We do a lot of low headroom installations and are quite experienced with the various low headroom kits available.
We just finished our installation of a 1-3/4” thick insulated steel door and opener in only 6” of headroom. The door runs smoothly and quietly and we feel we could have even gone another 1" or so lower. AMAZING!
This is the best solution we ever worked with.
Thank you
Door Operation /Trouble Shooting Installation Below
(1) How should my door operate ? - In the closed position, your top section should tip back smoothly and
in a controlled manner, upon activating the automatic operator. It should open completely clearing the
header, however some face hardware may be slightly below the opening. Upon closing, there should be
a smooth transition around the curve and the top section will be pushed closed and locked under the
spring mount, finishing the cycle.
(2) Doesn't safety reverse- Safety reversing relies on a jamming action of the top section, instead of
downward pressure. This method is very sensitive and reliable even if the force adjustment accidentally
gets turned up, because normal crushing energy is re-directed to the top section horizontally, instead
of vertically to the bottom section. ( I personally test my jobs out with a 1" block of stryophome )
In order to properly achieve this, the spring assembly must be close to the top of the door. You may
find that our mathematical formula requires some adjustment, depending on who manufactured your
track. You want to have the horizontal track positioned, so the bottom of the track is even or just above
the header. Be sure to take notes, so you will know the procedure for next time.
(3) Doesn't run smooth around the curve, to a closed position - Make sure to have the curved part of the
operator arm attached to the trolly part of the operator, and the operator door attachment on top of the
door section. ( as described in the instructions ) It all has to do with pivotal points. Any place that bends
is a pivoting point and if they don't work as one, jamming could occur. If you ever put a roller in the
wrong hole of your door hinge, you will know what I'm talking about.
(4) Door doesn't seem to balance properly - Your door regardless of what hardware is on it, should stay at
any point you place it and run smoothly through it's entire cycle. If you find that your door doesn't
want stay on the floor by it's self, then seems to shoot up and run out of energy, you have a springing
problem. Pan doors seem to be notoriously bad for that, even with a standard application. Basically
Your door is to light for the spring wire size and length. You are going to have to deal with it, the boss
and customer are depending on you ! What I do is add punched angle for more weight, in some tasteful
way and then back spring tension off, until I reach a happy medium. I myself like to use foam injected
door sections, they just seem to balance out better and are stronger anyhow.
(5) Top section prematurely starts tipping in before the door is seated to the floor - More than likely your
operator set up is wrong, or it's a spring issue. Refer to picture reference guide supplied with the
instructions for operator set up. Still stuck ? Back off the bottom of the weather strip, get the job done
and paid for. Call me immediately ( preferably by e-mail ) and I will help you resolve any problems.
Final Notes - Although our brackets are finding their way around the world, it is ultimately you the
installer who has to make them work properly. Low headroom is a tough thing to deal with and becomes
more difficult as tolerances decrease. What I want to hear from you is : A job that normally would
have been a nightmare or impossible to install is now simple, easy and no problem. When that occurs,
we will move on to more advanced techniques and modifications.
Step By Step Installation Instructions
1) Cutting the Track: Take the door height and subtract the curve radius, then cut the bottom
off the vertical track at that measurement.
Door height is 96" - the curve radius 12" = 84" the height of the vertical track.
2) Operator Arm position: Attach the curved part of the operator arm to the trolly of the
operator. Connect the straight arm to the door, bolt the two together and set limit switches.
3) Locking the Door Down Positively to the Floor: To ensure the door is locked down to the
floor and ensure there is no upper movement, simply lag a small piece of punched angle to the
header so that when the top section tips inwards it goes under the punched angle.
4) Building the Operator Door Mount: This part is very important to ensure the smooth
operation of the system.
Bolt the standard operator mounting bracket to either the operator reinforcing bracket or you
may use punched angle. Position the operator mounting bracket as high on the door as possible to
ensure a smooth transition around the curve radius. If using punched angle on a steel non
insulated door it will be necessary to attach your punched angle vertically on the center stile.
(optional) Use a single piece of punched angle across the entire top of the door to add
additional strength.
