Coverage across Kent
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Kent vary a great deal, and the right approach to drive unit replacement varies with them. A surgery door used by patients with walking frames needs different settings from a supermarket entrance, so the engineer looks at the actual door first. The towns we list in this area currently number 24.
Towns listed in Kent: Maidstone, Gillingham, Chatham, Tunbridge Wells, Folkestone, Margate, Ashford, Canterbury, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Dartford, Ramsgate, Dover, Tonbridge, Strood, Whitstable, Deal, Sevenoaks, Rochester, Herne Bay, Northfleet, Broadstairs, Faversham, Swanley.
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Kent
- Doors linked to the fire alarm or access control in Kent need those links rewired to the new controller. Let us know which systems connect to the door.
- Business parks and office blocks in Kent with several identical doors can replace operators in phases, keeping at least one entrance open at all times.
- Hospitals and care homes in Kent may need an alternative entrance during the changeover. Plan signs and step-free access for wheelchair users before work starts.
- Busy retail entrances in Kent may prefer the changeover after closing time or on a quiet trading day. Tell us your hours when you book the survey.
- 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.
Drive unit replacement in Kent: 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
Standards are not retrospective, so an older door does not become unlawful when a standard is updated; a site-specific risk assessment shows whether any upgrades are sensible. BS EN 16005 is the current standard for the safety in use of powered pedestrian doors, and BS 7036-0:2014 is the British code of practice for risk assessment and risk reduction used alongside it. Standards are not law in themselves, but they are the recognised benchmark for showing an automatic door is safe to use, and we set up, test and document doors with reference to them.
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.
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.
How it works
- Start with a short enquiry. Use the form, phone or email. Tell us whether the work is a new door, an upgrade or an opener for a home, and we arrange the next step for your site in Kent.
- Measured survey. The free survey confirms what will fit and what the entrance needs: opening width, door type, activation, safety sensors and behaviour on power loss or fire alarm, matched to how the building is used.
- Written price, no surprises. A fixed, itemised quote sets out the specification, the work involved, the expected lead time and the warranty terms. You can ask questions or change the specification before accepting it.
- Installed and commissioned. The door is installed with as little disruption as possible, then set up and tested for its hazard zones. Before leaving, the engineer explains the controls and hands over the documents for your records.
Get in touch about drive unit replacement in Kent. The door is surveyed free of charge and the changeover planned around your opening hours.
Drive unit replacement in Kent: questions
Will you remove the old operator from our premises in Kent?
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 you give me a price for drive unit replacement in Kent?
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 Kent confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can you fit a new operator to a door another company installed in Kent?
Yes. We replace drive units on doors whoever fitted them. The survey identifies the existing header, leaves and track, and adapter plates usually let a new drive unit from one of the major European operator brands fit without changing the frame.
How long will our entrance in Kent be closed for the changeover?
A standard sliding door changeover typically takes a day, and a swing operator often less. The work can be scheduled early, after closing or at a weekend so it causes less disruption. Your quote shows the planned date and how long the entrance will be out of use.
How much disruption should we expect while the work is done in Kent?
Most installations take one visit or a short series of visits, with dust and noise kept to the area around the door. The engineer screens off the work area, keeps a route in or out where possible and clears up before leaving. Larger entrances, lobbies or structural changes take longer, and the quote explains how that work is phased.
What does the written quote for drive unit replacement in Kent include?
The quote lists each item separately: the door or equipment, installation, electrical connections where we provide them, removal of anything being replaced, testing and handover. It is a fixed price for the work described, so it does not change unless the scope changes, and any change is agreed with you in writing first.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Kent?
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.