How a sectional door works
A sectional door is a row of horizontal panels that runs up on tracks and then back along the ceiling. B&D says the same door is also called a sliding, overhead or up and over door. Panel lift is another name you will see, and B&D sells its main sectional ranges as Panelift and Panelift Icon.
Because the door rises straight up instead of swinging out, you can park close to it. A torsion spring above the opening balances it, with lift cables running down to the bottom corners on cable drums.
How sectional doors handled a cyclone
After Cyclone Yasi, the Cyclone Testing Station found sectional doors failed at a significantly lower rate than roller doors on similar homes. In its street surveys 6% of sectional doors were damaged, against 29% of roller doors.
That was north Queensland, a cyclonic region, where Brisbane is in Region B. It still shows how the door type behaves under wind load. B&D also makes a high-wind sectional door, Storm-Shield, and a cyclone door, Windpanel, which it says is designed for 317 kph winds.
Weight, springs and the motor
Steel-Line says a sectional door is usually the largest moving piece of equipment in a home, and its weight can approach or pass 200kg. That weight hangs on the springs and cables, which Steel-Line says should never be replaced by anyone but experienced door people.
The motor has to suit the load. Steel-Line's SD1500 Pro switches from belt to chain drive once a door is heavier than 210 kg, up to 250 kg, so a double door with insulation or a timber look finish may need the stronger drive.
B&D's two main sectional ranges
| Panelift | Panelift Icon | |
|---|---|---|
| Made up to | 3.415m high | 3.99m high |
| Spring rating | 10,000 cycles | 20,000 cycles |
| Wheels | Single wheel | Double-wheel tracks |
| Perimeter seals | Not standard | 360° seals to keep out leaves and dust |
| B&D standard warranty | 3 years | 5 years |
Sectional doors around Brisbane
On the bay
Panelift Icon has corrosion resistant stainless steel cables, B&D says, which is worth asking about in the suburbs BlueScope counts as exposed to salt water, such as Redcliffe and Cleveland. Steel-Line's manual says to wash the panels regularly to clear corrosive salt and dirt.
Hot garages
B&D and Steel-Line both offer insulation on their standard sectional doors, and B&D says it helps keep the garage cooler in summer. A west-facing double door in a Brisbane summer is where it earns its place.
Under raised houses
A sectional door needs ceiling depth for its tracks, so in a garage built under a Queenslander ask about low headroom tracks before ruling the door type out.
Looking after a sectional door
- Keep oil and grease off the tracks: Steel-Line says grease there only collects dirt and dust
- A drop of light oil on each hinge pivot and roller stem, plus the lock, keeps them moving, per Steel-Line
- Never paint the tracks, rollers, hinges, cables or springs
- Book a service: B&D recommends one every two years for its sectional doors
What we would do
Ask for a quote on two levels of the same door, such as Panelift and Panelift Icon, and lay the spring rating, the warranty and the seals side by side. Seeing what the higher range adds, line by line, makes the choice much easier than comparing two brochures.