Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve tried to be as comprehensive as is possible with this website but we also recognise that, with a major decision such as his, you are always going to have some questions. We are more than happy to answer any queries by phone or by email but, in order to save yourself some time, please first look at these frequently asked questions; you might find that the question you had has been on the minds on many of our satisfied customers before!

How far away from my door will the transmitter work?

Strictly speaking, if you were to use your transmitter in a wide-open, empty space with no environmental barriers, then it would work from much further away than would ever be realistically needed; probably about 50 metres. Obviously, such a range of opening is neither necessary nor particularly safe but you would be very unlikely to get this range anyway as houses and other buildings around your garage would impinge upon the transmitter signal.

For safety concerns, we recommend that you only open your door automatically when you have a clear line of sight.  It takes just 12-15 seconds for your door to open and thus you don’t want to be any further away than this; your garage could be open before you are back to keep an eye on it.  If your door becomes slower and takes longer to open then please don’t hesitate to contact your local Gliderol service agent

How long does the light on the control box stay on for?

We fit a courtesy light which is housed within the control box; it is activated during the opening and closing of the doors and will stay lit for approximately 60 seconds.

How much space will I need to fit my roller door?

The biggest concern space with a roller door is having the capacity to house and conceal the rolled up section of the door within the garage building. We have helpful guidelines for the minimum headroom clearance required (from the lowest point of the ceiling to the top of the opening) and these are, for domestic installation, as follows:

• OPENING HEIGHT up to 2135mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 420mm
• OPENING HEIGHT up to 2440mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 450mm
• OPENING HEIGHT up to 2740mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 480mm
• OPENING HEIGHT up to 3055mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 520mm

If you can’t meet these opening heights then a facia panel can be provided; however this will reduce the opening height of the door. Another important point is that, if you have a low opening height, but still want to store a boat or tall 4wheel drive car in your garage, you should check that both can be properly accommodated before committing to a purchase.

These aren’t the only figures which you need to make a note of; you need a sideroom clearance of 75mm for a single domestic door and 150mm for a double domestic door; if you’re having a motor fitted then you need to add a further 20mm to this.
If you’re having a garage fitted for commercial purposes then you need to make note of these minimum headroom clearance guidelines:

• OPENING HEIGHT Handheld up to 2440mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 460mm
• OPENING HEIGHT Handheld up to 5000mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 490mm
• OPENING HEIGHT Chain operated up to 2400mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 460mm
• OPENING HEIGHT Chain operated up to 3000mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 490mm
• OPENING HEIGHT Chain operated up to 5000mm HEADROOM REQUIRED 530mm

The necessary sideroom for commercial fittings is 150mm for industrial doors, 225mm at the side where the chain will be situated and, if you are being extravagant and having a motor installed, you will need a further 20mm of space.

How often should I have my Gliderol roller door serviced?

Our doors are specifically made to offer the highest level of durability and service for a number of years; you can find the full text of our customer guarantee by clicking on the relevant link on this website.  Our doors very rarely require maintenance but, all the same, there are a few tell-tale signs which you should be on the lookout for; if you spot one, it could well mean that one of our maintenance representatives is needed to give your door a slight tuning as it ages. 

Roller doors which appear to have become difficult to open or which seem to free-fall slightly when closing may be trying to communicate that they need their spring tension adjusting; this is a quick and simple job and not something which you should lose sleep over. Even though this job is simple, however, please don’t attempt to do it yourself; it is best handled by a properly trained technician.

In terms of what you yourself can do to help keep your door running smoothly, cleaning and making sure that the guide sections are kept clear of dust, dirt or other obstructions can be a phenomenally successful way of keeping your doors in tip-top condition.  Shy away from lubricating your doors oil, grease or any other petroleum based product. Instead, why not opt for one of the new silicone spray lubricants which are now on the market.  

Please refer back to the guarantee page to see information regarding service frequency.

Should I lock my roller door even though it’s fitted with a remote control operator?

During the normal, day-to-day operation of your roller door, you should refrain from locking it.  As we have outlined on our technical specification page, our Gliderol doors are designed to prevent unauthorised entry and thus the contents of your garage will be safe. 

Furthermore, if there is an attempt to force entry into your garage then our unique electronic control system will register that an intrusion is about to happen and will push the door back down into the closed position.

If you accidentally forget and lock your door and the automatic operator is then engaged, your door will overload and the gears will start to drive back against the lock.  Obviously, this is not a good thing to be happening to your purchase and thus, if this unfortunate event does happen, switch off the power immediately and call out a qualified technician to rectify the issue.

If, however, you know that your roller door is not going to be used for a while; if you’re going away for example or your car is off the road for whatever reason, you can turn off the power to the door and return it to a manual operation setting by pushing the red pin handle on the side of the motor. Once you’ve done this, you can feel free to lock the door and leave for your holiday safe in the knowledge that your garage is safe and doubly secure.

Should I wash my roller door?

Clearly a roller door is more than just a functional purchase; it is a glamorous statement of aesthetic integrity to the rest of your street. With this in mind, you may want to wash the inevitable spots of dirt or dust off the door with a cloth or sponge dipped in mild soapy water. Anything more than this is not required. Your doors have a ten year warranty for their finish and this should give you peace of mind that your garage will stay looking as fresh and innovative as it does for a decade or more.

What happens if my remote control roller door closes and hits an immoveable obstruction?

If the technology of an automatically closing door controlled by a remote transmitter wasn’t enough to satisfy your gadget craving, check this out: all our doors which are fitted with Glidermatic or Rol-a-matic operators are fitted with an intelligent safety device which can detect if there is an obstruction in the way of a closing door. If any such obstruction is spotted then the door automatically reverses its direction! This is known as auto-reverse and all the technical mumbo-jumbo behind it is explained in the owner’s manual (so you can read up on all the details and then dazzle your friends!) To ensure that your door is working properly, and also because it’s quite a bit of fun, we recommend that you test this feature of your door at least once a month.

What happens if someone in my street has a Glidermatic or Roll•a•matic operator, can they open my door?

The simple answer to this is, no; so there is no need to worry. All our mechanical doors have the latest rolling code technology which ensures that your transmitter is unique to your own door.  If that wasn’t enough security, each time you activate your transmitter, the encryption changes to one of over 2 billion combinations!

What happens if the power goes off and how do I operate the roller door?

This is a very real concern for many people.  But you needn’t worry, here at Roller Doors Ltd we’ve got this problem covered as well!  All our mechanical doors have a simple manual release lever which is on the side of the motor.  This means that you can open the garage door manually by operating it this way. But wait, I know what you’re thinking: the front roller door is the only access to my garage! How can I use the motor to open the door if I can’t open the door in the first place to get to the motor! Well, don’t worry; if this is the case then, at the installation stage of proceedings, just make sure you include a dual override switch, which will allow you to manually open your garage door from the outside in the event of a power outage.

So there you have it, these are the questions which we get asked most often but, if you have any further questions which this page or the rest of the website has failed to cover then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us; Your perfect garage door is only a click or a phone call away.