Bi Fold door help pls - upvc, aluminium or wood?

CKdesigner

Hi

I was at the Potton homes new show home launch all last week and they recommend Sunfold for all bifold sliding doors. They also do a very good range of exterior and interior doors.

CK

toshkininny

Thanks for all the info, sounds like the way forward is aluminium. Our bi fold doors won't be seeing too much sunshine as they will be face northwards.

Well, ours is a 2.4 metres size, can anybody recommend a good company for quality and price?

BiFoldDoors

There are many companies out there that sell quality material for bi fold doors but its best if you do a little research on what type of bifold door you want on your home...

premkit

uk bi fold are good i have fitted 4 now and all have gone in quite easy with a tweak here and there. they have a branch near manchester and one down south. top track are better as there isn't a big threshold to step over, a mistake i made with my own.

iamcornholio

premkit wrote: »

uk bi fold are good i have fitted 4 now and all have gone in quite easy with a tweak here and there. they have a branch near manchester and one down south. top track are better as there isn't a big threshold to step over, a mistake i made with my own.

Firstly, what and how many other systems have you installed apart from the one mentioned in order to give a comparison?

Secondly, there is always a top and bottom track to guide the door. Bottom thresholds can be recessed at floor level.

Bottom tracks are much better for loading of heavy doors rather than trying to hang them from a top support, and more an more manufacturers are not using top hung systems due to it being inferior to bottom track systems and having inherent problems

toshkininny

iamcornholio wrote: »

Firstly, what and how many other systems have you installed apart from the one mentioned in order to give a comparison?

Secondly, there is always a top and bottom track to guide the door. Bottom thresholds can be recessed at floor level.

Bottom tracks are much better for loading of heavy doors rather than trying to hang them from a top support, and more an more manufacturers are not using top hung systems due to it being inferior to bottom track systems and having inherent problems

Hi, are you in the business, or done a lot of research? Thanks.

iamcornholio

I design, specify and manage building work, and survey and report - which includes problems/defects etc.

jezabel100

Had the aluminium Smart bi folding doors fitted two years ago and they have been nothing but trouble from the start
The supplier has to return on an almost monthly basis to top and heel the first door. The hinges have been replaced as have gaskets. The rubber thermal surrounds have been reduced in depth (making the windows draughty) plus when we bought them we were told they would be covered under FENSA - it turns out they are not. The manufacturer blames the fitter and the fitter says it is a case of trying to get the toe and heel correctly aligned and that takes patience and everyone with bi folds experiences the same problems ! Every month I have to put up with the inconvenience of the door dropping and sticking (if I ignore the problem the door completely jams up)

I have been told that my only recourse is to take a claim to the small claims court but before I can do that I need to produce an expert witness report proving the doors are faulty however whilst I can find expert witnesses to give reports on double glazing i cannot find a single person who has any experience in aluminium bi folds.

If anyone knows how to find an expert witness in this field let me know and for anyone looking to purchase bi folds please select your manufacturer and more importantly installer carefully or you may find yourself with months/years of frustration.

maintenanceman

Stick to a good quality aluminium syttem like Scuhco. There are another couple of brands that I cannot remember right now. Avoid anything advertised on a well known uk auction site. No point in mentioning their names as it changes regularly.
There are 2 types of thresholds that I know of. Make sure your threshold is weather rated as the low level (flat) threshold does not have a weather rating.

shonagarner

Help!! Am reading this thread with increasing sense of dread - I have upvc bifolds which were installed only 3 months ago. they were purchased from a manufacturer and then my builders installed. They have been stiff and clunky from the start - but today I can't close the main exit door at all.
Already had some issues right at the start - and the builders blamed the supplier/supplier blamed fitters!
How can I resolve this problem? Can anyone advise?