Why a roller door
B&D compares a roller door's curtain to a rolled-up carpet sitting directly above the opening. Nothing runs back along the ceiling, so the space overhead stays free for storage, a low roof or a shed's rafters.
Steel-Line balances its roller doors with heat-treated helical coil springs, so they can be run by a motor or lifted by hand.
Sizes from two makers
| B&D Roll-A-Door | Steel-Line roller doors | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening width | Up to 3150mm for Series 1, including the curtain overlap | 750mm to 3430mm for the "A" series |
| Headroom above the opening | 430mm to 470mm recommended for Series 1 | 430mm to 510mm for the "A" series |
| Bigger doors | Series 2 and 3 need 515mm to 620mm of headroom | The "AA" series covers 3435mm to 5500mm wide |
Reading those figures
Each maker's figures are a guide to its own doors, not a rule for every brand. The door specialist measures the opening, the room above and the space each side before quoting, and a motor needs a little extra side room: Steel-Line allows 90mm by hand and 120mm with an opener on its "A" series.
Wind ratings where cyclone country begins
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority classes coastal areas north of Bundaberg as Wind Region C, so whether a roller door has to be cyclone rated depends on where your home is. The wind classification on the plans settles it.
It matters for roller doors in particular. In the street surveys after Yasi, 29% of roller doors were damaged against 6% of sectional doors. B&D and Steel-Line both sell wind-rated roller doors, and Gliderol has its Storm•Safe cyclone-rated range.
How long a roller door lasts
B&D says its Roll-A-Doors are tested for 20,000 to 30,000 trips up and down, and that at five a day a door lasts over 15 years. Steel-Line puts a well looked after roller door at 15 to 20 years or more, depending on the material and how often it runs.
Adding a motor later is usually possible. Gliderol's Rollamatic GEN II sits inside the roll and suits residential roller doors up to 12 square metres.
Around Bundaberg
Near the beach
Gliderol's 7 year curtain corrosion warranty does not apply within 800 metres of high salt, and Steel-Line excludes installs within 800 metres of the sea. At Bargara or Burnett Heads, check the cover first.
Storm season
Severe thunderstorms are most likely from January to March, the council says, so have the bottom seal and any wind locks looked at before then.
Character streets
On a timber and tin house in one of the council's character areas, the curtain colour can matter as much as the size. Gliderol offers a wide range of Colorbond colours.
What we would do
Measure the headroom above the opening before you settle on a brand. Both makers start at about the same figure, but their bigger doors need more room, and a few millimetres can decide which door fits.