Roller doors on bushfire prone land
Roller doors face an extra sealing rule in the City of Busselton's summary of AS 3959. From BAL-29, it says, roller doors also need guide tracks that leave no gap over 3 mm, with nylon brushes in contact with the door, and at BAL-40 the door must be non-combustible.
B&D says its BAL-Maze sealing system is not offered on roller doors, and that seals added to an existing door have not been tested by CSIRO and cannot count as BAL-40. On a high BAL block, settle the door type with the BAL assessment in your hand.
Steel-Line roller door sizes
| "A" series | "B" light industrial | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening width | 750mm to 3430mm | 2855mm to 5500mm |
| Headroom above the opening | 430mm to 510mm | Up to 570mm |
Salt near the bay
Rust tends to start on hinges, springs and tracks, Steel-Line says, and even homes many kilometres inland can see faster corrosion than you would expect.
BlueScope's advice is a fresh-water hose-down at least every six months, more often where marine salt spray is common, including the top of the door where rain never reaches. Steel-Line's warranty also excludes damage from grime and pollutants that were never washed off, so the hose-down protects your cover as well as the door.
Motors for roller doors
A roller door opener has to suit the size of the curtain. Gliderol's Glidermatic Heavy Duty suits doors up to 12 square metres and its Glidermatic Dual up to 16, and Steel-Line's opener with F-linX Wi-Fi handles single or double doors up to 16 square metres.
If there is no power point near where the opener goes, a licensed electrical contractor puts one in. Building and Energy's advice is never to attempt your own electrical work.
Roller doors around Busselton
New sheds near the house
Under the City's planning sheet, a new outbuilding closer than 6 m to a home built to a BAL rating needs its own BAL, and that can decide the roller door on a new shed or garage.
Before the cool season
DFES says the South West gets four to six cold fronts a month between April and October. Check the bottom seal and the guides before the first one.
An older BAL report
The City says a BAL is valid for 12 months from issue when it is used for a development application or building permit, so an older report may need redoing for a new shed.
What we would do
On a bush block, ask the door specialist to write on the quote how the roller door meets the guide track and brush rule for your BAL. If they can't, ask about a sectional door instead, since B&D offers its BAL-Maze system on Panelift and Panelift Icon doors.