to protect my bikes.

So, I'd go for insulated doors as a minimum, that must come with effective sealing around all four edges.
Then I'd go for security measures to prevent forced entry.
Then roller, to take up less room inside the garage. (Although I have seen horizontally hinged panels that are up and over and they take up much less room than the single panel type. Well worth considering).
Whether you want power up and down is up to you. If it is for a car to gain access then it may be worth it, but otherwise not (IMO).

Then let your fingers do the walking! :)
That’s a good point about security.
With a crowbar, a standard garage door can be popped open.
My previous direct drive opener also had an electric deadbolt which activated each time the door was closed. I currently use a deadbolt latch. These are fairly cheap ($12 at Home Depot). I easily installed this for several neighbors who also have bikes/ebikes.


IMG_7375.jpeg
 

RustyMTB

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Inside view of mine + tangential view of sexy mountain bikes. Second pic is the roller box & internal switch & wiring. From memory, I think it was about £600ish & took two of us a couple of hours to fit. Really very easy to install.


LD4oZnOO.jpg
im_UsfSr.jpg
 

Doomanic

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I went through this last year. From my research, Crocodile were the best spec'd and most expensive. They also employed the worst sales tactics with a spiv who'd clearly worked for a double glazing company in the '80's... First price was £3800, after much bullshit and pretend phone calls he got it down to £2200. This is after me explaining very clearly that my budget is £1500 and I absolutely wouldn't move from that figure. The following day the office called and asked if £2000 would work...
A Garolla, by comparison was £1150 for the best spec door (70mm insulated slats) in any colour on their list.
I actually ended up with a UPVC patio door type affair for £1200 with much better security than a roller and no need to open it all the way to gain access.
 

Mikerb

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I have a double garage with aluminium up and over electric door. No experience of any other type of door. Mine needs room for the motor and belt channel overhead plus channels on either side for the door rollers. So definitely it would take more headroom I think than a roller door. My question would be about the strength of a roller shutter type door especially if double garage width. If security was the highest priority I would fit twin wooden barn doors.
 

E Bob

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Feb 15, 2021
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I went through this last year. From my research, Crocodile were the best spec'd and most expensive. They also employed the worst sales tactics with a spiv who'd clearly worked for a double glazing company in the '80's... First price was £3800, after much bullshit and pretend phone calls he got it down to £2200. This is after me explaining very clearly that my budget is £1500 and I absolutely wouldn't move from that figure. The following day the office called and asked if £2000 would work...
A Garolla, by comparison was £1150 for the best spec door (70mm insulated slats) in any colour on their list.
I actually ended up with a UPVC patio door type affair for £1200 with much better security than a roller and no need to open it all the way to gain access.
I went with crocodile, Yes had a Haggle to get to a happy ground. But the doors are very good, Bluetooth switch in the house, keyfob kept in the van, come alarmed "still fitted my ring door sensor to it" And they just work. Had some paint being rubbed off close to one side from the runner, must have been 18 months after install, No quibble replaced the entire door... I'm not one to buy shit anyway, But this day n age A Good Garage door is a must.
 

James_C

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Nov 25, 2019
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Kent, UK
I had a crappy roller door, and wanted:

  • more security
  • more weatherproofing
  • easier to nip in and out of
  • not reliant on electricity
  • free up space used by the roller mech

went with this kind of thing which ticked all the boxes.

1705964492565.png



Also has 2 long thin vertical frosted windows put in which brighten the garage up too. Mine is plain with no horizonal lines. There are a variety of options available.
 

RustyIron

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Anyone have any recommendations for rollover electric garage doors?

I'll just underscore the good advice already given:

Get insulated. Be comfortable working in the garage year-round. It's also quieter.

Chamberlain opener. They're the big dog in the game. They're VERY quiet. You might not even hear it going.

MyQ/Homekit integration. It's nice to be able to tell your garage door to open when you're down the street. It will also notify you if it opens when you're away from home. Very handy.
 

Shjay

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Apr 30, 2019
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I have a Garolla electric garage door which I have been very happy with, comes with a remove control. I also have access from the house to the garage so can manually open garage door too.
 

steve_sordy

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Nov 5, 2018
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Lincolnshire, UK
Ref James_C's post #19. It had never occurred to me to consider an outward opening side-hinged pair of doors. I really like the look of them, and the utility of course. They look as though they would be much more robust and secure than standard garage doors. But they take up a big swept area in front. right where cars need to be parked. Not for everyone.
 

Montana St Alum

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Feb 13, 2023
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Park City Utah
Enough insulation. I'm in Utah and my garage generally stays above about 35F even when it's -15F out.
Electric back up in the form of batteries integrated into the system.
Security - automatic dead bolts and release cords that can't be accessed between door panels.
I need up/down doors, Vs. swing out, as we get a lot of snow here.
 

RustyMTB

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Jul 22, 2020
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Enough insulation. I'm in Utah and my garage generally stays above about 35F even when it's -15F out.
Electric back up in the form of batteries integrated into the system.
Security - automatic dead bolts and release cords that can't be accessed between door panels.
I need up/down doors, Vs. swing out, as we get a lot of snow here.
Incredible the guy in Utah & the guy in BC should have differing opinions on insulation. 😂
 

Stihldog

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Enough insulation. I'm in Utah and my garage generally stays above about 35F even when it's -15F out.
Electric back up in the form of batteries integrated into the system.
Security - automatic dead bolts and release cords that can't be accessed between door panels.
I need up/down doors, Vs. swing out, as we get a lot of snow here.
The garage/shop never gets below 2*c with the insulated doors. I can still tinker in the shop at those temps.

I had the direct drive on my double wide which allowed better overhead clearance. Auto deadbolt and battery backup also. The upper panel windows were nice to have for this situation too.

It was fairly easy to swap the garage over to a multi-purpose room also.
Fantasy Football Draft Day.

IMG_0431.jpeg

Beer fridge not shown.
Epoxy floor made for an easy cleanup after this yearly event also.

Torsion spring size was important also. There has been a few broken springs on my street lately and this basically traps your car inside/outside until a garage door technician arrives. Some tension springs were light-duty.

My Garage Door Guy is on speed-dial. 😉

Edit; The rest of the guys were outside smoking something. 16 in total and it’s intense. 😆
 
Last edited:

E Bob

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Feb 15, 2021
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torfaen
The garage/shop never gets below 2*c with the insulated doors. I can still tinker in the shop at those temps.

I had the direct drive on my double wide which allowed better overhead clearance. Auto deadbolt and battery backup also. The upper panel windows were nice to have for this situation too.

It was fairly easy to swap the garage over to a multi-purpose room also.
Fantasy Football Draft Day.

View attachment 133076
Beer fridge not shown.
Epoxy floor made for an easy cleanup after this yearly event also.

Torsion spring size was important also. There has been a few broken springs on my street lately and this basically traps your car inside/outside until a garage door technician arrives. Some tension springs were light-duty.

My Garage Door Guy is on speed-dial. 😉

Edit; The rest of the guys were outside smoking something. 16 in total and it’s intense. 😆
That definetely looks more like a kitchen with a garagr door than a garage... Youve possibly shamed me into cleaning mine now...
 

Stihldog

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That definetely looks more like a kitchen with a garagr door than a garage... Youve possibly shamed me into cleaning mine now...
Too much time on my hands!
I built face frame cabinets on three sides of the garage for storage, tools, Tv, sound system, beer fridge, wine rack etc. 72 handles were needed for all the cabinet doors/drawers.

Turned into a great party room also.
 

E Bob

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2021
360
359
torfaen
The garage/shop never gets below 2*c with the insulated doors. I can still tinker in the shop at those temps.

I had the direct drive on my double wide which allowed better overhead clearance. Auto deadbolt and battery backup also. The upper panel windows were nice to have for this situation too.

It was fairly easy to swap the garage over to a multi-purpose room also.
Fantasy Football Draft Day.

View attachment 133076
Beer fridge not shown.
Epoxy floor made for an easy cleanup after this yearly event also.

Torsion spring size was important also. There has been a few broken springs on my street lately and this basically traps your car inside/outside until a garage door technician arrives. Some tension springs were light-duty.

My Garage Door Guy is on speed-dial. 😉

Edit; The rest of the guys were outside smoking something. 16 in total and it’s intense. 😆
Well Tidy... The jerseys ice hockey ?
 

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