There is more than a little folklore surrounding the automatic door system, not unlike the kind of stories you might hear in a small town. Some people claim they can sense your intentions and believe they consume excessive electricity while constantly breaking down. Ignore those myths and look at the technology objectively read more, though, and you will find little to back them up. We have put some of these assertions to the test.
Take the notion that an automatic unit will inflate the power tab in a way a manual door would not. This assumption seems reasonable: a motor running all day must be costly. In reality, the motor only engages in short bursts during each opening and closing cycle. When you factor in the heating or cooling lost because an employee has left a conventional door propped open, the automatic version is the sensible choice.
Do Automatic Doors Constantly Break Down?
You are bound to come across this grievance. There is some truth in it, the claim is often exaggerated. Under the hood of an automatic door there is a motor, control boards, sensors; with that many components there is a greater likelihood of something going wrong. However, a properly maintained system is highly reliable. More often than not a breakdown is due to poor maintenance and not bad engineering. It's like blaming a car for a flat tire when routine maintenance has been ignored.
A Matter of Time
The case can be made either way. For a single visitor, saving a couple of seconds is insignificant. However, in busy hospitals or retail stores with heavy foot traffic, those seconds quickly add up. A customer with his arms full or a nurse with a gurney would rather not be fiddling with a handle. The goal is to make daily operations smoother and more efficient.
No Guarantees
Don't assume that automatic means flawless. Weather, dirt, and everyday wear eventually affect performance. Leave a door to its own devices and after a year or so you will see idiosyncrasies develop in what was once a flawless installation. Like any mechanical system, automatic doors require routine maintenance to stay reliable. Make a set and forget affair of the system and you will discover that minor hassles have turned into an expensive proposition.