When the power goes
On 13 February 2024 more than 531,000 Victorian customers were without power at the peak of the storms, AIDR records, and Melbourne's eastern suburbs were among the places hit by damaging winds. A blackout is when most people learn how their garage door opens without the motor.
Merlin's instructions are to pull the red release cord down firmly once to disconnect the opener, and never to haul the door with the cord, which will snap under the load. Chamberlain adds that the release is best used with the door fully closed, because weak or broken springs can let an open door fall without warning.
Some openers carry a battery for exactly this. Merlin's Commander Ultimate has one built in, and B&D offers a Battery Backup add-on for its Smart opener.
Garage door repairs after a storm
Look before you press the button. A roller curtain pushed out of its guides or a bent bottom panel can jam, and running the opener against it strains the motor. B&D's advice for a door that has left its guide rails is not to lift it back on yourself.
Automatic gates in Doncaster
Gate jobs here range from a new motor on an existing gate to automating one for the first time. Merlin's swing openers include the Swing L300, Swing A200 and Swing LR 500, and its Slide 600 for sliding gates runs on mains, solar or low voltage. Whichever motor you choose, Merlin says myQ app control needs Safety IR Beams fitted.
Around Doncaster
Manningham and bushfire
Manningham is not one of the eleven councils the state lists as having no designated bushfire prone areas, so check your block on VicPlan before building a garage.
New power points
Any new power point for an opener in Victoria comes with a Certificate of Electrical Safety from the licensed electrician who installs it.
What we would do
Find the release cord today, while the power is on, and show everyone at home how it works with the door closed. Then if a storm takes the power out, nobody is learning it in the dark with the car stuck inside.