Covering Portsmouth and nearby
Coverage for drive unit replacement runs across the PO1, PO2, PO3, PO4, PO5 and PO6 postcode districts and out into the surrounding parts of Hampshire. Wherever the building is, the arrangements stay the same: one contracting party, a written price before work, and a specialist engineer working under our management on site.
Access in a city centre needs planning. Loading bays, permit parking, pedestrianised streets and delivery windows all affect when an engineer can unload, so a visit to Portsmouth is booked around them and any restrictions are noted in advance.
Nearby towns we also list for drive unit replacement (straight-line distance): Gosport (1.7 miles), Fareham (5.3 miles), Havant (6.1 miles), Waterlooville (6.2 miles), Emsworth (7.5 miles), Hedge End (12.0 miles).
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Portsmouth
- Business parks and office blocks in Portsmouth with several identical doors can replace operators in phases, keeping at least one entrance open at all times.
- Worn floor guides and rollers can shorten the life of a new operator. It is often worth replacing them during the same visit rather than coming back later.
- Check the power supply. A dedicated fused spur and isolator near the door is usually needed, and older installations sometimes need electrical work before the new operator goes in.
- If the door is on an escape route, the new drive unit must be set up to open, break out or be openable by hand, as the building's fire strategy requires.
- Busy retail entrances in Portsmouth may prefer the changeover after closing time or on a quiet trading day. Tell us your hours when you book the survey.
Drive unit replacement in Portsmouth: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: typically £1,995 to £3,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New drive unit on an existing automatic sliding door | £1,995 – £3,995 | existing leaves kept, installed, ex VAT |
| New operator on an existing automatic swing door | £1,795 – £3,995 | installed, ex VAT |
| Sensors replaced at the same time | £195 – £495 | per sensor, ex VAT |
Standards and rules in England
Workplace law (the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992) expects powered doors to have suitable and effective features to stop them trapping anyone and, where needed for safety, to open by hand unless they open automatically if the power fails. Doors at work must also be kept in efficient working order under a suitable system of maintenance.
Whoever motorises a manual door, or builds an automatic door from separate parts, may take on the manufacturer’s legal duties for the finished door: a risk assessment, a technical file kept available for the authorities, a Declaration of Conformity, the conformity marking and instructions. You receive the Declaration of Conformity and the instructions at handover. In Great Britain a new or converted powered door must meet the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 before it is first used, and can carry the UKCA or the CE marking.
How it works
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for drive unit replacement and book a survey in Portsmouth.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Send the make and model from the operator cover of your door in Portsmouth, and we will arrange a survey at no cost for a replacement drive unit.
Drive unit replacement in Portsmouth: questions
What lead time should we expect in Portsmouth?
Once the quote is accepted, drive units are typically 2 to 4 weeks to arrive, depending on the length and weight rating needed. The changeover date is agreed with you as soon as the parts are confirmed, and it can be planned around your opening hours.
What price range should I expect for drive unit replacement in Portsmouth?
Our guide is £1,995 to £3,995 excluding VAT (per door), the same guide prices we use across the UK. The free site survey in Portsmouth confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Will you remove the old operator from our premises in Portsmouth?
Yes. The old drive unit, sensors and any other replaced parts are taken away as part of the job, and the work area is left clean. Disposal is included in the fixed quote, so there is nothing extra to arrange or pay for afterwards.
Can the replacement in Portsmouth include a service plan?
It can. After the changeover we recommend a service interval based on how heavily the door is used, and a service contract can be set up with a written record of each visit. Servicing is priced separately and agreed in writing before any visit takes place.
Will the building stay secure while the entrance is being changed?
We plan to keep the entrance usable or secure throughout. Where a door has to come out, the work is sequenced so the opening is closed up before the engineer leaves, or a temporary door or hoarding is arranged when a longer gap cannot be avoided. How this is handled for your site in Portsmouth is agreed before work starts.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Portsmouth?
We look at who uses the entrance: wheelchair users, people with walking aids, parents with buggies and older visitors. That shapes the opening width, the opening speed, the hold-open time and where push pads or sensors go. Service providers and employers have duties to make reasonable adjustments under equality and accessibility law, and an automatic door is a common one.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Portsmouth?
In England the guidance is Approved Document M (Volume 2) for access, Approved Document B for fire safety and escape routes, and Approved Document K for glazing and powered doors. A new entrance can count as building work, so building control should be involved before it is ordered.