Advice: Garage Door Opener
Advice: Garage Door Opener
Author
Discussion

veetwin

Original Poster:

1,579 posts

287 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
Anyone on here got an automatic, remote garage door opener? Any makes out there that are better than others? Are they quite easy to install?

jellison

12,803 posts

307 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
get in touch with topsparks - this is what he does.

Code Monkey

3,318 posts

287 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
i just ask girlfriend if she would mind getting out the car and opening the door

simple really

Kentish

15,169 posts

264 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
veetwin said:
Anyone on here got an automatic, remote garage door opener? Any makes out there that are better than others? Are they quite easy to install?



You mean a speed radar scrambler, yeah we're on to you there's no pulling the wool over our eyes

themaskedavenger

676 posts

278 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
I have 2 (2 doors you see) steer clear of the ones in B&Q the price is not representative of what real door openers cost as far as I can see.

And get someone who does it every day for a living to fit, I saw the instructions that came with mine and you would not stand a chance!!

"Open box and install" seemed to sum it up.

wedg1e

27,040 posts

295 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
Electric roller shutters are nice, but you do need a fair bit of headroom for the roller.

ZR1cliff

17,999 posts

279 months

Monday 14th November 2005
quotequote all
Code Monkey said:
i just ask girlfriend if she would mind getting out the car and opening the door

simple really


Its alright for you ,i have to do everthing for my bird

jellison

12,803 posts

307 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
wedg1e said:
Electric roller shutters are nice, but you do need a fair bit of headroom for the roller.
What I have - and it rocks - can park right up to door.

nonegreen

7,803 posts

300 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
themaskedavenger said:
I have 2 (2 doors you see) steer clear of the ones in B&Q the price is not representative of what real door openers cost as far as I can see.

And get someone who does it every day for a living to fit, I saw the instructions that came with mine and you would not stand a chance!!

"Open box and install" seemed to sum it up.


I have fitted 2 of em. The B&Q ones are utter crap, best to visit a garage door specialist. I paid about 250 for the last one with extra remotes but that was trade. Fairly easy to fit, the best ones "learn" so you dont have to make adjustments to the travel length. Best kind of door is a sectional folding one thats insulated. Now they can be a bugger to fit and you need to be quite a good engineering fitter to do it properly.

deva link

26,934 posts

275 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
nonegreen said:

I have fitted 2 of em. The B&Q ones are utter crap, best to visit a garage door specialist. I paid about 250 for the last one with extra remotes but that was trade. Fairly easy to fit, the best ones "learn" so you dont have to make adjustments to the travel length. Best kind of door is a sectional folding one thats insulated. Now they can be a bugger to fit and you need to be quite a good engineering fitter to do it properly.

I've got a Chamberlain opener which I bought from Screwfix, but same one was being sold in B & Q. Works fine - it doesn't really do very much, the door is tensioned and you can open and close it with a finger-tip.

The door (as nonegreen suggests) is an insulated sectional door, made by Clopay. It's made in the US and Clopay seem to be the standard fit in US houses. I got mine from B & Q but I don't think they sell 'em anymore. The great thing about it is that it doesn't swing outwards like a normal up and over door, so you can park right up to it.

puggit

49,820 posts

278 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
Spotted them in B+Q at the weekend (we don't even have a garage!) and they seemed FAR too cheap.

wedg1e

27,040 posts

295 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
jellison said:
wedg1e said:
Electric roller shutters are nice, but you do need a fair bit of headroom for the roller.
What I have - and it rocks - can park right up to door.


Luckily the previous owner of Wedg1e Villas liked his toys; he extended the garage and raised the roof to get the roller in. The door is actually an Aussie product, but I don't hold that against it

coach

1,118 posts

282 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
Chamberlain at B&Q or screwfix (850 model)

Get the more expensive one at 179 and toy get silent drive, 2 remotes, a remote codepad and a switch for inside and all you nee to fit.

Excellent piece of kit and VERY quiet. Far better than the synapse I had before

Regards

C

deva link

26,934 posts

275 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
puggit said:
Spotted them in B+Q at the weekend (we don't even have a garage!) and they seemed FAR too cheap.

What - doors or openers? The openers have dropped a lot in price and they're probably made in China now. Mine was £150 from Screwfix but was priced at £200 in B&Q. However they come in different sizes and I (of course) bought the biggest. In reality, as I said earlier, the tensioned sectional door takes no effort whatsoever, and the smallest of motors would operate it adequately.

bertie

8,569 posts

314 months

Tuesday 15th November 2005
quotequote all
themaskedavenger said:

And get someone who does it every day for a living to fit, I saw the instructions that came with mine and you would not stand a chance!!

"Open box and install" seemed to sum it up.


They are dead easy to install, the 3 "professional" jobs I've seen have all been done wrong with the door pulling at the wrong angle on the actuator.

Two I had done by a garage door company I had to re-do when I did my other one and realised how wrong they were.

jellison

12,803 posts

307 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
wedg1e said:
jellison said:
wedg1e said:
Electric roller shutters are nice, but you do need a fair bit of headroom for the roller.
What I have - and it rocks - can park right up to door.


Luckily the previous owner of Wedg1e Villas liked his toys; he extended the garage and raised the roof to get the roller in. The door is actually an Aussie product, but I don't hold that against it
I had my nea garage built to specifically house other half Cooper S (not the BMW Shit) and the Monster with about a foot to 18" extra for parking. Works great with the roller door - car get a big car on drive as well. - Sweet.

wedg1e

27,040 posts

295 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
jellison said:

Works great with the roller door - car get a big car on drive as well. - Sweet.


Only the one?




I suppose if I had a tidy-up I could get another car in there...





turbo tim

20,467 posts

261 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
coach said:
Chamberlain at B&Q or screwfix (850 model)

Get the more expensive one at 179 and toy get silent drive, 2 remotes, a remote codepad and a switch for inside and all you nee to fit.

Excellent piece of kit and VERY quiet


Got a Chamberlain 850 from Screwfix. Fitted it myself - no real troubles. Working fine so far, and the remote works from MILES away!! Their Helpline (for advice for adapting opener to weird garage door setups) was also very helpful (which is quite rare these days.)

Would definitely recommend it.

GavinPearson

5,715 posts

281 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
One thing you could do is get an American garage door opener and use a transformer.

90% of garaged homes have them, they're cheap, they work, and you can get them on mail order.

veetwin

Original Poster:

1,579 posts

287 months

Wednesday 16th November 2005
quotequote all
Thanks for all the replies.

It seems that I may need an adaptor of sorts as the garage door is a canopy type with vertical tracks. I checked out the Screwfix website and it seems they supply as good as any (B&Q?). It would be a good purchase as getting in and out of the Elise twice before lunch is proving murder on the body.