All about Doors and Locks
Door Functions and Security
We are all aware that today’s vehicles are, in the main, wider and higher that those constructed at the time when Marley Garages first came onto the market (over sixty years ago). Of all the limitations that these older garages possess wing mirror clearance (WMC) between the door posts is the biggest problem for most of today’s users.
At the time of their introduction and in order to provide maximum wing WMC, Marley designed and built their own doors, which went from post to post with no frame, however the operating mechanism decreased the WMC by 94mm (47mm on each side). Thus their WMC of 2273mm was reduced to 2179mm.
Part of the problem here is the post width used by Marley (and others using the same concept) to accommodate their rainwater downpipe. This measures 235mm in width and frames the door. This concrete post not only reduces the WMC but splits or spalls with time. This is as a result of water freezing in the blocked downpipes (more later). With a roller shutter door the post/downpipe is the same thickness as the garage dividing wall only the roller shutter door guides protrude into the WMC thus increasing the WMC to 2294mm. Therefore the extra WMC obtained over the original Marley door is 2294-2179=115mm (nearly 5 inches) and over a Hormann door 2294-2024=270mm (over 10 inches).
Recently the German door manufacturer, Hormann, have taken over the market, even to the point of buying out the last remaining UK manufacturer, Garador, so that low cost up and over doors no longer exist. Furthermore in order to sell a replacement product that is easier to ship, Hormann place a frame around their door and have labelled that format a “cassette door”. Whilst this is a practical solution that helps keep the door in good shape during transportation and fitting, it does mean that the WMC is substantially reduced. The apparent door width of 2108mm is further reduced by the operating mechanism to 2024 mm(42mm on each side)
Doors – Up and Over
The problems
Once one of these doors suffers impact they distort and as they cannot be straightened. Then they jam and/or no longer lock properly. Also with time the lever/spring arrangements jam and the doors stick and require significant force (often beyond that of seniors) to operate
Doors – Roller Shutter
The benefits
If the fronts of our new System LX Garage looks like its nearly all door, well it is! This is due to the use of customised roller shutter doors to make entry easier over conventional up-and-over doors. In real terms the side-to-side clearance increases by as much as 13 inches and the pass under clearance increases by up to 8 inches over that provided by current system (battery) garages. This is a valuable benefit as today many new vehicles are higher and wider.
Then on bottom edge of the base rail we have chosen a foam rubber seal as used in industrial applications to keep ground water out, and, as this is a standard industrial product it will be available for years to come, unlike purpose-made seals that cannot be found some years later. This seal is just visible under the base slat of the door. By comparison, up-and-over doors have a knife-edge “wiper-blade” seal that does not follow the minor bumps in the floor concrete.
Then there is the matter of opening and closing the door. To this end our roller shutter door has a handrail slat that can be seen in the photographs at just about waist level. This slat enables the door to be opened and closed without bending down or reaching too high. It was positioned by an MS sufferer.
The doorslats and frame are made from powder-coated aluminium extrusions so they can never rust. The single coil spring that counterbalances the door can be adjusted but from new the door requires very little effort to raise and lower. Ideal for older folk!
One final and huge benefit relates to damage rectification. One sees dented and damaged up-and-over doors all too often. These doors cannot be straightened and have to be replaced or they jam or can no longer be locked. Our roller shutter doors require only new slats to be slid into place at a cost of a few pounds each, as opposed to around £900 for an up-and-over door with fitting!