Covering Gravesend and nearby
Homes, businesses and public buildings throughout the DA12 postcode district can arrange drive unit replacement with us. We are the contracting party and organise every visit; the engineer, who works under our management, travels in to Gravesend for the job rather than working from premises in town.
Supermarkets and larger stores in and around Gravesend often trade long hours, so work on their entrances is usually planned for early mornings or late evenings. Where a store has more than one entrance, keeping one in use while the other is worked on is part of the plan.
Nearby towns we also list for drive unit replacement (straight-line distance): Northfleet (2.0 miles), Grays (3.0 miles), Strood (5.7 miles), South Ockendon (5.9 miles), Stanford-le-Hope (6.2 miles), Dartford (6.8 miles).
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Gravesend
- Doors linked to the fire alarm or access control in Gravesend need those links rewired to the new controller. Let us know which systems connect to the door.
- Older shopfronts in Gravesend may have headers made for discontinued operators. Adapter plates usually allow a new drive unit to fit, which the survey confirms before you commit.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Drive unit replacement in Gravesend: 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.
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.
How it works
- Describe what you need. Whether the job is drive unit replacement for a busy entrance or for a single internal door, a brief description and some photos let us understand it and plan a survey visit in Gravesend.
- Free visit to the site. An engineer working under our management assesses the opening, the existing door and frame, the floor and the electrical supply, and notes any access, consent or timing issues to plan around.
- Your fixed quotation. The quote is fixed for the work it describes and lists each item, including any removal, making good and electrical work. It also states the lead time, the payment stages and the warranty terms.
- Fitting and sign-off. Work goes ahead on dates agreed with you. Once fitted, the door is adjusted and its safety functions are tested and recorded with reference to BS EN 16005, and you are shown how to use it.
Keep the frame, replace the drive. Arrange a free survey in Gravesend and receive a fixed quote covering the new operator, sensors and paperwork.
Drive unit replacement in Gravesend: questions
How long will our entrance in Gravesend 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.
Is there a guide price for drive unit replacement in Gravesend?
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 Gravesend confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Do you provide paperwork for the converted door in Gravesend?
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.
Can you fit a new operator to a door another company installed in Gravesend?
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.
Do you service doors in Gravesend after installing them?
Yes. We recommend a trained engineer checks the safety functions at least once a year, with service intervals set by the manufacturer's instructions and how heavily the door is used; busy doors are often serviced more often. Servicing can follow on from the installation, with the price agreed in writing and a record left after every visit.
What does the written quote for drive unit replacement in Gravesend 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.
Who is responsible for automatic doors on escape routes in Gravesend?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person for the premises must make sure escape routes work and fire safety equipment is maintained. Automatic doors on an escape route need fail-safe opening or break-out, set by the fire strategy.