Automatic Doors in Guelph

Adding a low-energy operator to a door that already hangs correctly is the least expensive way into automation, and the price is driven by three things rather than by the operator itself: whether there is power at the head of the opening, whether the frame and leaf can carry the load, and how many activation points you want. Running a new circuit to a header on an existing masonry wall routinely costs more than the operator does. That circuit is electrical work, so it has to be run by a certified electrical contractor, and it normally sits outside our scope. What we do is tell you exactly what the operator needs at the header before you order, so the electrician can be booked in alongside the door rather than chased afterwards.

Yes, and on an egress route it is a requirement rather than a nicety. Sliding doors on an exit route are built with break-out panels: push the leaf hard from inside and it swings out of its track to give a clear opening. Swing doors with a low-energy operator can simply be pushed open manually when the power is off — the operator declutches. What you should not assume is that a given door does this: break-out is a specified feature, and a slider bought without it stays shut. We confirm which behaviour an existing door has as part of an inspection.

In rough order of how often we are called for them: sensors that have drifted, been knocked or been blinded by sunlight or a new floor finish; dirty or worn rollers and tracks on a slider, which show up as a door that shudders or stalls; failed or misadjusted safety beams that leave the door stuck open or reversing at random; belts, motors and control boards at the end of their life; and damage from something that hit the door. The single most common underlying cause is not the operator at all — it is a building change nobody connected to the entrance, like a new mat, a new sign or a re-tiled floor.