Tag: General

Blog

Aug 31, 2023

How Secure is Your Door? Your Bifold Door Locking System

Bi-fold door locking systems, General

At the end of the day, you want to know that your building and equipment are secure. A quality door and strong locking system are key components to ensure that your assets are kept safe. At Diamond Doors, we’ve designed an innovative and effective locking system for your bifold door – going the extra mile to protect what matters most to you.

A strong locking system for your bifold door serves several purposes. Not only does it protect against possible intruders, but it also shields against harsh weather and damage to your building and equipment.

An Innovative Design

Diamond Doors has designed an innovative bifold door – meant to simplify maintenance, eliminate door failure, and guarantee a quality door that will last the lifetime of your building. Our locking system is no different.

Many other bifold door manufacturers use systems operated by cables, straps, or springs. However, these systems are complicated. They need regular tension adjustment, create pinch hazards, and include many moving parts that tend to wear out.

Diamond Doors uses a simpler design that eliminates many of these common problems. This reduces the maintenance needed on your door and improves locking system reliability.

Down to the Basics

Diamond Doors offers two locking system options for your bifold door depending on your needs. Each system is made up of several components designed for simplicity and strength. While they look slightly different on the surface, the basics are the same.

Lock Rods – rotating lock rods press the locking fingers into place, securing the door against the building frame. The advantage of lock rods is that they don’t need to be adjusted after they’ve been set by the factory.

Locking Fingers – attached to the ends of the lock rods, the locking fingers press tightly against the locking catches. The mechanics work very similarly to a vise grip design, creating a tremendous amount of leverage. This creates a strong seal between the door and the building. 

Locking Catches – the locking catches are fastened directly to the building.  This creates the connection from the door locking fingers to the building.  These catches are adjustable, allowing the door to seal perfectly to your building. 

The locking system works with two other connection points – the hinges and side rollers – to create a seal between the door and its frame. The seal results in better temperature control and insulation within your building. It also prevents the door from blowing out during heavy winds.

Auto-Lock vs Manual Lock

Diamond Doors offers two locking system options for your bifold door – the auto-lock and the manual lock. Both options allow for easy operation of your door while providing reliable protection for your equipment and building.

The locking systems also come fully connected to the bifold door from factory. This simplifies the installation of your door – making it an easy choice for convenience and quality.

The Auto-Lock

If you regularly use your bifold door to access your building, Diamond Doors offers the auto-lock system. The lock automatically engages and disengages when you open or close your door. This makes it a great choice for a door that opens multiple times per week, or even multiple times per day.

When you include the remote control package, this system becomes entirely remote access and operates the same way as your garage door at home. Your bifold door unlocks and opens with only the click of a button – or closes and locks without you leaving your seat. This feature is especially convenient when the weather is cold and wet.

The auto-lock system is governed by mechanical limit switches to ensure that your door operates reliably. We preset the limit switches in the factory for easy bifold door installation and they never require adjustment.

Diamond Doors also offers a keypad access option that comes with a personalized four digit access code. This keypad can be mounted to the outside of your building, or any other flat surface that is convenient for you.

The Manual Lock

This simple and budget friendly option is well-suited for all door applications. It comes standard with every door, guaranteeing the security of your building and equipment.

Rather than the double-latch system used by many other bifold door manufacturers, the Diamond Doors manual locking system uses a single lever to operate. In fact, you’ll often hear us refer to the system as the single-lever locking system rather than the manual locking system.

The single-lever system unlocks both sides of your door at the same time, which makes getting in and out of your building quicker and easier. It can be placed on either the left or right side of door for quick access, or to accommodate windows and pedestrian doors.

Diamond Doors also includes a safety switch with the manual lock. This switch stops the door opener from operating while the door is in the locked position, preventing structural damage to your building, your bifold door, and the door opener.

Bifold Door Locking Systems

The locking systems offered by Diamond Doors reflect the benefits of choosing a Diamond door. Quality and excellence – a long lasting, durable locking system. Simplicity and innovation – easy to install, easy to use, and easy to maintain. Convenience and service – our locking systems will meet your needs and do their job, every time.

Talk with our sales team today to request a quote for your bifold door or click the REQUEST A QUOTE button below.

Did You Know?

Have you already ordered and installed your bifold door with a manual locking system? Diamond Doors offers an auto-lock conversion kit for most doors. Just like our bifold doors, we designed it for easy installation. Talk to our service team if you would like to upgrade your locking system.

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Blog

Aug 19, 2021

Overhead and Sliding Door Problems – Solved by a Bifold

General, Overhead and sliding door problems

Have you run into problems with your overhead or sliding doors? Maintenance on sliding and overhead doors can quickly become tiresome, especially as they age. The good news? Bifold doors solve many overhead and sliding door problems.

Common Overhead and Sliding Door Problems

What do I do with a misaligned door track?

If you are struggling with your sliding or overhead doors, chances are that your door tracks are misaligned. Many factors can cause a misaligned door track, such as a shifting building or aged tracks, but the results are the same. Your door is stuck.

Your equipment is inside the building, and you can’t get it out.

The immediate solution is to realign your door tracks, lubricate the tracks, and hope for the best next time.

But what if there was a longer-lasting solution?

How well insulated is my door?

Manufacturers build overhead doors in sections, which means there are numerous seams where heat can escape and temperature control is lost. Even with an insulated overhead door, frost buildup is common on those cold winter days. However, overhead doors do seal well along the tracks and bottom of the door when installed properly.

Another important component of insulation is the door seal. Sliding doors are difficult to effectively seal, allowing moisture, pests, and dust into your building. The good news is that sliding doors are built in a solid piece, which is easier to insulate well.

But what if you could get the best of both worlds?

What sort of maintenance does my door need?

Overhead door require regular maintenance in order to function well. The drive chain and other moving parts must be lubricated, springs must be adjusted. Tracks, as we mentioned earlier, must be inspected for misalignment and damage. Multiple moving parts create a higher workload and maintenance checklist.

Sliding doors face similar challenges. Roller tracks must be inspected for debris and and wear. Rollers should be checked for worn and scuffed sections, as this indicates that they are sliding rather than rolling.

But what if we could make maintenance easier?

What about my overhead space?

Your equipment is growing, but your door opening isn’t. Overhead doors take up valuable headroom space inside your building. Even with a large clear opening, the door opener, door tracks, and the door take up space that could be used to store larger equipment.

But what if you could use more of that space without enlarging your building?

How do I easily open my door?

Sliding doors tend to stick, and manually opening/closing your door takes time. You open the door, move your equipment through the door, close the door, climb back into your vehicle or equipment – and only then can you begin working. Alternatively, you can leave your doors open while you are gone, although what’s the point of a door if it’s always open?

But what if your door would open with the push of a button?

How do I troubleshoot my door?

When a sliding door or overhead door runs into problems, it can be difficult to know what went wrong. Whether the track is misaligned, the motor burned out, a spring is snapped, or anything else went wrong, it takes time to figure it out.

Often, the only option is to call in a professional service team, especially for overhead doors. This can be costly and inconvenient.

But what if we can make problem-solving easier?

A Diamond Bifold Door Solution

Well Aligned Door Tracks

Our bifold doors are designed to minimize shifting tracks. Since the door and tracks are both attached to the building, everything shifts together. This eliminates common tracking issues with minor or seasonal building shift. J-tracks are also easily adjusted.

For straight wall buildings, our column support angles reduce bowing near the top of the door, where the load on the door frame is the greatest.

Upgrade to an Insulated Bifold Door

Diamond Doors offers a complete insulation package as an added feature. These insulation panels come cut to length for easy installation and provide a continuous thermal break. Their ship-lapped design and seam tape provides a clean, finished look and consistent r-value.

Other key features on Diamond Doors work together to create a strong seal between your door frame and the door opening. The cantilevered rollers provide a better corner seal, while the weather seals protect the top and bottom of the door.

Our unique locking system pulls the door tightly against the door frame as an additional protection against high winds, humidity, and moisture.

Low Maintenance Design

Every Diamond door is designed for convenience, which is why we have engineered a variety of low maintenance features for your door. With greaseless hinges, no maintenance locking system, a fully finished door frame, and minimal moving parts, your door is a tool to make your life easier.

Increased Overhead Space

Bifold doors attach to the exterior of your building. This allows you to make full use of the headroom inside your building and move your large equipment through the doorway with ease.

For buildings like quonsets, the self-supporting header allows the door to extend past the roofline, increasing the size of your clear opening.

Automatic Electric Opener

Every Diamond door comes equipped with an electric opener. A constant speed of 18 feet per minute makes these doors the fastest opening bifold doors on the market.

“We also did the optional auto lock system that allows the door to open and close with the push of a button. It’s amazing, I have a couple remotes, one for the plane and one for the quad. I can fly over hit the button and the doors open ready for me to taxi right in. It’s a real time/life saver in the work I do.”

As customer Patrick F. says, the remote opener system is a convenient tool to save you time when operating your bifold door. When used with the auto-lock system, you can truly allow your door to do the work.

Effortless Troubleshooting

Along with a detailed troubleshooting electrical guide in the owner’s manual, Diamond Doors has designed an on-board diagnostics tool for the Genesys Circuit Board used on every door. This tool uses LED indicators to show possible electrical errors on the door.

With customer satisfaction  as a measure of our success, Diamond Doors also has a dedicated service team to answer your mechanical questions and issues that aren’t covered in the owner’s manual. You can reach our service team at 866-325-7600 or at info@diamonddoors.com for troubleshooting advice, warranty, and genuine service.

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Blog

Aug 5, 2021

Our Measure of Success

General, Measure of success

In our personal lives, we call it success when we accomplish something difficult, when we have everything put together, or when we have a busy social life. On social media, success is measured by the number of followers we have. In business, we often measure success in terms of sales and dollars.

We do it differently.

Dick Suderman, founder of Diamond Doors, said it first – our measure of success is customer satisfaction.

We want to give our customers the best experience with our brand. That’s what drives us to perform, to make our doors the most convenient, streamlined option on the bifold door market.

When we live up to this standard, it becomes an actionable and practical way to measure our success in business. We don’t measure our work by quantity – we measure it by quality. Our key values are based on the belief that the satisfaction of our customers is the only way to truly succeed.

At Diamond Doors, we complete every transaction with transparency and honesty – we want to provide our customers with the best solution for their door decision, which sometimes means we don’t make a sale. We never pressure our sales team to meet a quota, or to push a customer towards a purchase they aren’t ready to make. Instead, we want our customers to feel confident in their purchase decision.

We build bifold doors to the highest standard, going above and beyond what regulations require to ensure the safety of our customers. Diamond Doors stands behind every door with extensive warranties because we build our doors to last.

We use innovative, industry-leading features to create doors that are easy to install, easy to operate, and easy to maintain. Continuous research and development leads to doors that set the bar for bifold door manufacturing.

Our customers’ time is valuable.

We build bifold doors that reflect that. If our customers run into trouble with their bifold door, we are available to answer questions and provide accurate solutions. We engage with our customers in real-time conversations because what they have to say matters to us.

Our values shape every relationship we have built, every step forward in our business, and every action we make. When we make customer satisfaction our measure of success, we are making our customers our priority.

When our customers are satisfied, so are we.

Our Measure of Success - 100% Satisfied Customer

We’d love to hear from you – how do you measure success? Share your thoughts at info@diamonddoors.com or 866-325-7600.

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Blog

May 12, 2021

Should you buy a cable-lift bi-fold door?

Cable-lift bifold, General

It is a common misconception that cables are outdated. As with any product, design varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Diamond Doors has been innovating the bi-fold door design since 1998. Our cable-lift bi-fold doors are safe, reliable, and timeless.

Our engineers have designed an innovative product that is quiet, smooth, and most importantly, safe.

How are our cables different than competitor cables?

Diamond Doors unique lift cable driveline design provides an offset during lift. This prevents the cables from “overlapping” (the primary reason for shortened cable life).

These specialized cables utilize a fine weave and fiber core for excellent flexibility and lifespan.

Using more cables translates to less loading per cable, helping to further extend cable life.

How do cables compare to lift strap door designs?

Steel cables are less likely to fray, rip, or tear.

Additionally, lift straps are susceptible to wind, causing buffeting and potential double wrapping. Cables are not affected by wind and wrap consistently every time.

How safe are bi-fold doors with cables?

At Diamond Doors, we implement multiple redundancies, to ensure the safety of our doors.

We have implemented a double driveline, overrate our gear box, and have an emergency electric brake on every door.

We use a 10x cable safety factor when engineering the door. Theoretically, you could cut every cable but one on our doors and it would still stay up when open.

This is a similar methodology to how an airplane has a double ignition etc. to ensure if a problem does occur, the fail-safe is there.

How easy are cables to install?

Diamond’s latest cable anchoring system can be installed in minutes. No cables to cut. Clean finished look.

Are cables low maintenance?

Cables have their first initial stretch upon install, because of this they rarely need tensioning. Straps need to be tensioned more frequently, which with some designs will need to be done 2/3rds up the door.

How are the opening speeds with cable-lift doors?

Powerful electric drives provide a standard, consistent opening speed of 18 ft/min, and can restart opening or closing at any point in the cycle.

Lift speeds can be further increased to suit specific application requirements.

What is the cable warranty?

We believe in our design and back our quality product with comprehensive 10-year cable warranty.

 

Request a Quote for a Diamond Door today!

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Blog

Mar 15, 2021

Bifold Vs Overhead Door – 5 Reasons to Choose a Bifold

Bifold vs overhead door, General

Bifold door vs overhead door. Whether you are looking to install the door on a new building or retrofit, there are many benefits to upgrading to a bifold door.

If you prefer to view information in video format, check out our YouTube video below.

Benefit #1 Overhead Space

A bifold door is installed to the outside of the building, which gives you a larger clear opening.

Overhead doors do not allow you maximum headroom for your building. The clear opening is much smaller with the same size door.

Benefit #2 Low Maintenance

Bifold doors are lower maintenance than an overhead door.

Overhead doors have hinges, rollers, rails, springs etc. to maintain. More moving parts means more to look after.

Diamond Doors has engineered their doors for low maintenance. Greaseless hinges, maintenance free rollers, and a simple innovative design make this door low maintenance.

Benefit #3 Customization Options

Diamond Doors are custom made for your building and have many options and features that can fit your needs, whether they be functional or aesthetic.

Overhead doors do not allow you the same degree of customization.

You can view our extensive features and options here.

Benefit #4 Insulation

If you are installing your door on an insulated building, you should consider the doors ability to retain heat.

Overhead doors are susceptible to frost penetration at every panel hinge joint. They also allow air infiltration around the perimeter of the door.

Diamond Bifold Doors are sealed tight to the building, with a locking system pulling the door closed. Our insulation package includes a closed cell neoprene foam around the perimeter of the door that acts as a gasket between the door frame and the building. The panels are fastened to the exterior of the door frame creating a full thermal break, with only the center hinge being a possible frost penetration point.

Learn more about our insulation package option here.

Benefit #5 Competitive Pricing

Price is one of the biggest factors when deciding which door to purchase and we understand that customers have a budget for their project.

While in some cases a bifold door may be more expensive up front, the savings in energy and maintenance costs will offset this upfront cost long term, making a bifold door a great investment.

Diamond Doors are competitively priced and depending on the size, features, and options you need for your bifold door, it can be equal to or less expensive than an overhead door.

Overhead doors are typically cheaper for doors 20ft wide and smaller. Bi-fold doors are typically less expensive larger than 20ft wide.

And its always free to get a quote.

Hopefully this information can help you make the decision between choosing an overhead door or bifold door easier.

Both bifold and overhead doors have their place in the market, but for the reasons listed above it is clear that choosing a Diamond Door is an upgrade from your standard overhead door.

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Blog

Nov 18, 2020

Innovative Bi-fold Door Roller Design

General

At Diamond Doors we prioritize innovation and are always looking for ways to make our product better.

We strive for our products to be high quality and long lasting, ensuring that our customers receive a door that serves them well for many years.

We recently started producing a new cantilevered roller design that will replace the existing inset design on most doors up to 60ft wide. Our existing inset roller design will continue to be in production for certain applications and is still a more suited option for some projects.

Both rollers are located on the bottom corners of the bi-fold door, providing a smooth open and close operation. During the door design process, our engineers will determine which roller design is best suited for your application.

So, what makes the cantilevered roller design innovative in the bi-fold door market?

Firstly, the J Channel Roller Track provides a smooth rolling surface and maintains roller contact with the building.
This is an exclusive feature to Diamond Doors.

  • The J track prevents the door from blowing out in high winds.

Secondly, the design fixes some of the challenges bi-fold door manufactures face.

  • There is no need to trim the sheeting or insulation around the roller during installation of the bi-fold door.
  • The bottom corner seal is even closer to the door edge, creating a better seal for the door.

Having a bi-fold door that seals well is important, especially if the customer has a heated insulated building such as a machine shop, hangar, or commercial building.

Thirdly, our new design includes an industry exclusive roller wear cap and is easier to access for maintenance.

  • The roller wear cap (exclusive to Diamond Doors) provides a low friction surface, so even with minor building shift or track misalignment, the bi-fold door will continue to open and close smoothly.
  • A 6-inch piece of track was created to be easily removable for access to the roller.
  • In the circumstance the disk is significantly damaged, it is easily replaceable. This contrasts with having the roller itself damaged and replacing the entire roller.

Both roller designs allow for a bi-fold door that seals well, is smooth to operate, and is low maintenance.

Our new bi-fold door roller design innovates beyond industry standard and gives the customer a superior door.

If you would like a bi-fold door estimate for your building please fill out our quote request form.

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Blog

Sep 28, 2018

Are Bi-fold Doors Right For You? Things You Should Know Before You Buy The Top 3 Door Styles

General

Do you have a building with a big hole in the wall? You probably need a big door for it. There are several options out there that you’re most likely looking into when you’re choosing the right door. Here are a few things to consider. These options also apply to an existing building that you’re looking at retrofitting as well.

Sliding Doors:

This is one of the most economical options out there, and a common application for machine sheds. Sliding doors are cheap and easy to install. Sliding doors are the bulk of the the retrofits that we at Diamond Doors do. Over time issues develop with the rail, the rollers, and the area in the path of the doors. One of the main reasons buildings are retrofit with new doors is that in some occasions, sliding doors allow the elements to get into the building. A bi-fold door however will create a tight seal once locked down that will prevent wind, rain, and snow from entering your building. A bi-fold door also provides a number of options that offer convenient features such as auto-locks, pedestrian doors, and more!

Overhead Doors:

Overhead doors are easily the most popular choice for many large opening applications, this option is something that everyone is familiar with. They are generally very reliable and pose very few issues even in long term use. One key area where bi-folds shine is in the headspace in the building. Where an overhead relies on tracks that cut into the building, creating a dead space that cannot be used, or that must be carefully navigated by forklifts in some buildings, a bi-fold does not. Also, due to the overhead being mounted inside they are more susceptible  to weather. In some cases overhead doors have failed during harsh storm conditions and have been blown into the building, putting the structure itself at risk. As a bi-fold door mounts to the exterior of the building, not only do you retain 100% of the headroom inside, you are also far less likely to have a storm related failure. 

Hydraulic Doors:

A relatively new concept is the hydraulic door. This is basically an entire wall that swings straight out from the building. Some very impressive things can be accomplished with these doors. Especially when talking about hangar doors, this option has become quite popular. There are some considerations to take into account in this instance. Rather than lifting straight up like a bi-fold door, these doors require additional bracing to compensate for the forces pulling the frame outward. Most companies building these doors have this taken this into account and generally do a good job; however, some have not. There are several applications where this style of door is a great option. Some things to keep in mind include the exterior clearance required for the door to swing outward, the additional bracing required, and the limited application potential. Lifting points can only be on each side and not spread out across the width of the door. A bi-fold door can be added to virtually all construction types, where these doors are limited to wood and steel frame buildings, and cannot extend past the roof or roof slope, limiting your total vertical opening height. 

Diamond Doors Bi-Fold

Generally there is a notion surrounding bi-fold doors that they are available at a much higher cost than the other options. This isn’t always the case, what might cost you more upfront can end up saving you money in the future. The first door that was designed and built by Diamond Doors founder, Dick Suderman, in the mid 80’s is still operational today. A bi-fold door is extremely flexible in the applications it can support and offers a number of optional features. If you are currently shopping for a large format door, contact us or fill out a quote form to see how a bi-fold door may be a great option for your new or existing building.

Request a quote with us today for your next bi-fold door.

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Blog

Mar 15, 2018

Photo Electric Sensors

General

Setting A Standard

For years, Diamond Doors has considered safety to be a high priority for our bi-fold doors. Upgrades to safety have been available for as long as we can remember, however there are certain safety features that we can’t live without, and we believe our customers shouldn’t live without them either. We’re happy to announce that we are now making Photo Electric Safety Sensors a standard feature on all of our doors!

What Does This Mean For You?

No more accidental closing on your equipment, or any of your other assets. The photo electric eyes play a key role in safety, as they send a signal from one eye to the other.  They are positioned on opposite sides of the door near the bottom. If this signal is broken, the door will be prevented from closing. Multiple sensors can be used together to create a safety curtain effect.

This is a code requirement with packages sold with remotes, so we’ve standardized it across the board. To learn more about this or any other feature, feel free to contact us, or fill out our Get A Quote form if you’re ready for your new Diamond Door.

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Blog

Aug 19, 2016

Diamond Genesys Electrical Box

General

Diamond Doors is pleased to announce that we have the first ever UL325/CSA 22.2 certified bi-fold door operator!

Our commitment to innovation in our industry has led us to create the Genesys circuit board that boasts many new functions and features. These features included plug-n-play installation on future upgrades, on-board diagnostics, built in emergency override controls, and more. 

Along with our completely prewired door assembly, installation of a Diamond Door has never been simpler. Our doors require ZERO onsite electrical connections in the door frame, power and control wires are supplied and factory installed to the door frame, a watertight junction box for control wire connections and everything else you need to get your door up and running quickly and efficiently. 

The Genesys control box meets NEMA 4/4X/12 and IP64 specifications. This control box is also watertight, minimizing any negative environmental effects. It is factory wired and tested, and all electrical components are pre-set to factory specifications. 

Put our Diamond Door to the test and discover what makes these door the best value door available on the market today!

Read more about our Genesys Electrical Box.

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Blog

May 4, 2016

Cable Guards

General

Safety Initiative

Our continuous improvement initiative includes a strong focus on safety. To that end we developed and include with our doors a newly designed 2 piece Cable Guard. Bright yellow color for increased visibility of pinch hazards and preventing possible injury or damage

If you currently have a bi-fold door and would like this safety feature, please contact our Parts department (866-325-7600).

Sizing

For sizing, simply measure the diameter of the driveline (the pipe the cable wraps around) and count the number of lift cables on your door. The Cable Guards are side specific, so check the diagram to identify which ones you need. New design allows for quick and easy installation.

DD-Cable-Guards-web

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