What is checked during an automatic door site survey?

An automatic-door survey is a decision-making visit. It should explain what can be installed, what must be adjusted and which questions cannot be answered from a brochure or a single measurement. In a Hong Kong shop, office, estate lobby, clinic or public entrance, the same operator can behave very differently because of door weight, opening size, humidity, wind, queues and the way people use the threshold.

1. Start with the entrance as a whole

The first pass follows the route a person actually takes. The surveyor records the clear opening, door type, swing or sliding path, threshold and nearby obstructions. In a shopfront, a display or narrow return wall may limit where a sliding panel can park. In an office or clinic, a queue, trolley or wheelchair turning space may change the useful opening even when the nominal doorway is wide enough.

The surrounding building fabric matters as much as the door. The survey checks for a level fixing line, sound frame or header, and room for the operator and rail without clashes with signage, bulkheads or ceiling finishes. It also looks for floor movement, uneven thresholds and signs of impact. These observations lead to a practical decision: proceed with the existing arrangement, prepare the opening first, or consider another door layout.

• Measure the clear opening and note whether the door is sliding, hinged or folding.
• Record door-leaf material, approximate size and visible hardware; do not infer glass suitability from thickness alone.
• Look above and beside the opening for a continuous, level fixing surface and enough rail or operator space.
• Note thresholds, floor levels, nearby walls, columns, display stands and queues that could affect movement.

2. Examine the door and its load path

Automation adds moving force to an entrance that may already have wear. The surveyor checks whether hinges, rollers, pivots, clamps and tracks move freely and whether the door remains aligned by hand. Rubbing at one corner, a drifting sliding panel, a loose glass fitting or a repeated knock at the end of travel should be recorded before an operator is specified. Automating a door that is already binding can transfer the problem to the motor and safety controls.

Selection is not based on door width alone. Door-leaf weight, opening dimensions, expected frequency, environmental conditions, acceptable noise and access to replacement parts all belong in the decision. For glass, the type, dimensions, weight, holes and hardware must be considered together. At a humid or coastal entrance, suitable corrosion-resistant materials and surface treatment should be assessed rather than assumed.

• Check the door leaf, hinges or rollers, tracks, pivots, glass clamps and visible fasteners.
• Look for sagging, rubbing, chipped or cracked glass, loose fittings and uneven gaps.
• Confirm that the proposed drive will suit the door weight, opening size, use frequency, environment, noise expectations and available parts support.
• Treat corrosion, water staining or salt deposits as reasons to assess materials and finishes, especially near the coast.

3. Plan sensing around real movement

An activation sensor requests an opening when someone approaches. A safety sensor in the door zone has a different role: it detects a person or object while the leaves are moving and supports safer stopping or reopening. One cannot replace the other. The survey therefore maps the approach zone and the danger zone separately, including where a person may stand just outside the main path.

The surveyor also watches for conditions that can confuse sensing, such as reflective glass, changing sunlight, fans, traffic close to the threshold or a sign that moves in the sensor view. A useful check is a slow walk from different angles, followed by a pause in the threshold and a pass back through the doorway. If activation is late, repeated or triggered with no person present, the layout or settings need review before handover.

• Identify where people approach, pause, turn or queue on both sides of the doorway.
• Separate activation sensing from door-zone safety sensing when reviewing the layout.
• Check for reflections, strong sunlight, moving signs, air movement and nearby routes that may cause unwanted activation.
• Walk a normal user path and a slower path, such as someone carrying goods or using a mobility aid.

4. Agree power, access and emergency logic

A survey should turn vague expectations into a written sequence. For example, what starts an opening, who is allowed to enter, what happens when power is lost, and how the door is returned to a usable state? Backup power, access control, fire-system links and the logic for movement during an outage should be considered together during design, not left to the installer on the day.

The survey does not certify compliance. It can identify interfaces that need a responsible electrical, fire or accessibility professional to confirm. In a public entrance, the team should also note whether a locked mode, free exit, manual release or staff procedure is expected. Agreeing these points early prevents a door that opens correctly in normal operation but behaves unexpectedly when a signal or supply changes.

• Locate the nearest suitable power point and the route for cabling without relying on an unverified drawing.
• Ask how the door should behave during a power failure and how people can pass through.
• List access-control devices such as keypads, card readers, buttons or release arrangements already in use.
• Raise any proposed connection to a fire alarm or other building signal at the design stage.

5. Leave room for maintenance

The survey looks beyond first-day operation. Operators need inspection and adjustment, and sensors need a clear view. The surveyor checks whether covers can be removed, whether a technician can stand safely, and whether a rail or cable route will be hidden behind finishes that cannot be opened. This is particularly important in a busy clinic or estate lobby where closing the entrance later may be difficult.

Early warning signs are often simple: a new scraping sound, a longer pause before opening, a door that stops at different points, or an indicator light that changes state. Regularly clean the sensor area, keep the rail surroundings free of debris and note abnormal sounds. These actions do not replace servicing, but they provide useful evidence and can prompt a safer inspection before a minor issue becomes a shutdown.

• Confirm that the operator, rail and sensor areas will remain reachable for cleaning, adjustment and repair.
• Photograph existing labels, indicator lights, control boxes and cable entries before work starts.
• Record unusual sounds, delays, vibration or intermittent faults in a short video with sound.
• Keep the entrance clear of loose objects and clean the sensing area as part of routine care.

6. Use photos to prepare, not to replace the survey

Good photos make the first conversation more efficient. Keep the camera level, include a familiar object only for scale if it does not identify anyone, and take views with the door both closed and open. A video should show the whole movement rather than a close-up of the operator. If there is a fault, capture the sound and the moment the behaviour changes, and mention whether it happens every time or only during busy periods.

Remote comments have clear limits. Images rarely show concealed lintels, reinforcement, loose wiring, glass markings or the full sensor field. They also cannot test how the entrance behaves with real traffic, wind or a power interruption. Use the material to decide what an on-site survey must investigate, then confirm the installation design against the observed entrance and the appropriate specialist requirements.

• Provide one full entrance photograph from the approach side and one from inside.
• Include close views of the top fixing area, frame returns, hinges or rollers, glass hardware and threshold.
• Photograph the operator label, control box, access reader and any warning or indicator lights.
• Send a short video with sound showing activation, complete travel, stopping and closing, while keeping people’s faces out of frame.

Common questions