Sectional overheads are a great door design which share a lot of similarities with roller shutter doors. While, obviously, a sectional one doesn’t operate through a tracking mechanism, much like a roller door, all of the operating mechanism is contained in the space above the door, so that the entry-way remains unimpeded. Also, they can be reduced to a very small size, ensuring that all spacial usage remains at an absolute minimum, something which an overhead door fails at completely.

When you compare a sectional door to a an overhead, you can see numerous advantages, such as the increased availability of space, the ease of use and the better security. There are a few disadvantages, such as greater limits on insulation.

Most advantages and disadvantages can be overcome, no matter which type of door you want; it is all a question of how much you’re willing to spend on getting a great quality product, which brings value to your home through the aesthetics of the design, as well as its functionality.

Previously, we’ve discussed how to avoid damage and repair a garage door, but we haven’t really gone into how to do this for a roller shutter door, as this can be a more complex process.

Unlike a more basic garage door, such as an up-and-over door, or even a sectional overhead, a roller shutter has a tracking mechanism, which everybody who has ever owned a bike will be able to attest to, can sometimes be knocked out of alignment, and cease to function. Because the roller shutter has a far more limited capacity than a bicycle, mobility is less of a demand, and the risk of running out of alignment is much lower, but it can happen. The trick to avoiding this from happening is to not constantly start and stop the door’s opening and closing part-way through, so that the stress of the tracking mechanism is lessened. If the tracking stops working, we would suggest that you hire a professional, unless you’re very familiar with working with similar mechanics, as taking the operating mechanism of a roller shutter apart could cause more damage.

A problem which regularly arises for owners of garage doors is when they’ve been in use for a while the mechanisms responsible for lifting and bearing weight-tension experience a lot of wear-and-tear, and regularly break down. This can require a large expenditure to repair and get the door back to working order.

Lots of things can occur which could require such a repair job: the nuts and bolts could become rusted, needing replacement; the levers could become slightly bent, increasing pressure and tension in certain areas in the design and ruining its integrity; wires could snap; or any automation computer could stop working within a few years of use. Looking at this list, there are things that you can do to avoid any significant cost on your end; such as repairing damaged levers as soon as possible, so that the damage doesn’t begin to build over time. Of course, basic maintenance, such as using grease and hinge oil on the levers and bolts, can avoid the need for regular replacement of some of the mechanism’s components.

There are a lot of options for you to choose from when picking out a garage door for your home as you can see in an earlier post, but for a bit more detail on up and over garage doors, such as their advantages and disadvantages, then you should keep on reading.

As said before, up and over garage doors can work through a variety of mechanisms, some of which allow for greater functionality than others. The canopy up and over door is great, although it will typically be more expensive than a standard, or even a retractable model, so if price is a concern, it’s worth avoiding this. Also, they are more likely to break down due to the more flimsy mechanism managing the tension. A great advantage of a standard up and over garage door is that they are very sturdy, and unlikely to break down. This fact makes them one of the most economical garage door options.