Electric garage doors are quickly becoming an increasingly popular investment, and it’s easy to see why.
When made electric, garage doors become far more accessible, efficient, safe to use and generally easy to operate across the board.
If you aren’t ready to invest in an entirely new electric garage door, don’t worry – in the majority of cases, a garage door can be converted into an electric door.
What’s more, this conversion can be achieved quickly, easily and affordably. It’s an investment that really ticks all the boxes.
So, if you’re keen to upgrade your existing garage door, keep reading to find out whether or not your model can be converted into an automated garage door.
What garage doors can be converted to an electric door?
Generally speaking, most manual garage doors can be converted to automated garage doors.
However, whether or not this is possible depends on the type of door, the existing hardware that it possesses, and the condition that it is in.
The most common types of garage doors – and the process of converting them to electric garage doors – are as follows:
Sectional garage doors – sectional garage doors are the most common type of garage door. Usually, these can be easily converted to electric, by adding either a belt-drive or a chain-drive opener.
Side-hinged garage doors – another very common type of garage door, these can be converted by adding a swing-gate opener to your existing door.
Roller garage doors – these garage doors can be converted to an electric version by installing an electric roller door opener.
These are the general rules for converting garage door types to electric versions.
However, note that if your garage door was custom built, or if the unit is more than 10-15 years old, then you might need to find a specialist conversion kit. A professional garage door installer will be able to advise you about the parts that you need.
When can a garage door not be converted to an electric door?
In the majority of cases, all it takes to convert a garage door into an electric version is the addition of a few key mechanisms.
When you enlist the support of a professional garage door installer, this can be achieved quickly, easily, affordably and to a very high degree of success.
However, there are a few instances where it may not be possible to convert your existing garage door.
These are:
If it is too old – if your garage door has passed a certain age, then it would not be worth investing in upgrading it to electric. Instead, the more cost-effective option would be to replace it with a new model.
If it is in poor condition – equally, if your garage door is damaged or otherwise in a poor condition, then it would not be advisable to invest in its upgrade.
If the type of garage door makes it unsuitable – for example, if your garage door is a specialty model, if it is vintage, or if it was custom built, then the conversion parts or hardware might not be compatible.
If it is positioned too far from a power source – depending on its location, your garage door might be too far away from an electrical power source, making it impractical to complete the conversion.
If it has insufficient structural support – some garage doors do not have the required structural support to accommodate the installation of electric mechanisms. However, in some cases, this issue can be resolved by adding reinforcements.
In these instances, if you would like to upgrade your unit, then you would need to replace it with a new electric garage door model.
If you are unsure whether or not an electrical garage door conversion would be a good fit for you, then the Wolf Doors team is on hand to help.
We can work with you to recommend the best possible solution to your specific garage door, and then either supply and install the required parts, or recommend a state of the art electric garage door to replace it.
So, if you’d like to find out more about any of our garage door services, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
