Automated doors are good for homes and businesses alike. They make entering and leaving a building easier, and people are choosing them more often because of how efficient they are. What they need to know is which one suits the building they actually have.
Choosing the right automated door seems more complicated than it is. But there are mistakes people make, and they are consistent enough to list. Here are the five most common.
1. Space
Not being sure of the space a particular door needs. You need the right measurements so the door fits properly, and that means measuring the opening, the wall beside it and the clearance above it, not just the doorway.
This is the mistake that cannot be fixed after the fact. Glass is cut and toughened before it arrives, and a track cut short is a track remade.
2. Energy
The door needs the right power supply to function well. It is worth discussing your requirements with a professional so they can help with this, because the answer depends on the motor, the leaf weight and how often the door cycles.
3. Care and upkeep
People need to understand how to look after an automatic door. There are things that have to be done to keep it in good shape, and following the instructions is what gets the most use out of it.
It is worth taking the time. This is the mistake that costs least to avoid and most to ignore, because it shows up as an emergency call-out rather than a maintenance visit.
4. Colour
There are many colours of automatic door to choose from, and you want one that looks right with the rest of the building rather than standing out too much. A neutral colour is usually the safest pick.
5. Price
Compare prices before you commit so you do not overpay, and take advantage of any sales, discounts or promotions on offer, because they make a real difference.
The caution here is the obvious one: the cheapest door that does not suit the opening ends up costing more than the right one. Compare like for like on leaf weight, mechanism and warranty, not just on headline price.
After you buy
If you have questions about your automated door, call the customer service line as soon as they come up. You want any problem, issue or concern handled promptly by people who work in the field, and you want to be treated properly after the purchase, not only before it.
Automated doors keep rising in popularity, and the price is reasonable for what you get. They make life easier, and with the right specification the purchase pays off now and later.
Where to start
If you are at the beginning of this decision, our guide on how automatic sliding doors work covers the mechanism, and the automatic sliding door page covers what we supply and what it costs.
