Garage doors in Mildura after a storm
On Friday night, 11 November 2016, a supercell storm hit Mildura and caused significant damage to property, and VICSES had more than 485 requests for help. A storm like that can dent panels, bend a roller curtain or push a door out of its guides.
If the door has come off its track, B&D says not to try putting it back on the guide rails yourself, because a spring or cable may have broken. Leave it, keep people clear, and tell us the job.
Dents, ripples and when a panel is faulty
Not every mark is a defect. The Australian Garage Door Association's inspection guide says a door's surface should be judged from a normal viewing spot at least 2m away in daylight, and that slight variations in colour and finish are not generally a defect.
It also says oil-canning, the faint ripple in pressed steel panels, is acceptable where the distortion is no more than 1mm over any 150mm. A dent from hail or a flying branch is different, and a door specialist can say whether a panel or the whole door needs replacing.
Openers when the power goes
Merlin lists battery backup as built in on its Commander Ultimate sectional opener and as an add-on for its other Commander models except the Commander Essential. Merlin also says everyone in the house should know where the manual release cord is, and that the cord should be checked for fraying.
Victoria's rules for wiring and bigger jobs
Under section 30 of Victoria's Electricity Safety Act 1998, a business cannot offer electrical contracting unless it is registered with Energy Safe Victoria. Energy Safe publishes public registers, so you can look up a Registered Electrical Contractor or a licensed electrician before any power point goes in for an opener.
Door work itself has no licence in Victoria, but Consumer Affairs Victoria says building practitioners need BPC registration for work worth more than $10,000.
Around Mildura
After the 2016 supercell
Storm damage to a door can hide damage to its springs or tracks, so have the whole door checked, not just the dented panel.
Checking the electrical contractor
Anyone can search Energy Safe Victoria's Registered Electrical Contractor Register before a job starts.
Older manual doors
If your door has no motor and you are adding one, ask whether it can take a battery backup.
What we would do
After storm damage, take photos of the door from inside and outside before anything is moved. They help the door specialist judge the job, and your insurer may ask for them.