Roller door repairs
A roller door is balanced by helical springs inside the drum above the opening, Steel-Line explains. When the door will not stay up, is hard to open or makes the motor labour, that balance has gone, and Steel-Line says a professional should reset the tension and check it again afterwards.
Springs wear by use. B&D rates the springs on its Roll-A-Door for 30,000 cycles and says the door is tested for 20,000 to 30,000 trips up and down, so a door that runs many times a day reaches the end sooner.
Leave the tension alone
Steel-Line's warning is blunt: do not attempt to tension a roller door, at risk of serious injury or death. Undoing the U-bolts can let the spring tension go and bring the curtain down with force.
Humidity and the wet
Mackay's wet season runs from December to March, with heat, high humidity and heavy rain. February averages 313.3 mm at Mackay M.O, and morning humidity there averages 74%. Steel-Line's manual says door panels should be washed regularly to remove corrosive salt and dirt, and the cooler months from June to October are the easiest time to book a service.
When a cyclone cuts the power
Ahead of Cyclone Debbie in March 2017, 25,000 people in low parts of Mackay were told to leave, and power cuts hit at least 63,000 properties across Queensland. A door that will not open in a blackout is not broken. It needs the manual release.
Chamberlain's advice is to use the emergency release only when the door is fully closed if you can, and never to pull the handle to raise or lower the door. Its support page warns that weak or broken springs can let a door fall quickly.
Around Mackay
Storm tide areas
The council maps storm surge evacuation areas from Midge Point down to the Sarina beaches. In those streets, ask for the bottom rail and weather seal to be checked at each service.
Older timber homes
Almost all of Mackay's older houses are single storey timber on stumps, the council's heritage guide says. Ask the door specialist to look at the frame the door is fixed to.
Licence
Repair or replacement work valued over $3,300 needs a building licence in Queensland.
Servicing that suits Mackay
- Gliderol recommends an authorised service every 24 months for its residential roller doors
- B&D's New Zealand care page suggests a service every 12 months for roller and tilt doors, more often with heavy use
- B&D New Zealand also says to clean opener guide tracks every 3 to 6 months
- Steel-Line roller doors have a PVC weather seal in the bottom rail: check it is not split
Before you book
You can
- Note what the door does: noise, slow, stops, reverses
- Swap the remote battery and try the wall button
- Find the brand sticker and any service record
Leave to a door specialist
- Spring tension and the drum
- Cables, brackets and a curtain off its guides
- Motor faults and remote programming
- Any new power point, by a licensed electrician
What we would do
For a roller door repair, tell the door specialist the brand and roughly when the door went in. If the springs are near the end of their rated cycles, ask whether they should be done at the same visit.