Automatic garage doors in Brisbane
Most garage doors can be automated, but the opener has to match the door. Merlin sells separate ranges for roller, sectional and tilt doors, and Steel-Line says its sectional openers can go on most popular brands of sectional door, with accessories to suit.
A motor can only move a door that moves well. If the door already sticks, drags or feels heavier than it should, say so when you tell us the job, because the door may need a repair before any motor goes on.
The power point rule in Queensland
Queensland law says plugging an appliance into an existing power point is not electrical work, so an opener that plugs into a suitable outlet near the ceiling needs no electrical licence for that step. A new outlet, or a motor that is hard-wired, is electrical work, and whoever does it must hold an electrical work licence that covers it.
Holding a restricted electrical licence through another trade is not enough here: in Queensland it does not authorise installation work. After a licensed electrical contractor connects new work, they must give you a certificate of testing and compliance, and the Electrical Safety Office's online licence search confirms the licence is current.
Storm season and power cuts
Steel-Line notes that cyclones can affect the eastern coastline each year from November to April, and ordinary storms cut power too: in late October 2020 they brought down lines around Caboolture. Without power, a motor cannot open the door.
Battery backup solves that. Merlin builds it into its Commander Ultimate and offers it as an add-on for most of its other Commander sectional openers, and B&D sells a Battery Backup add-on for its Smart opener. Steel-Line's emergency key release lets you open a roller door by hand when there is no other way into the garage.
Safety features to ask for
- Safety beams: B&D says a change to the standard made beams compulsory with any smart opener device from 1 December 2020.
- A monthly reverse test: close the door onto a flat piece of timber 70 to 100 mm thick; if it does not reverse, Steel-Line's manual says to have the opener repaired.
- A wall control up high: B&D's Smart Pro manual puts any fixed wall control at least 1.5 m from the floor, in sight of the door and away from moving parts.
- Rolling code remotes: B&D says its remotes send a new random code every time the door runs, so the code cannot simply be copied.
- A manual release everyone knows: B&D says everyone in the house should know how to use the emergency release.
Remotes and button batteries
Queensland Fair Trading lists remote controls among the everyday products that hold button batteries, and says a lodged battery can cause severe burns in as little as 2 hours. Keep spare remote batteries locked away and tape up used ones before taking them to a B-cycle drop-off.
If a child may have swallowed one, Queensland Fair Trading says to ring the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 straight away or go to a hospital emergency department.
Openers around Brisbane
Under-house garages
B&D's Smart Pro manual says the opener must go in a dry spot protected from the weather, with at least 57mm between the top of the door's travel and the ceiling. In a space built in under a raised Queenslander, check both.
Crowded ceilings
Where the ceiling under a house carries pipes or beams, a wall-mounted motor can help: Merlin says its Commander Ultimate mounts on the wall and frees up overhead space.
The manual release
Chamberlain says to use the emergency release only when the door is fully closed if possible, because a door with weak or broken springs can fall rapidly. Learn where yours is before the next storm cuts the power.
What we would do
Look up before you book. Take a photo of the ceiling above the door, showing any power point and how far it is from where the motor would sit. B&D's manual wants an earthed power point within an arm's length of the opener, and the photo tells the door specialist straight away whether a licensed electrician needs to be part of the job.