The September 2023 storm
On the morning of 13 September 2023, roofs, fences and ceilings came down on homes in Rockingham in what the Bureau of Meteorology called conditions on par with tornado weather. Gusts of up to 113 km/h were recorded at Garden Island, just off the Rockingham coast.
A garage door that took a hit in weather like that can look fine and still sit wrong in its guides. If yours has been sticking or binding since, tell us the job before the next big blow.
Garage door repair in Rockingham
For a repair, describe what the door does and when it started. Leave springs, cables and roller door tension to the door specialist: Steel-Line warns that tensioning a roller door yourself risks serious injury or death.
Automatic gates in Rockingham
Gate motors are chosen by the gate's weight and the power available at the gate, and each motor's rating has to be checked against the real weight of yours. Merlin says its gate openers are built for over 150,000 cycles across their life.
Any new power out to the gate is done by a licensed electrical contractor. In WA their licence number has to be shown in their ads, so it is easy to check before anyone starts.
Around Rockingham
Beachside streets
Steel-Line's warranty excludes installs within 800 metres of the sea, so if you live near the beach, ask how your door's warranty treats it before you buy.
After a storm
Look along the guides from inside the garage for bends, and keep the opener switched off if the door has shifted on its tracks.
Gate and opener wiring
WA requires an electrical contractor's licence number in any ad for their electrical business, which makes it simple to match the contractor wiring your gate or opener.
What we would do
If your door faces the sea breeze, rinse it down whenever you wash the car. BlueScope's minimum of every six months is easy to forget, and the top edge of the door, which rain doesn't wash, is the part it singles out.