When a storm has had a go at the door
Storm damage to a garage door shows up in a few ways: dented panels, a curtain pushed out of its guides, or a door that no longer closes square. The Cyclone Testing Station's Yasi report found many roller doors came out of their side guides first and then off the drum.
If the power is out too, take care with the manual release. Chamberlain says to use it only when the door is fully closed if possible, because a door with weak or broken springs may fall fast and without warning.
Don't drive a damaged door
Do not run the opener on a door that has jumped its tracks or started to sound wrong. B&D says to stop using the opener the moment a spring breaks, since running the door strains the motor, cables and tracks, and spring replacement is not a DIY task.
After storm damage
Keep clear
Keep people and cars away from a door that is bent or hanging, and switch the opener off at the power point.
Take photos
Photograph the door inside and out before anything moves. It helps the door specialist, and any insurance claim.
Tell us the job
If the garage can't be shut, mark the job as urgent on the form. The door business that takes it sees that flag.
Ask about the frame
If the door is being replaced, ask about the guides and their fixings as well. The Yasi report says some doors with wind locks still failed when their guides tore away from the structure.
Roller door repair in Bunbury
Roller doors have faults of their own. Steel-Line's list of signs that a roller door is out of balance: it won't stay up, rolls up loosely, strains the motor, is hard to open or slams shut. Any of those means a professional needs to set the spring tension and then recheck the balance.
Gliderol wants its home roller doors serviced by an authorised technician every 24 months, and its warranty covers spring tension for just 3 months, so most tension work on an older door falls outside it.
Repairs around Bunbury
Along the 2005 tornado track
That tornado ran about 10 km from near Boulters Heights to Picton. Steel-Line puts a roller door's life at 15-20 years or more with proper maintenance, so doors fitted after it may be getting close.
East Bunbury, Glen Iris and Picton
The June 2024 storm affected 221 properties here. A door that was patched quickly afterwards is worth a proper check before the next cool season.
Opener wiring
Should the opener need fresh wiring, that part goes to a licensed electrical contractor, and the certificate for it should reach you within 28 days.
What we would do
Book a service in autumn, before the fronts arrive. DFES says the South West gets four to six cold fronts a month from April to October, and it is far easier to have a door checked on a calm day than after the first storm.