Coverage across Merseyside
From large town centres to quiet villages, entrances across Merseyside 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 19.
Towns listed in Merseyside: Liverpool, Birkenhead, St Helens, Southport, Wallasey, Bootle, Bebington, Huyton, Kirkby, Crosby, Prescot, Heswall, Maghull, Newton-le-Willows, Formby, Litherland, Halewood, Moreton, Haydock.
What to think about for drive unit replacement in Merseyside
- 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.
- 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.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in Merseyside make it attractive to keep the existing frame. A new operator inside the existing header changes little that can be seen.
- 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 Merseyside: 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
- 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 Merseyside.
- 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.
Book a free survey in Merseyside to find out whether a new drive unit will bring your automatic door back to reliable use. The quote is fixed and itemised.
Drive unit replacement in Merseyside: questions
Do you replace automatic door drive units in Merseyside?
Yes. We are the contracting party for drive unit replacements in Merseyside, 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.
Can you give me a price for drive unit replacement in Merseyside?
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 Merseyside confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
Can the replacement in Merseyside 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 you remove the old operator from our premises in Merseyside?
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.
How do you make sure the door works for disabled visitors in Merseyside?
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.
Can automatic doors be fitted to a listed building in Merseyside?
Often, yes, but listed building consent is normally needed for changes that affect the character of the building, inside or out. Slim operators, concealed fixings and automating the existing door can all reduce the visual impact. Speak to the conservation officer at the local planning authority early; we can provide drawings and specifications to help.
Which building regulations apply to a new automatic entrance in Merseyside?
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.