How to make do-it-yourself folding folding garage doors

Correctly selected door design and convenient control method allow you to save space at the entrance to the garage and make opening comfortable. Installations are distinguished by the principle of operation and the material of manufacture. The device for lifting garage doors is not cheap, but in return, the owner receives a number of advantages over conventional swing or sliding doors.

The device and scheme of work of folding garage doors

A reliable support frame and a strong canvas are made to close the opening. The sash moves with or without guide rails.

Construction principle:

• the canvas is made in one piece, the sashes work thanks to the system of hinges and levers;
• use a mechanical or electrical drive;
• the system of levers is placed at the bottom of the sashes, and the rollers are used to move the blade along the guide profile.

Most folding structures work flawlessly in heavy snowfall.

Advantages and disadvantages

A reliable canvas rises to the ceiling of the garage, so the car drives up directly to the gate. The structure is insulated inside, decorated outside. There is no need to leave the car to open, the doors are well suited for double garages.

The disadvantages include a decrease in the height of the opening, which is taken into account when drawing up the project. The mechanism can withstand only the design load, an increase in excess of the norm reduces the service life.

Types of overhead gates by opening type

The owner can make a window with a lattice in the gate, arrange a wicket for the passage of people. For safety, the folding gates are equipped with photocells that block the opening or lowering of the sash if there is an obstacle between its edge and the floor.

The canvases of different designs go up, but each type works differently:

• the sash can turn in the opening, while the canvas is sometimes equipped with a built-in wicket;
• sectional doors are convenient in that they consist of separate segments that fold in stages when moving, then straighten out on the ceiling;
• rolled rolls into a kind of bundle.

To protect against thieves, the products are equipped with a bolt-type bolt on a spring installed inside. A crossbar lock is placed outside.

Swivel flaps

A whole frame is made with filling, which, when turning, moves out a little outside the opening, then slides along the guides to the ceiling. The movement is assisted by a lifting mechanism for the garage door in the form of stretched springs in the internal device.

The construction is durable, the canvas does not have cold bridges, since there are no connecting seams. A reinforced base frame must be installed.

Folding (sectional) canvases

The web is aligned with the interaction of drums, spring mechanism, hinges and cables. The design requires careful calculation of the dimensions of the individual sections, which are joined using hinges.The segments are easy to change individually during repair.

Can be installed in trapezoidal or archway openings. Medium protection against vandals, and the rollers wear out quickly under high loads.

Roller shutters

The canvas is made up of individual lamellas, most often these are aluminum strips. The take-up drum is placed under the ceiling, and guide runners are mounted on the sides. The split structure is fixed to the drum with a steel cable.

When the drum rotates, the sash is twisted into a bundle and wound on a sleeve. The roller construction has low burglar resistance.

Control methods

Mechanical control involves the use of muscle strength, which is not always convenient. To increase comfort, an electric motor is installed. There is a way to control the key fob or by phone, so as not to get out of the car and not press the button.

Various options:

• Mechanical method. The spring operating mechanism is mounted on the outside of the movement. After stopping, you need to get out of the car and manually open the canvas. The spring device compensates for the weight of the frame with the blade, and requires the application of a force of 10 - 20 kg (100 - 200 N). The use of manual control is due to its low cost, reliability, ease of use and safety.
• Auto. The electric drive raises and lowers the sash. Photocells, infrared or laser signals, motion sensors, photo radars are used for starting. The standard equipment includes 2 buttons-keys that must be pressed when getting out of the car. There are complex control systems in the device of garage doors with the recognition of the car number and even the biometrics of a person. After closing the sash, a blocking is triggered, you cannot open the gate manually.
• From the remote control, key fob. For such control, the available radius is determined, which is about ten meters. Comfortable use allows you to start the automatic drive without leaving the car. In the house or at the entrance to the gate, a remote control with stationary buttons is installed, with the help of which the electric drive is started. For reliability, the owner encodes the signal from the intruders.

The most convenient way to operate is with a mobile phone. The owner chooses what is convenient for him: a smartphone or a switch. An application (GSM module) is downloaded to the phone. This method turns out to be working only if the Internet is available in the online regulations. The program remotely monitors the state of the gate when the owner is away from home. The application is similar to a video surveillance program.

Drive selection

It is easier to assemble a garage door if you first define a set of mechanisms for activating the sash. The drive converts one type of energy into another, transfers it to the executive group.

Types of drives used:

• Counterbalance system. The scheme is rarely installed in private garages; it is more used in industrial hangars and warehouses. The system is suitable for lifting heavy and bulky blades. A cable is attached to the bottom of the sash, then it is pulled through a mechanical block. The package is mounted on the ceiling, closer to another wall. In this area, a counterweight is hung over the weight of the sash. When the web is opened, the load is lowered, when it is closed, it rises.
• Hinge-lever (lever-spring). This type of drive is installed in private garages or shells. The design includes levers, rollers, springs. The profiles for moving the hinges are mounted on the ceiling and on the sides of the opening. Springs, levers are placed at the bottom of the canvas, and the system of rollers is placed at the top. The drive is fixed to the ceiling, while the vertical and horizontal profiles and the tension of the cable are controlled.

The equipment should be convenient, differ in the number of processes in accordance with the requirements. The redundant functions that some manufacturers provide to the drive are sometimes simply unnecessary. They overload the system, require settings according to complex instructions.

Required tools and materials

To do the installation of garage doors with your own hands, you will need a profiled sheet, a profile pipe, steel corners, 2 springs and 2 rollers. Prepare hardware, channel.

You should have tools at hand:

• wrench, electric drill, screwdriver;
• screwdriver, hammer;
• Bulgarian, welding.

A tape measure is used for marking, the correct installation is checked with a level and a plumb line.

DIY folding garage doors

During installation, provide free space for attaching the guides, level the walls.

Sequencing:

• development of a drawing with dimensions;
• installation of support pillars to the walls;
• installation of a folding frame, fastening of canvases;
• facing and insulation of gates.

The door frame must withstand the force from the load. Walls made of concrete, bricks do not need reinforcement, and foam concrete and aerated concrete are reinforced with a frame.

Drawing development

The standard drawing contains a sketch for the manufacture of a sash, where there are dimensions for the details of the frame, opening, filler. Includes a pattern for placing profiles on vertical walls and ceilings.

It is calculated that when passing the car from the sides, there is at least 30 cm of free space. Ready-made standard projects that are suitable for specific conditions will facilitate the task.

Installation of load-bearing pillars

The support must bear the load and be firmly fixed to vertical surfaces on both sides. Installation is done after finishing work.

The assembled supporting structure is placed in the opening in accordance with the level, a supporting part is placed on the floor, its horizontal is checked. The lower ends are set along a plumb line. The frame is fixed with hardware, which is chosen according to the material of the wall.

Folding frame assembly, sash hinge

Steel profile pipes are cut to the dimensions of the panels. They are laid out on a flat surface, on the ground, to make a frame. The sections are fixed to each other with hinges, connected so that there is no skew.

For strength and rigidity, diagonal and transverse elements are provided, which are installed over the entire area of ​​the folding frame.

The installation of the sections will not take much time. They are alternately placed between the guide profiles. Then, roller supports are fixed at the ends, for which a bolted connection is used.

Often fastening metal strips are already on the canvases; a small holder with a hinge is attached to them. When installing, a distinction is made between fittings for the right and left sides, there are marks on the parts.

Sheathing and insulation of gates

The microclimate in the garage is maintained by heating and by insulating the door leaf from the cold. For insulation used:

• mineral wool;
• polystyrene, expanded polystyrene.

Minvata is rarely taken, since it absorbs water. For its installation, a double slatted frame with waterproofing is required. Polyfoam can be placed on the rail, glued directly onto the prepared door leaf. Sheathed with sheet or profiled metal.

Frequent problems when installing overhead gates

If there is a noise of a running motor, but at the same time the canvas does not move, the reason may be the blocking of the mechanism by an unnecessary obstacle in the path of the rollers. The second reason is the damage to the spring.

If the drive does not work at all, disengage the blocking and open the gate manually. In this case, a breakdown is found in the automation or in the structure of the gate itself.

The leaf opens automatically, closing field - incorrect settings of the drive.

Vibration when opening speaks of loose hardware that needs to be checked and tightened.

If the lower part of the canvas is frozen to the base, use hot water, but not boiling water.