Upgrading Your Doors to Automatic

First, the good news:

Just about every existing commercial, retail, or institutional manual door system can be upgraded and converted to automatic. Automatic doors are the most preferred type of doors for every facility by a wide margin. In fact, 95% of consumers prefer automatic doors to manual. Converting your manual doors to an automatic solution will almost never be the wrong decision –so long as your facility and institution meet certain criteria. That is why we put together this brief guide to help you make the right call on the types of door systems that make the most sense for your organization and answer some of the most common questions we get about retrofitting and upgrading existing manual doors. So let's get started!

This is a qualified "yes." In almost any case, an existing manual swing door can be retrofitted with an automatic operator, but first we recommend an on-site assessment because the feasibility will depend on a few factors: 

• The available space for the operator to mount
• Door weight/size and hinge type, as some operators are only rated to a certain leaf weight or width 
• Header/frame depth and strength; an insufficient header may need reinforcement or may require a floor‑mounted operator
• Electrical supply location which may require new wiring or conduit and battery backup options if power is unreliable/unavailable
• Local building/fire codes, ADA compliance, and egress requirements (hold‑open functionality and fire interlocks) 
• Integration needs (access control, fire alarm, HVAC interlocks) 

Some other considerations such as glass/frameless doors which could require special patch fittings or replaced panels to accommodate a retrofit and other unusual/custom closers and hardware may also affect the ability or your desire to convert your doors to automatic.

STANLEY Access Technologies pioneered the world's first automatic electric swing door operator over 95 years ago and has been refining and innovating ever since. For commercial entryways where the existing door swings, we recommend the M-Force (full energy) or Magic Access (low energy) as our STANLEY's top retrofit operators. 

• M-Force is the better choice for busy, high-traffic entrances that need fully automatic, hands-free operation
• Magic Access is ideal for lower-traffic doors where ADA compliance is the main driver

Both can be mounted to most existing swing door frames without major structural changes. 

In many retrofit scenarios, you will only need to add an operator to your existing door and not have to replace the full system. A swing door operator can often be installed in just a few hours, preserving your existing door, frame, and hardware investment. If your existing door is a manual sliding door, STANLEY's slide door operators can similarly be added to the existing frame using your current door panels, giving you automatic operation without a full replacement. 

In a word? Minimal. A standard swing door operator retrofit can often be completed in just a few hours with little to no disruption to your business operations. More complex conversions, such as replacing a manual door system with an automatic sliding door entry, will require more installation time.

The typical retrofit process goes like this:

When properly installed, automatic door systems have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years provided the doors are regularly checked out under a planned service agreement and inspected daily for any issues that might prevent optimum performance. These doors typically last longer than comparable manual doors under the same usage conditions. 

This is fairly common concern and a question we get regularly. The good news is that our swing door operators are specifically designed to integrate with commonly used commercial security systems, including mag-lock and panic button setups. If you have access control already in place, an AAADM-certified STANLEY technician can evaluate compatibility and ensure the retrofit operator works seamlessly within your existing infrastructure.