Garage Door Terminology
Occasionally the language of access systems and garage doors can become quite specific, so to make your browsing experience more leisurely and enjoyable for you, we have included some of the common terminology and definitions in the industry.
All terminology is in alphabetical order for you, so knowing the right information is as smooth and straightforward as a great garage door.
Canopy
A canopy refers to a covering, almost like a substitute to roofing, that is usually installed over a Fenceline Roller Door to protect and preserve the door system from the elements.
This is available either as a round canopy that is shaped like a semi-circle curving over the top of the roller door, or as a square canopy that sits completely around the door barrel.
Cladding
Some custom garage door solutions, such as Tilt or Counterweight doors that are have a steel base frame, can be covered with a desired material such as wood or steel sheeting to create a unique design. The application of overlaying the frame of the garage door with another desired material is called cladding.
Door Barrel
A door barrel refers to the cylindrical shape that a roller garage door curls and winds around. This can often look like a rolled-up carpet when the door is fully open.
Door Cycle
A garage door cycle or one cycle is a single open and close sequence of the garage door. A great example of this is opening the garage door to put a car inside the garage space and then closing it after the car is inside, this would be one door cycle.
Door Leaf
A door leaf used to describe a single, independently moving panel of a door. The single-leaf door is the most common variety of door.
External Release
An external release refers to a system to unlock and open a usually automated garage door or gate, that has no other entry or exit. An example of this is if there was a power outage in your area, an automated gate system would not be operational without the supply of electricity. However, each gate comes with a key to create a manual release.
This is an optional addition to garage door systems that do not have a pedestrian door and may require an external manual release for similar circumstances.
Flashing
Flashing is a strip of metal used to stop water penetrating the intersection of a roof with and the garage door surface. This can help create a longer product life and allows for more weather protection.
Glazing
Glazing elements are a clear synthetic pane that can be included in the design of garage doors or residential doors which are a stronger and safer substitute for glass.
Within the Hörmann Collection the glazing elements have a special surface coating, like that used on car headlights, that protects the pane from scratches and damage that can be caused over time, while maintaining their transparency.
Insulated Garage Doors
Insulation is the act of covering something to stop heat, sound, or electricity from escaping or entering.
The Hörmann Collection of Garage Doors are insulated garage doors as the double-skinned panels are evenly filled with polyurethane rigid foam that assists in insulation, keeping the garage space at an optimum temperature while providing great door stability and quiet travel.
Limits
The limits of an automatic garage door set the fully raised and fully closed position. This allows the automatic opener to know when to stop the door at the set points.
Lintel
A lintel is the horizontal support of usually made of steel across the top of a door or window This helps support the frame and the garage door. An essential structural item for a garage door to be installed
Panel/Section
A panel or section refers to commonly a sectional garage door that is divided into larger sections that will open section by section, in comparison to a common roller door that rolls up like a carpet. One section of the garage door can then be called a panel or section.
Posts
A post is a long, sturdy piece of timber or metal set upright in the ground, commonly with concrete or supports, and used as a support for framing of a garage door or gateway.
Powder Coating
Powder Coating is covering a material with a coloured powder, which is then heated to fuse into a protective layer. This also allows custom colouring of the customer’s choice.
Seal (Rubber/Brush)
A seal usually is placed across the bottom width of a door and allows for the small gap between the hard edge of the door and the ground level to be closed by the seal. This helps limit weather, dust and debris entering the protected space.
There are two types of seals, a rubber seal or a brush seal. A rubber seal comprises of a rubber stripe that will press onto the open space. However, a brush seal is like broom bristles and more flexible.
Side Element
Side Elements are usually a pane of glass that is placed to the right or left (sometimes both) of a doorway to create an architectural entryway and provide light into the space. A side element will commonly be the same height of the door to the lintel, to create a balanced profile.
Springs
Springs are commonly used on garage doors to assist with lifting the weight of the door. While an automatic opener allows for handsfree operation, it is the springs on garage doors that do most of the heavy lifting.
Taper
For garage spaces on a hill or slope, the ground may be at an angle or slightly slanted. If a perfectly level garage door were to be installed, it would create a gap where the straight bottom edge of the garage door met one end of the slanted surface before it could sit flush and level with the ground.
To avoid this from occurring, a custom taper can be included along the bottom width of the garage door to match the surface finish and colour chosen. This will create a harmonious aesthetic from the street view and improve break-in resistance.
Tracks
Tracks are the metal path that a garage door such as a Sectional Garage Door will follow to stay in line and move up and over the garage opening and space. This allows the garage door to operate smoothly through opening and closing.
Transom Light
A transom light is used to flood light into a living space by placing a pane of glass above a doorway, commonly the width of the door (which may include side elements). Usually the transom light will underscore the ceiling-high appearance of the door set to emphasise the door height.
Transom Panels are also available but are a solid panel and do not allow light into the living space.
Ventilation Grilles
Ventilation grilles are usually placed along the bottom width of the door and allows airflow into the garage space. This increased ventilation into a commonly closed off space, and can improve the room climate and prevent mould.
Wicket Door
A Wicket door is commonly referred to as 'a door in a door' and is a pedestrian door built within a larger garage door system. Evenglide offers Sectional Garage doors in the Hörmann Collection that can have a wicket door within the garage door. This can provide an entry point to ideal situations and save space, instead of installing a separate pedestrian access point.