Covering Chatham and nearby
Sites across the ME4 and ME5 postcode districts are visited by specialist automatic door engineers working under our management. They travel to Chatham for drive unit replacement as bookings come in, so dates depend on the diary rather than a fixed local team, and we give you the earliest date we can offer when you book.
Around Chatham there is usually a mix of retail parks, business parks and town-centre shops, each with different door needs. A retail park unit may need a wide bi-parting door for trolleys, while a town-centre shop often has a narrow frontage better suited to a single slider or a folding door.
Nearby towns we also list for drive unit replacement (straight-line distance): Rochester (1.1 miles), Gillingham (1.1 miles), Strood (2.4 miles), Maidstone (7.8 miles), Gravesend (8.0 miles), Sittingbourne (9.2 miles).
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Chatham
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in Chatham make it attractive to keep the existing frame. A new operator inside the existing header changes little that can be seen.
- Battery backup is easier to add with a new drive unit. It lets the door open or close safely in a power cut, which matters most on escape routes.
- Heavy glass leaves need an operator rated for their weight. The survey records the size and glass type of each leaf so the right drive unit is specified.
- Doors linked to the fire alarm or access control in Chatham need those links rewired to the new controller. Let us know which systems connect to the door.
- Ask for the paperwork. A converted door should come with its risk assessment, Declaration of Conformity and user instructions, which belong with your building and maintenance records.
Drive unit replacement in Chatham: 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.
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 Chatham.
- 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.
Tired of repeat breakdowns at your entrance in Chatham? Ask us to compare a new operator with a new door, so you can choose with both prices in front of you.
Drive unit replacement in Chatham: questions
Do you provide paperwork for the converted door in Chatham?
Yes. When we fit a new drive unit we prepare the paperwork for the finished door, including the risk assessment, Declaration of Conformity and user instructions, and hand it over with the test results and settings. It belongs with your building records.
Is there a guide price for drive unit replacement in Chatham?
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 Chatham confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
How long will our entrance in Chatham 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.
What lead time should we expect in Chatham?
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.
How are payments structured for work in Chatham?
Payment stages are set out in the quote before you accept it. Larger or made-to-order jobs may involve a deposit and a balance on completion, while smaller jobs may be invoiced once the work is finished. Nothing is charged for the survey itself, and the terms you accept are the terms that apply.
What happens to the old door when a new one is fitted in Chatham?
If the work replaces an existing door, frame or operator, removal and disposal are listed in the quote. The old door comes out only when the new one is ready to go in, so the opening is not left empty for longer than necessary. Making good to the surrounding wall, floor or ceiling is included where the quote says so.
Do businesses in Chatham have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.