Why roller doors suit so many Sydney garages
A roller door winds up into a drum directly above the opening, so the ceiling stays free for storage, a loft or a low roof. That suits carports, sheds and single garages, and the laneway garages behind older terraces, where Woollahra's Paddington controls list roller shutters among the accepted door types.
Sizes vary by maker. B&D makes its Series 1 Roll-A-Doors up to 3150mm wide and up to 3000mm high depending on the model, while Steel-Line's AA series covers openings from 3435mm to 5500mm wide and its B light industrial series runs from 2855mm to 5500mm.
Roller doors and Sydney storms
Sydney's storms can be violent. A tornadic supercell gusted to 213 km/h at Kurnell in December 2015, and the April 2015 East Coast Low brought gale-force winds for about 30 hours along the coast.
When Cyclone Yasi hit north Queensland, the Cyclone Testing Station found many roller doors came out of their side guides first and then off the drum. If your door takes the full force of a southerly, ask about a wind-rated model: B&D's Wind-Rated Roll-A-Door uses wind clips that attach the curtain to the frame, and Steel-Line's locks a moulded lug on the curtain into a matching side guide.
Caring for a roller door here
- Wash it with clean fresh water at least every six months, and more often where salt spray is common, as BlueScope advises for COLORBOND steel.
- Never grease the side guides. B&D's care advice is to clean them and, if needed, use a silicon spray.
- Ask about a brush seal for the side guides: Steel-Line offers one to go with the PVC weather seal in its bottom rail.
- Keep sunscreen off the curtain, which Steel-Line says can corrode a door.
Putting a motor on a roller door
Steel-Line says its roller door openers fit most popular brands of roller door, and Gliderol's Rollamatic GEN II sits inside the door roll on residential doors up to 12 square metres. A motor takes a little more room beside the door: Steel-Line's side room for an A series door goes from 90mm by hand to 120mm with an opener.
Under NSW rules, plugging the opener into an existing power point is not electrical work. A new power point is, and it goes to a licensed electrician.
Roller doors around Sydney
Bushfire edges
B&D's BAL-Maze seals are made for its Panelift sectional doors and are not offered on roller doors. On bush fire prone land, ask how the door would be sealed against embers.
Hail
The 1999 hailstorm did its worst between Lilli Pilli and Darling Point. After hail, roll the door up slowly and listen for it catching.
Coastal warranties
Gliderol's 7 year curtain corrosion warranty does not apply within 800 metres of a high salt concentration, so check the terms near the beach.
What we would do
If the door is on a carport or shed that faces the weather, ask the door specialist to look at the side guides and their fixings as well as the curtain. The Yasi report says the guides and the structure behind them must be designed for big sideways forces.