To determine the specifications for an roll-up door, you will need to measure several different features of the openings in which you will install the roll-up door. The measurements that you will need to make for your roll-up door include the width of the door, the height of the door, the headroom that the roll-up door will require, and the side room that the roll-up door will require. Most roll-up doors that are sold to the general public comes in standard residential sizes.
Standard sizes for single car garages is typically 8 by 7 feet in size or 9 by 7 feet. Double car garages are typically 16 by 7 feet or 16 by 8 feet in size. The larger the roll-up door, the more square footage the roll-up door will have.
How to Measure and Choose a Roll-Up Door
Roll-up doors with more square footage will require more motorization to open and close the door, as well as providing more headroom for the roll-up doors coil to extend. Headroom is the measurement of the space that will be above the roll-up door opening. Roll-up doors require headroom to allow the door’s coil to extend and open the roll-up door.
If there isnt enough headroom above the roll-up door, the door will not be able to open completely. Small roll-up doors may only require twelve inches of headroom, but roll-up doors that are larger in size or that include insulated sections will require fifteen or eighteen inches of headroom to provide adequate space for the door’s operation. Side room is the measurement of the space that will be provided along the side of the opening in which the roll-up door will be installed.
Roll-up doors require side room to allow the door’s vertical tracks to be mounted to the side of the opening. If there is not enough side room, the door will not be able to track proper along the sides of the opening. If the vertical tracks are not mounted properly to the walls, the roll-up door will either become crooked when the door opens and closes, or it will wear out quick due to the improper tracks along the sides of the opening.
Thus, before ordering a roll-up door, you must measure the side room in which the door will be installed to ensure that the vertical tracks for the roll-up door will fit into the opening. The motor size that you will use for the roll-up door must be appropriate for the weight of the roll-up door. Roll-up motors are available of different sizes and power; small residential roll-up doors only require a third-horsepower motor to open and close the door.
However, a commercial or large roll-up door will require a motor of a greater horsepower to open and close the door. If the motor is too small for the roll-up door, the motor will overheat and fail. If the motor is too large, though, the cost of purchasing that motor will be higher than necessary, and it will use more electricity to open and close than the door require.
An R-value measures the level of insulation for a roll-up door. Roll-up doors in regions with mild climates may have an R-6 insulation level. However, roll-up doors that are used in regions with cold climates may require R-9 or R-12 insulation levels.
Additionally, roll-up doors with increased levels of insulation will allow for the reduction of the noise that the roll-up door makes while it is operating. Roll-up doors can be made from a variety of materials. Steel roll-up doors are the most common; steel is a strong and affordable material.
Aluminum roll-up doors are common in coastal areas; aluminum is a lightweight material that resists corrosion from salt air. Stainless steel roll-up doors are common in food-service areas; stainless steel is easy to sanitize, and it does not rust. Fire-rated roll-up doors are required in some locations.
The reason that some locations require fire-rated roll-up doors is to separate different fire zones within a building. In the event of a fire in one portion of the building, the fire-rated roll-up door will automatically close to prevent the fire from spreading into another portion of the building. Fire-rated roll-up doors contain a fusible link that melts in the event of a fire; when the fusible link melts, the door’s hardware releases, allowing the roll-up door to automatically close.
Thus, prior to installing a roll-up door, it is important to check if fire rating are required in your location. In order to purchase the correct roll-up door, you will need to measure the opening in which it will be installed, measure the headroom that is available above the opening, measure the side room that will be provided for the vertical tracks of the roll-up door, and determine if the roll-up door will require insulation or a fire rating. Once you have performed these measurements and determined the features that you will require for your roll-up door, you will have an idea of which roll-up door is the correct choice for your needs.
