Dec 10, 2021 | News
Garage safety is a top concern for homeowners who want to prevent the theft of their vehicles and the burglary of their possessions. Here we present safety tips for your garage, followed by what to look out for if you are buying security garage doors.
The first tip is to add a security camera (CCTV), which is an excellent deterrent to thieves. We also recommend either permanently lighting the area in front of the garage or using motion-activated lights, which can be wired in or run on solar if you don’t have electricity in your garage.
Automatic garage doors can be configured to close after a few minutes automatically, so activating this is beneficial. If your door has an emergency release cord, you can also fit a garage shield to protect this from tampering.
Keeping Your Garage Safe and Secure
If you are purchasing a new garage door, your choice will significantly impact the garage door security. We recommend choosing a product that has been tested to the highest standards.
Today, security garage doors can achieve a security badge of honour with the Secure by Design (SbD) denotation, indicating that the product is designed to meet police-recommended standards. The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) also presents the LPS 1175 SR1 Rigorous Burglary Resistance Standard.
The SWS SeceuroGlide Excel security garage doors were the first to attain LPS 1175 SR1 garage security standards and also bear the Secured by Design marking.
These SWS roller garage doors achieved a Level 1 security rating, passing sustained violent and vigorous brute force attacks, including cut, push, and lift attacks.
Security features that enable such garage door safety include an automatic secure locking system, locking bottom slat, galvanised steel endplates, and vacation mode. Garage security can be further enhanced with a 90dB optional automatic alarm.
If you are looking to invest in the highest quality garage security, security garage doors from SWS might be your best choice.
Jul 16, 2021 | News, Security garage doors
Whether you are working, on the school run, or on holiday, your garage is most vulnerable when you aren’t home. If you find yourself worrying about garage door security, this is a clear sign that you need to review your garage door safety.
Follow our ten tips for keeping your garage safe while you are away, for extra peace of mind.
1. Close The Garage Door
It sounds almost too straightforward, but not closing the door properly gets overlooked far too often. Whether from forgetfulness or because you aren’t away for long, an open door can be seen as an invitation.
Many automatic garage doors have a built-in automatic self-closing feature. This doesn’t mean you have to just drive away and leave it down to the automated system. But it is a great, nice-to-have backup.
If you have access to your garage from your home, add a physical side-locking mechanism on the inside.
2. Keep Your Belongings Out Of Sight
When storing valuables or expensive tools and equipment in your garage, keep these covered or out of sight in a cupboard or lockable tool storage cabinet.
When you are purchasing a new garage door, then consider one without glazing or with frosted glass. If you want clear glazing, opt for glass panels positioned at the top to make it harder to see in.
3. Light Your Garage And Drive
Burglars and thieves don’t like being seen. So you can boost your garage door security by adding exterior home and garage lights. External lights can be connected to the automated garage door opener or use a motion sensor that turns the light on whenever someone approaches.
4. Secure Your Side Door
A service door on the side of a garage is a popular feature that allows access, often directly from your garden. You should upgrade to a secure door if yours is sub-standard, and be sure to keep this locked.
5. Protect Internal Home Entry Doors
If your garage is attached to your home, then it will likely have an internal access door. When you are away, keep this locked to create an additional barrier should someone break into your home.
6. Improve The Visibility Of Your Garage
Just like adding exterior lights, you will improve your garage door security if you trim back bushes and trees to improve visibility.
7. Hide Your Remote
Leaving your garage remote on view in your car or clipped to the visor is not a good idea. Most remotes have a design that allows you to clip them to your keychain, so you can take them with you. Don’t forget to lock your car and don’t leave your house keys in your vehicle.
8. Choose An Opener That Supports A Smartphone Connection
If you don’t like the idea of carrying a remote, then smartphone-operated openers are an excellent alternative. You can also see if your door is open or closed, 24/7, from anywhere in the world.
9. Ensure Your Garage Door Is CE Marked
Garage doors and openers made before 2000 might not be CE Marked. This is an indication that the security features do not meet modern standards.
The evolution of technology has been significant over the past twenty years. New garage doors have features such as rolling codes that change every time you use your remote and holiday modes, which disable remote access when you are away.
10. Choose A Secured By Design Garage Door
Secured by Design is an official police initiative and tells you that you are buying the most secure type of door with strong garage locks.
For more information on garage door security or a site survey and new garage door price, don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Jul 2, 2021 | News, Roller garage doors
Roller garage doors are much loved by vehicle and homeowners. They are incredibly versatile, practical, and reliable. With a range of different colours and optional glazing, they can create excellent kerb appeal, and an attractive welcome home.
The Types Of Roller Doors
Double skinned aluminium insulated garage roller doors are made from foam-filled slats. This style offers high levels of security, automated operation that is quiet, noise insulation, and thermal insulation that keeps excessive heat or cold outdoors.
Single skinned continuous curtain steel roller garage doors are your basic style and suitable where security, noise pollution, and insulation are not a significant concern. The system gives lots of headroom above the lintel, and smaller single-doors can be manually operated and spring-loaded to facilitate this. Larger and double-doors should ideally be automated with a motor and remote control.
How Does A Roller Garage Door Work?
A roller garage door is made from slats or laths, and this forms a curtain that slides up guide rails into a housing above the opening. A significant advantage of this type of opening is that the door does not swing or protrude into the driveway during opening. This allows you to park right up to the garage door, which is handy if your family has several cars or if you want to use your drive space for other jobs or purposes.
Roller garage doors are usually automated with an electric motor and a remote control. It is a good idea to have two remote controls, although many electric roller garage door manufacturers have mobile phone apps, which you can use to operate the door instead. Further features include automatic closing, so you never forget to do this, and attempted break-in alerts.
The system parts will include a wall-mounted control box, receiver unit, built-in courtesy light that automatically turns off after a few minutes, and a manual override system (in case you have no electricity).
The two main differences between roller garage doors and sectional garage doors are 1) the slats have less height 2) the slats roll into a housing above the door rather than sliding into the roof space. This makes roller garage doors a good option if headroom is limited or if you want to use the roof space of your garage for storage.
Which Manufacturer Should I Use?
It would be best if you always chose a reputable and well-known manufacturer. Garage doors may look the same from the outside, but if you want a trouble-free life, buying from a good name will pay you back many times over. Look for brands such as:
These roller garage doors use high-quality components to ensure reliability. There are many moving parts, so buying roller garage doors from cheap manufacturers is not a good idea. Also, look out for roller garage doors denoted as Secured by Design, which is the police initiative and standard that promotes safer products by design.
Are They Safe?
Your roller garage door should have the quality-assured CE mark that denotes that it meets UK safety regulations.
In terms of keeping your vehicles and valuables safe, you should again look for the Secured by Design marking. Good quality garage doors include unique security systems that hold the curtain securely in place when closed, prevent forced lifting from the outside, and prevent curtain dislodging.
What Size Do I Need?
The largest standard widths are 5,200mm for domestic residences, with a maximum height of 3,000mm. Roller shutter garage doors of larger sizes are possible, but the specifications of the slats, framework, and guide rails will all increase to ensure the system remains structurally sound and safe.
What Colour Can I Get?
Often have a choice of ten to twenty standard colours, but depending on the manufacturer, you might be able to choose any RAL colour. Woodgrain effects such as oak, mahogany, and rosewood are available on UPVC garage doors.
Glazing slats are an option, and these allow natural light into your garage space, which can be helpful.
Do They Need Much Maintenance
It is a good idea to keep the springs, door joints, openings, and moving parts lubricated. This will ensure the operation remains smooth and quiet, along with providing a long life. Maintenance primarily involves removing any leaves that collect by the door and washing the surfaces with soapy water.
For more information on roller garage doors or for a free site survey and price, please contact our team today.
Mar 18, 2021 | News
To start the year we ran a competition to win a free garage door so say thank you for everyone’s support throughout 2020.
The competition’s prize included a brand new Hörmann ribbed garage door with fitting location survey, removal and disposal of the old garage door, and the full installation of the new door by our qualified fitters. We were excited to fit the new garage door for our winner Jessica this month.
Out With The Old
Jessica had an existing grey up and over garage door and chose to upgrade her prize to a brand-new anthracite grey roller door at a fraction of the price. The roller door means there is no manual opening and closing of the door, and it takes up much less room than other door styles allowing Jessica to make the most of her garage space without fear of hitting or knocking things over when the door opens. The door was electric meaning you can save time and keep dry by opening and closing the garage door from your car.
In With The New
The new garage door is reliable and needs minimal maintenance, with no springs, gears, levers or pulleys, that could wear over time, meaning Jessica can enjoy her new garage door for many years to come. For added peace of mind, all our SWS roller doors are rated Secured by Design to keep homeowners and their belongings safe and secure.
WM Garage Doors is pleased to be able to continue to safely serve the residents and businesses of South Staffordshire and the West Midlands, including Wolverhampton, Lichfield, Coventry, and Cannock throughout 2021. If you would like a new garage please get in touch.
Jan 22, 2021 | News, Up & over garage doors
If you have been looking at new garage doors, you have probably already realised that there is a vast choice of styles and types to choose from. From sectional to side-hinged, there is a style for everyone, but non is more popular than the up & over garage door.
Made from top manufacturers such as Novoferm and Cardale, these are one of the most tried and tested of all designs. The up & over garage door is generally offered with a choice of two operations; canopy and retractable.
To open canopy garage doors, you push the door at the top. It moves up from the bottom, protruding slightly outwards, and gradually moves into a horizontal position, creating the familiar canopy at the top of the garage’s entranceway. A retracting up & over garage door has a track that runs horizontally into the garage, allowing the door to retract into the ceiling space. If you have a short driveway, then a retracting door may be the better option because this does not move out into the driveway space.
An Easy To Use & Affordable Option
The up & over garage door has been one of the most popular styles for decades, providing function at a price anyone can afford. They are the most affordable option, starting from £290. You don’t need electricity to open manual models, so there is no extra cost for an electrician.
The mechanism is simple, reliable, sturdy, and straightforward, and very little ever goes wrong with them. This means that up & over garage door repairs are rare. Your only maintenance will be washing them down with a hose or bucket and water once in a while.
Customisable & Secure
Your up & over garage door can be automated with a motor. The opening and closing actions are activated by a remote control you typically keep in your car or home. People love electric up & over garage doors because they keep them out of the wind, rain, cold, and snow. They also keep the driver safe inside the vehicle, which is great when you arrive home late at night.
An up & over garage door can be made to bespoke sizes, so even if you have a non-standard-sized opening, it is easy to get a made-to-measure product.
There are plenty of options that give you control over the look. You can pick a colour choice to match or contrast against your home’s style, and designs include those that work well with traditional or modern houses. Your customisable options include a vertical or horizontal pattern or panelling or a textured finish. The door’s body can be made from materials such as steel, aluminium, fibreglass, or GRP. This style also offers excellent security as standard.
If your garage door is broken or detracting from your home’s kerb appeal, please get in touch with the team at West Midlands Garage Doors.
Jan 18, 2019 | News
We have been in the garage door business for more than 20 years and our knowledgeable team of garage door experts has forged a formidable reputation for installing the best doors at the best price. But some people overlook the fact that we are also experts in garage door repairs.
Whether your door is failing to open or close properly, has suffered a nasty dent or the paintwork has faded over time, our garage door repair specialists can restore your door to its former glory. No job is too big or too little for our repair team. We can fix and replace garage door locks, for both manual and automatic garage doors, repair a wide range of roller garage doors, automatic garage doors, side-hinged and up and over garage doors, and replace broken and faded panels.
We pride ourselves on knowing everything there is to know about every garage door type from all the major manufacturers (like Hörmann, SWS, Cardale and more) so when disaster strikes we are ready to step in and save the day. From roller garage door repairs to up and over garage door repairs, we can repair your garage door in no time.
Our garage door repair team serves people across the West Midlands, so whether you are in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Solihull or Tamworth we are ready to answer your calls for help. There’s no need to worry about being stung with hidden costs as we will also quote you a garage door repair cost prior to carrying out the required work.
To discover more about our repair service please contact us today.
