A roller door rated for the wind
Gladstone is in Wind Region C on the 2011 wind map, and there the NCC 2022 Housing Provisions want a garage door in an opening up to 3 m high to meet AS/NZS 4505. For a roller door, that means a wind-rated model.
The Cyclone Testing Station's Yasi report shows why. Many roller doors came out of their side guides first, then off the drum, and ended up as wind-borne debris. Doors with wind locks did better, but the report found the guides and the structure behind them have to be built for large sideways forces too.
How wind-rated roller doors hold on
Each maker does it differently. Steel-Line's wind-rated door has a moulded lug on the curtain that locks into a matching side guide, and Steel-Line says it was tested at the James Cook University Cyclone Testing Station against AS/NZS 4505-2012. B&D's Wind-Rated Roll-A-Door uses wind clips that attach the curtain to the door frame.
Steel-Line's wind-rated opener package comes with 2 remote handsets, a wireless wall button and a battery backup unit, which helps when a cyclone cuts the power. Ask which class, from C1 to C4, the door is rated to, and match it to your plans.
Coatings, salt and industrial fallout
Steel-Line makes its roller doors from BlueScope Colorbond and Zincalume steel, and Gliderol uses BlueScope steel in a wide range of Colorbond colours. Near the harbour or the industrial areas, read the warranty: Steel-Line's does not cover installs where there is industrial fallout, and Gliderol's curtain corrosion cover stops within 800 metres of high salt.
BlueScope says the parts of a steel door that rain does not wash, including the top, should be hosed down at least every six months. Steel-Line adds that its warranty excludes damage from grime, chemicals and pollutants that were never washed off.
Bushfire areas
If your block is on the council's bushfire hazard overlay, the BAL assessment comes first. B&D says its BAL-Maze seal system is not available on roller doors, so ask the door specialist which roller door, if any, suits your rating before you settle on one.
Around Gladstone
Harbour views
A view over the harbour usually means a higher wind class, by the Reconstruction Authority's rule of thumb, so mention the outlook when you send the job.
Industry
With a coal port and an alumina refinery in town, wash the curtain more often than the six-monthly minimum, as Steel-Line suggests for industrial areas.
Big rain
Oswald dropped 819.8 mm in four days in 2013. Steel-Line roller doors carry a PVC weather seal in the bottom rail, so check yours is whole.
What we would do
Ask for the wind rating, the steel and coating, and the warranty terms for your address on one written quote. In Gladstone those three decide whether a roller door suits the house, and they are hard to weigh up if each arrives on its own.