Covering Gillingham and nearby
Sites across the ME7 and ME8 postcode districts are visited by specialist automatic door engineers working under our management. They travel to Gillingham 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.
Health centres, GP surgeries and clinics around Gillingham need doors that open gently and stay open long enough for patients using walking aids or wheelchairs. Low-energy operators, push pads and careful sensor set-up matter more here than sheer speed.
Nearby towns we also list for drive unit replacement (straight-line distance): Chatham (1.1 miles), Rochester (1.9 miles), Strood (3.1 miles), Gravesend (8.5 miles), Maidstone (8.6 miles), Sittingbourne (8.6 miles).
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Gillingham
- 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.
- 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.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in Gillingham make it attractive to keep the existing frame. A new operator inside the existing header changes little that can be seen.
- 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.
Drive unit replacement in Gillingham: 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
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
- Get in touch. Call, email or use the form with the address and what you have in mind. If you are not sure which type of door suits, describe the entrance and we will suggest the options worth considering.
- Survey and advice. The survey costs nothing and carries no obligation. The engineer checks the site and explains which options suit the entrance, the people using it and the budget, before anything is priced.
- Quote in writing. You receive a fixed, itemised quote for drive unit replacement in Gillingham, covering equipment, installation, testing and handover, with the lead time and payment stages set out clearly.
- Install, test, explain. The engineer installs and commissions the door, tests the sensors, safety functions and emergency behaviour, and walks you through the controls. The handover pack records what was installed and tested.
If parts for your door in Gillingham are obsolete, talk to us before replacing the entrance. A free survey shows what can be kept and what it will cost.
Drive unit replacement in Gillingham: questions
Can you fit a new operator to a door another company installed in Gillingham?
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 are prices worked out for drive unit replacement in Gillingham?
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 Gillingham confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Do you replace automatic door drive units in Gillingham?
Yes. We are the contracting party for drive unit replacements in Gillingham, and the survey and changeover are carried out by specialist engineers we manage. The survey is free and checks that the frame and leaves are worth keeping. You then receive a fixed, itemised quote for the new operator, sensors and any other parts the door needs.
Do you provide paperwork for the converted door in Gillingham?
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.
What power supply is needed for drive unit replacement in Gillingham?
Most powered doors need a fused spur close to the operator, and some activation and access control devices also need a low-voltage link. The survey checks what is already there. If a new supply is required, the quote says whether we arrange it or your own electrician does, so nothing is left unclear on the day.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Gillingham?
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.
Do businesses in Gillingham 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.