Manual to electric roller door conversion

• Barrel converted or replaced to take a tubular motor, plus a wall control box
• Safety edge and, where the risk assessment calls for them, photocells
• Free survey checks the curtain, barrel, box and guides are sound and compatible
• Force-tested to BS EN 12453 and handed over with a Declaration of Conformity

Can a manual roller garage door be converted to electric?

Yes, a manual roller door can be converted to electric, but only when its curtain, barrel, box and guide rails are sound and compatible with a motor.

A manual roller door relies on springs inside the barrel to balance the weight of the curtain, so you can lift it by hand. An electric door uses a tubular motor inside the barrel to do the lifting. The conversion releases the spring tension, converts or replaces the barrel so a tubular motor can drive it, and adds the controls and safety devices a powered door needs.

Whether your door is suitable depends on its condition and construction. Bent guides, damaged laths, a worn barrel or a box that can't take a motor all mean a conversion won't give you a reliable door. In that case we'll tell you plainly and price a new electric roller garage door instead, so you can compare the two before deciding anything.

What is fitted when you convert a roller door to electric?

A conversion adds four things to your existing door: a tubular motor, a control box, a way to operate it, and safety devices.

• Tubular motor: the engineer releases the spring tension and converts or replaces the barrel so the motor can drive it, then sets the limits for the fully open and fully closed positions.
• Control box: mounted on the wall inside the garage and connected to a power supply near the box.
• Controls: rolling-code remote handsets, with a wall keypad, key switch or smart receiver as options.
• Safety devices: a pressure-sensitive safety edge on the bottom rail and, where the risk assessment calls for them, photocells across the opening, which stop or reverse the door on contact or obstruction.

You'll also have a manual override, usually an internal crank or winding handle, so the door can still be opened in a power cut. Keep the handle somewhere you can find it in the dark. Our guide to opening an electric roller door in a power cut explains how overrides work, and a battery backup unit can be added if you'd like the door to keep running for a limited number of cycles without mains power.

How much does it cost to convert a manual roller door to electric?

A manual-to-electric conversion is priced at £495–£895 inc VAT fitted, covering the motor, control box, controls and safety devices, set up and commissioned.

Your written quote lists every item included, so you can see exactly what you're getting. The work covers releasing the spring tension, converting or replacing the barrel to take the motor, mounting and wiring the control box, setting the limits, fitting and testing the safety devices, force testing and the handover paperwork.

If there's no socket near the box, a qualified electrician fits a fused spur from an existing circuit at £129–£249 inc VAT; a new supply to a garage with no power is priced on survey, shown as its own line. Extra handsets, a wall keypad, smart control and battery backup can be added as separate lines. If the survey shows your door isn't suitable for conversion, we'll price a new electric door instead, and the door bands are on our prices page. All home prices include VAT at the standard 20% rate.

Who is responsible for safety when a manual door becomes electric?

Whoever puts a powered door into service takes on its safety duties, so when we convert your door we commission it to the relevant standards and hand over the paperwork.

Under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (as amended), a powered door needs a risk assessment, force testing to BS EN 12453, a Declaration of Conformity and UKCA or CE marking. In Northern Ireland CE marking applies. A converted door is a powered door, so the same duties apply as for a new electric door, which is why the safety devices and testing are part of every conversion rather than optional extras.

At handover we show you how the controls work, how to test the safety edge or photocells, and where the manual override is kept. Test the safety devices monthly, as the manufacturer's instructions describe, and keep the guide rails clean and clear of debris so the curtain runs freely.

What happens at the conversion survey?

At the free survey we check whether your manual door can safely take a motor, then send a written quote for the conversion or, if it can't, for a new door.

We look at:

• how the curtain runs, and whether any laths are damaged, bowed or catching
• the condition of the barrel and the roller box
• the guide rails, for wear, bends and secure fixing
• power near the box, and a sensible place for the control box
• the floor level where the bottom rail and safety edge meet the ground
• how you use the garage, so the controls suit you

Your quote shows the conversion, any new spur and any extras as separate lines. Once you accept it, the fitting date is confirmed in writing and depends on installer availability. On the day, the motor and controls are fitted, the door is tested and commissioned, and you're shown how everything works before the fitters leave.

Guide prices for manual to electric roller door conversion

Guide prices for homes, fitted and commissioned on your existing door. The written quote after your free survey is the price.

Guide prices for homes, last reviewed 25 October 2026. Your written quote is the price. See the full price list.

What happens after I ask for a price?

1. STEP 01

   Guide price

   Answer a few quick questions online and see a price range for the conversion.

2. STEP 02

   Free survey

   We check the curtain, barrel, box, guides and power, and confirm the door can take a motor.

3. STEP 03

   Written quote

   You get the price inc VAT, what is included and the payment stages in writing.

4. STEP 04

   Fitting day

   Motor, controls and safety devices fitted, the door commissioned and the paperwork handed over.

Questions about manual to electric roller door conversion

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