For over 60 years the construction of Battery Garages that feature built-in gutters and down pipes have continued to be constructed in the same pattern. Repair experience has shown us that a better arrangement was needed hence we have designed and released System LX.
System LX outfeatures and will outlast any other battery garage system available today. Here you can read how and why:
System LX retains the original interlocking concrete panels (these have held up flawlessly) but System LX incorporates a new front lintel, new front posts, integrated roller shutter guides, a new roller shutter door and triangular extruded purlins, all in extruded aliminium, which is then powder-coated giving a maintainance free finish.
The front post which doubles up as the down post with 2.8 times the capacity of the current pipes that are encased in concrete. Virtually no chance of a blockage.
The roller shutter door guides slide into the front post. This gives an integrated lintel support section equal to an “I” Beam measuring 200mm by 150mm and 5mm thick. Which is massive.
The “Z” shaped alumnium lintel which supports the roof sheets is fixed to the post/guides combo.
Square-Flow open guttering drops into the open top of the posts and is fixed at the back to the lintel.
How about cleaning? See below:
Gutters fill with leaves, pine needles, debris and dust turning to dirt. If the down pipe is not large enough material does not drain away. If they stick in the pipe then when the trapped water freezes it splits the pipe. If it dams at the top it runs over into the garage, with time that corrodes the door mechanism.
Here are the images of what we have described above
Inside the garage there are additional features that we would like to bring to your attention.
Cement fillets crack-up. This is no laughing matter. Often in the past a cement fillet was laid along the inside of the exterior walls. It only takes one severe frost to break the fillet away from the panel base and the floor and in comes the water.
Our new aluminium base plate has an internal upstand which prevents water going under the panel and into the garage. A double-sided bitumen tape under the base plate resists water going under the plate but the efficacy of the tape seal depends on the flatness of the concrete base
Then there are the purlins. Concrete cracks and steel rusts, so we have had a new aluminium section designed, extruded and powder-coated. It cannot rot, rust or crack, and it looks good too.
Note the aluminium joining post in the centre of the rear wall. In this garage this post has increased the width by 76mm (3″) which means 3″ of extra wing mirror clearance when driving in. Also on the outside of the building the post has sockets to support solar panel arrays or lighting or security camers, even flower baskets! These posts can be inserted into the walls at any point giving a multitude of options.
So the ideal System or Battery Garage would have non-corroding lintels, non-corroding downpipe posts to carry the rainwater away, a component to stop under panel water ingression and inexpensive, current guttering to add a modern look at very low cost. Our new System LX meets all of these criteria.
Doors – Up and Over
The problems
Once one of these doors suffers impact they distort and as they cannot be straightened. Then they jam and/or no longer lock properly. Also with time the lever/spring arrangements jam and the doors stick and require significant force (often beyond that of seniors) to operate.
Doors – Roller Shutter
The benefits
If the fronts of our new System LX Garage 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 as much as 13 inches and the pass under clearance increases by up to 8 inches over that provided by current system (battery) garages. This is a valuable benefit as today many new vehicles are higher and wider.
Then on bottom edge of the base rail we have chosen a foam rubber seal as used in industrial applications to keep ground water out, and, as this is a standard industrial product it will be available for years to come, unlike purpose-made seals that cannot be found some 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 the minor bumps in the floor concrete.
Then there is the matter of opening and closing the door. To this end our roller shutter door has a handrail slat that can be seen in the photographs at just about waist level. This slat enables the door to be opened and closed without bending down or reaching too high. It was positioned by an MS sufferer.
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!
The roller shutter door does not clutter up the internal space with brackets, track, and the door panel itself when up. Note how little garage space is taken with by a roller shutter door.
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).
Storage
System Garages are often used for general storage and not for vehicle garaging. To provide more options for community storage Leofric have developed two new ranges. MiniStores and Community Storage Units (CSU’s). Call 01386 430 121 for further details or check on this site under Our New Models – MiniStores