Households having aged members or a person with limited mobility in the family are always keen to make the life of such affected persons as convenient as it can be possible. Yet, sometimes it is not possible to extend the needed help at the required time. Consider the simple action of closing or opening a door. Thankfully, now the handicapped or disabled persons need not depend on the help from others, as manufacturers have come up with especially designed doors for them, which they can use independently.

The automatic door opener, a modern and very useful device, facilitates the closing and opening of doors. It is of great help to handicapped or persons with limited mobility, who may find it too difficult or nearly impossible to close or open any door manually.

Handicapped door openers can be installed at residential, as well as commercial buildings. Their operation requires electric current, and these items come with various optional accessories. Some designs contain a unit for opening or closing a door that generally offers some resistance on being used physically. Others are designed to open the door only and would need a separate door- closer on the other side for closing it. The benefit of such a design is the fact that the user doesn't face any resistance when manually operating the door.

Generally, electric door openers come with wall switches. These may be wireless or wired; else the doors can be operated by handheld remotes. The wall switch is suitably installed to remain within the easy reach of the user, who simply needs to press the button for operating the door. Handheld remotes also work in the same manner.

Remote openers are frequently being offered with an electric strike latch. Such a lock would unlatch the door when getting a signal. Usually, it is wired to the opener, and therefore the two operations take place simultaneously.

Other than remotes and switches, available accessories include a keypad. This is coded individually to send a signal for opening the door when entering the right code. Some doors are designed to work with swipe cards, as it is often the practice in hotels.

Though such doors are designed to operate on electric current, it is possible to open them manually when there is any power failure. However, the handicapped should be able to do that on their own or should have assistance available with them. Some manufacturers provide doors with battery backups, which operate the door automatically for a number of operations, until the power supply gets restored.

Many companies extend a complete package of their product with a range of accessories. Such offers not only make the prices very attractive for the buyers,but also make it convenient to select all the accessories required.

Handicap door closers make a great addition for residential complexes, and they may be used for commercial complexes as well, simply by installing the right kind of equipment.

There certainly is no shortage of types of automatic doors out there for your commercial needs. But which type of door is the right one for you? This guide will show you the way.

When it comes time to choose the right commercial doors for your project or facility, you begin to realize that a lot goes into your decision. Some factors are beyond your control, such as certain standards and regulations. Yet there are a number of other factors at play that you need to consider before choosing your next automatic door. These factors include the type of facility involved, the type of clientele that facility will see, the level of traffic it'll experience, the location of the facility, and much more. Getting to know how the various types of doors available work will help you choose the right one for your project. Here's a breakdown on your choices:

Sliding doors - These are great for two-way traffic and can be an efficient way to control directional traffic as well (meaning using one door for entry, and another one for exiting). This type of adaptability makes these doors suitable for nearly any environment.

Swinging doors - These are typically used for one-way pedestrian traffic scenarios. What's most commonly found is that one door is used for entry, and another one is used for exiting. You typically won't find automatic swinging doors used for two-way traffic. There are always exceptions, however. If you need/want swinging doors for two-way traffic applications, this discussion should have taken place during early consultations with architects and designers. One such way to use this type of construction effectively with two-way traffic is with the use of a remote switch or push plate that activates the door well in advance of a person's approach.

Folding doors - Why would you install folding doors? When space is limited. If your opening width is restricted to 6 to 8 feet, yet you want to be able to have two-way traffic within this small space, then folding doors (bi-fold doors) are ideal. Single fold doors work well for directional, or one-way traffic areas.

Revolving doors- Everyone loves a revolving door, right? These doors can be manual or automatic, and are proven to be effective for high-traffic usage where constant entry/exit access is needed. They can also be helpful for providing an air lock in order to control energy expenses.

Defining the levels of traffic - When deciding on an automatic door for your project or facility, it's important to consider the level of traffic that door will experience. There are various levels of traffic.

High traffic - this involves an average of more than 2 people per minute through an area, cart traffic (such as grocery stores), or doors weighing up to 150 pounds per moving panel.

Medium traffic - this involves one person per minute through an area, and doors weighing less than 125 pounds per moving panel.

Low traffic - this involves one person every five minutes through an opening, and doors weighing less than 125 pounds per moving panel.

Other things you must consider when choosing a door include any fire and smoke applications, ADA compliance, energy conservation, and your preferred method of security.

There are a number of factors at play when considering the type of door needed for your project or facility. Some factors are beyond your control, while some become a matter of preference and logistics. Be sure that you consider all your options before settling on one specific type of automatic door. Allow a skilled professional, such as the folks at Amazing Doors & Hardware, to help you choose a door that's perfect for your project's needs.

A significant component of all of the effort placed into technological advances is the convenience that is being created and offered. The automatic door has been a part of that evolution in modern expediency, efficiency and comfort since 1954. The ever popular sliding doors and swinging doors can be equipped with or connected to electronic mechanisms that allow them to be able to sense approaching traffic and eliminate the need to pull open a heavy door in order to gain entry. But like all mechanisms, the process will require some maintenance. Automatic door repair can be as simple as actual door care, but it is more likely to be determined by the type of device that causes the door to actually follow the command of opening fully upon request. These mechanisms can be designed with infrared, motion, or remote sensors and follow the command of a switch or provide power-assisted entry. And sometimes those mechanisms will malfunction, and pedestrians at that particular doorway will either have to resort to manual entry or have to find an alternative entry point. This requires professional automatic door repair, preferably by the company that installed the product but, if not, there are plenty of companies to accommodate your commercial, industrial or retail door maintenance needs.

When automatic door repair is required on the actual detection device that opens the door(s), it can be carried out in one of two ways. The physical mechanism may have been damaged and requires hands-on repair on site, or the mechanism isn't making the connection that it needs to from the signal to command follow through. Some doors have a pressure sensor hidden in the mat on which pedestrians walk as they intend to enter or intend to exit. There are some infrared beams that, when blocked, detect persons requiring entry or exit and open the doors. And of course there are motion-detecting sensors that create the same response to movement in its sensor's path.

But automatic door repair isn't just for devices that are set to do all of the work on their own by receiving and responding to a command to open. There are remote sensor doors and switch-operated doors such as those found at security checkpoints in some buildings such as banks, hospitals or prisons. There are also power-assisted doors that, once they are pushed a little or tugged at the doors' opening mechanism, slowly open the heavy door for the pedestrian intending to go through. All of these devices have to be maintained in order to receive their message to open and open fully for all who pass through. Automatic door repair is integral to avoiding customer collisions while offering hands free entry and exit for entryways, restrooms and all secure and handicap access into any building. Although a standard door on a hinge-like device can be opened manually, many people with strength or handicap concerns rely on automatic doors, and they can't be let down or blocked entry when they need it.

Today Automatic doors are seen everywhere but why have they become so popular?

Automatic entrances are not just a convenience; they have become a common site in our hospitals, shopping centres and local shops.

Below is a brief list of reasons why I believe the automation of doors has become more popular.

TOP REASONS TO BUY AN AUTOMATIC DOOR

   Safety- With today's modern sensors and the BS7036:1996 safety standards, doors are incredibly safe. Fail safe devices and procedure mean accidents are rare.

   Customers prefer automatic doors- Research proves that consumers prefer auto doors and expect to see them at: hospitals, airports, hotels/motels, shopping centre entrances and retail stores.

   Aesthetics- These types of door come in a wide range of finishes, from stainless to powdercoating. A well designed entrance can add significance and stature to your business.

   Convenience- enabling easy access for all and instantly demonstrate to users that the establishment cares about their visitors.

   Your image- Automatic doors are impressive and give your building a certain status.

   Low maintenance- Automatics are extremely reliable. They are often operated thousands of times a day and last for several years without any trouble

   Free- In most circumstances, a UK based business, will purchase a new entrance to the sum of several thousand pounds. This purchase can be a "capital allowance" and your accountant can depreciate it over several years. This often equates to the actual cost of the system being negligible. (Please consult your accountant for exact rules and allowance).

   Cost effective- Automatic doors practically pay for themselves when you consider the energy saving on the building's heating and the increased image and convenience factors for your customers.

   DDA compliance- Automatic doors allow unhindered access for all your customers without persecution no matter their mobility.

   Work with professionals- Automatic door systems are quite complicated and any company wanting to install them must go through a vigorous training program and ideally join the "Automatic Door Suppliers Association".

   Choice- There are several different types of automatic door: swing doors, sliding doors, folding doors, balanced doors, revolving doors and low energy swing doors. This means that there is always a solution available to solve your access issues.

   Security- A wide range of locking solutions are available within automatic doors. Features such as timers and controlled access mean you can open or close your building without even being present.

   Energy Efficient- Automatic doors effectively reduce wasted energy and often considerably lessen annual heating and cooling costs.

   Diagnostics- Some automatic systems have "self diagnostics". This means faults and necessary repairs can be quickly identified. Down time of your door is, therefore, kept to a minimum.

   Information- Systems can be introduced to count frequency of operations. This allows the customer to calculate busy trading periods and/or the number of visitors through the door set.

   Advertising space- Often door systems are made of slim aluminium sections with vast areas of glass. This can be used as an additional advertising space for your business.

I'm sure there are possibly more reasons but this is all I can think of at the moment.

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