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SERVICE

Is it a legal obligation to have my industrial doors serviced?

Yes, any electrically operated doors or shutters should be serviced at least once a year, they are covered in the UK by the PUWER legislation the same as any other machinery.


How frequently would you recommend industrial doors are serviced?

This depends on the usage of the door, for high use (20+ operations a day) we would recommend at least two service checks a year, for doors which are used more than five times an hour we would recommend a quarterly service, especially if the doors are critical to your business.


Can I spread the cost of my service plan monthly?

Tekta do offer this option, subject to certain terms and approvals.

BUYING A NEW DOOR

Can I rent or lease a new door?

Tekta offer a leasing option for up to five years, helping to spread the cost of a new door in a tax-efficient manner.


What is the lead time of a high speed door?

This will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and according to the specification, however typically you should reckon on 4 – 8 weeks.


How much does a speed door cost?

This will vary hugely depending on the door model, size of the opening and also various options such as the method of automation.  However for a typical 4x4M external opening a lower end speed door may cost £6000 and this could increase to £12,000 or more for a more specialist speed door.

INSULATION VALUES FOR DOORS

What type of door gives the best insulation U-Value?

This depends on what type of opening you are dealing with.  However as a general rule it is best to steer towards hinged and sliding doors, and sectional panel doors rather than roller shutters.


Should the doors U-Value be measured through the whole door or just through the middle of the leaf, curtain or slat?

There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong here, however it is important to be sure of what a supplier or manufacturer is quoting as the U-Value through a slat will be significantly better than the U-Value through a whole door due to the gaps around the edges or through the slats and also potential cold bridges through the frame.

DOOR SIZES

How big does my doorway need to be for forklift access?

This depends on the size of your forklift!  However we would recommend at least 1000mm clearance on the width and 500mm on the height, so for example if the forklift is narrower than a standard pallet which is 1000x1200mm then make the door a minimum of 2200mm clear opening, and if the forklift is 2500mm high with the mast in the loaded travelling position then the doorway should be 3000mm high.  It is safest to double-check with your forktruck supplier.


What is the difference between clear opening sizes, structural opening sizes and frame sizes?

Clear opening size refers to the clear passageway when the door is open, if the door is hinged then the width needs to also take account of ironmongery which may project into the opening such as a push bar.  Structural opening sizes refer to the sizes left in the wall prepared for the door to be fitted.  Frame sizes refer to the size of the frame which will be installed, usually this will allow a fixing tolerance inside the structural opening.  So to calculate the required structural opening size you should work back from the required clear opening sizes + frame sizes + fixing tolerances = structural opening.

CLEANROOM DOORS

What is the difference between a hermetically sealed door and an airtight door?

These two terms are commonly used, essentially they mean the same thing but in different ways – “Airtight” is the state of being impermeable to air or other gases; whereas “Hermetic” refers to a method of making something airtight, so for example a door with “Hermetic seals” will be airtight.  This is also commonly referred to as “Air Permeability” – essentially the amount of air that can pass through the door.  There are different standards of airtightness which is usually measured in terms of leakage per square meter per hour at a certain pressure (usually 50 Pascals), so for example 10 M3 / M2 / Hr @ 50 Pa.  Airtightness in doors is measured/tested in accordance with BS EN 12426, reported in terms of Classes 0 to 6 (6 is the lowest air permeability).  Sometimes doorsets will be tested to achieve a certain airtightness and sometimes it will be based on a calculation, for example by adding extra seals to a standard doorset so be sure to understand what it is you need.


 

DOOR REGULATIONS

What are the regulations for panic and emergency escape doors?

In the UK there are two relevant standards, firstly BS EN 1125 covers the requirements for panic escape, and secondly BS EN 179 covers the requirements for emergency escape doors.


What is “Deadman” mode on an industrial door?

Deadman mode simply means that you have to be pushing the up/down button in order to make the door operate, as soon as you release the button the door stops.  This method of operation should be used whenever a door is not supplied with a safety system such as a contact bottom edge or light curtain.

SPEED DOORS

What is the best way to activate a high speed door?

Read our handy door activation guide for all the options, pros & cons on this question.


What is the best colour for a speed door curtain?

This is not a straightforward question to answer, however we would advise you to think about two things:

1 – Will the curtain get dirty?  If the door is in an area where the curtain will get dirty such as externally then we would strongly advise you to choose a darker colour such as grey or dark blue rather than a light colour

2 – Will visibility of the curtain be important?  If the door has high traffic from forklifts especially then we would recommend considering a highly visible colour such as yellow or orange


Can I use a PVC high speed door externally?

Yes, there are many models of high speed door which are suitable for external use.  It is important to make sure that the correct wind rating is selected.  You can see Tekta’s range of external high-speed doors here.