So our new System LX battery garage combines the Marley-designed interlocking concrete wall panel construction with the latest uPVC and powder-coated, extruded aluminium profiles to create the first maintenance-free battery garage system. It can be formatted in virtually any width from 4′ to 10′ and uses a built-in roller shutter door system that is lightweight to operate, has no visible mechanism and hardly intrudes into the garage space. Also there is an under panel aluminium channel that prevents water ingress into the building (provided that there are no flaws in the base). System LX battery garage is also the first garage block that can double up as an energy-harvesting system,
If the new model looks like its nearly all door, well it is! This is due to the use of customised roller shutter doors to make entry easier over conventional up-and-over doors. In real terms the side-to-side clearance increases by 13 inches and the pass under clearance increases by 8 inches over that provided by current system (battery) garages. And this is a valuable benefit as today many vehicles are higher and wider.
Technically speaking every aspect of our new System 8FX garage design represents a quantum change from what currently exists.
Consider, the posts between the garages are now 75x80mm hollow extruded powder-coated aluminium. They act as the rainwater downpipes. They cannot be stolen as they are bolted to the concrete walls (fixings hidden) and are angle-cut at the base so that leaves, pine needles etc are easily cleared. At the top of the post/downpipe, regular square-flow guttering just drops in and is screwed to the new aluminium lintel. These lintels are “I” beam formed for maximum strength with minimum weight. they weigh about 7KG versus around 95KG for conventional concrete and do not require mechanical handling equipment to install. Here’s what the new post/downpipe system looks like close up:
Our new roller shutter door has many unique features. By being designed specifically for this building we have been able to fit it into the highest point available giving the benefit of greater pass under clearance than any other model.
Then on the base rail we have chosen a foam rubber seal as used in industrial applications, and as a standard industrial product it will be available for years to come, unlike purpose-made seals that cannot be found ten years later. This seal is just visible under the base slat of the door. By comparison, up-and-over doors have a knife-edge “wiper-blade” seal that does not follow minor bumps in the floor concrete.
Then there is the matter of opening and closing the door. To this end the door has two handrail slats that can be seen in the photographs. One at about knee level, the other just about waist level. These two slats enable the door to be opened and closed without bending down or reaching too high and were positioned by an MS sufferer.
The Roller Shutter Door System provides the maximum clearance both between the posts and in overhead clearance. In addition all the mechanism is in the shutter roll and there are no levers or springs exposed. Space is freed up inside the garage as the tracks, arms and other parts don’t exist.
The doorslats and frame are made from powder-coated aluminium extrusions so they can never rust. The single coil spring that counterbalances the door can be adjusted but from new the door requires very little effort to raise and lower. Ideal for older folk!
One final and huge benefit relates to damage rectification. One sees dented and damaged up-and-over doors all too often. These doors cannot be straightened and have to be replaced or they jam or can no longer be locked. Our roller shutter doors require only new slats to be slid into place at a cost of about £10 each, as opposed to around £650 for an up-and-over door (plus fitting in both cases).
The future is in roller shutters doors, powder-coated aluminium and uPVC with energy harvesting a very real option.