Retrofit garage door drive – A great comfort, surprisingly inexpensive

Open and close the garage door from the comfort of your car seat: Seibermacher can install such a radio-controlled system quickly and easily. Electric garage door operators are one of the many beautiful things, that make life easier, but you don't really need it. So some may shy away from the issue. And yet: When the heavy garage door opens so easily at the push of a button, you wouldn't want to do without the radio-controlled drive. You stay comfortably seated in the car and don't even need to roll down the window – a comfort, which you learn to really appreciate at the latest when it rains and storms. You can also close the gate again when driving away, without having to stop and leave the vehicle again.

The pleasant convenience, not having to move the heavy gate leaf by hand, costs money, but not very much. Before ten, It took twenty years for a complete installation 1000 to 2000 spend euros. Today, garage door drives for self-installation are sold through hardware stores. The cheapest, However, even simple models are available from approx. 200 to have euros.

The DIY: Only work for an afternoon
Between 200 and 300 The garage door opener costs euros, that we installed. None other than the former Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg developed it together with the Bernal company. But it is not the name of the famous racing driver that is responsible for the prize. The special thing about Rosberg's idea is, to offer the soft-stop technology at this price level: An automatic system allows the drive motor to slowly run out during the closing process of the gate, so that annoying noise even with large, uninsulated steel gates are largely excluded.
The standard mounting accessories supplied are designed for attachment to standard overhead doors. The same drive with special accessories also opens and closes horizontal and vertical sectional gates and even double-leaf swing gates.
It can be equipped with a radio remote control using a simple plug-in module. A single-channel remote control is sufficient for opening and closing. However, the system allows up to four channels in one remote control, with which, for example, the garden lighting, an electric garden gate or the alarm system of the house can be switched on. The connection is made via a normal Schuko plug, for which you have an electrician fit a socket.

The emergency release is also standard, which enables opening and closing in the event of a power failure or defects in the electrical installation in the house. About the locking handle, which is normally closed, and the gate drive can be disengaged via a cable pull and the gate can be moved by hand. This safety device is not mandatory, but should not be missing from any garage door operator.

Apart from a few parts, the drive is already pre-assembled. The rail parts are joined together by plugging. The chain is guided through the carriage of the connecting rod, die beiden Enden werden durch ein Kettenschloß verbunden. Das lose Kettenende über die gesamte Schienenlänge ziehen und die Befestigung der Einschubbügel am Antriebsgehäuse lösen. Die Laufschiene mit dem losen Kettenende in die Bügel schieben, die Rollenkette wird über das Kettenrad des Antriebskopfes gelegt. Über dem Tor am Sturz oder an der Decke – Pay attention to the drilling depth for prefabricated garages! – the bracket for the rail is screwed on in the middle. After determining the drill holes, the housing can be fixed to the garage ceiling with the enclosed screws and dowels. The push rod of the sled is connected via a steel angle profile (special accessories, required for this type of door) connected to the gate. The locking bars are dismantled. The emergency release cable is routed through a hole (∅ 4 to 5 mm) guided by the gate handle.
In the drive, the switching points for opening- and closing process and the radio coding set exactly according to the instructions.

Measure carefully before buying – With the Bernal door drive we have chosen, just about any standard garage door can be opened and closed. To be absolutely sure, you should determine the lowest ceiling clearance during the movement process of your door before you buy it. This value is allowed 35 mm, this corresponds to the height of the running rail, not fall below.