Springs wear by the cycle
Each time the door goes up and down, the springs do the lifting. B&D rates its springs in cycles: 10,000 on Panelift sectional doors, 20,000 on Panelift Icon and 30,000 on Roll-A-Door. A busy family garage uses those up faster than one opened twice a day.
The first sign is often a door that feels heavier than it used to. Do not try to make up for it by lifting: B&D says trying to lift the door by hand without the spring's help can cause muscle strain or finger injuries.
Roller door repairs
A roller door that rolls up loosely, slams shut or will not stay open is out of balance, and Steel-Line warns never to tension one yourself because of the risk of serious injury. That part is for a door specialist.
What you can do is keep the side guides clean. B&D New Zealand says never to put grease or oil in roller door guides, and that a silicon spray may be used after cleaning.
Hail, wind and fog
Wikipedia says Toowoomba gets high winds, hail and fog more often than many Queensland towns. When hail marks a door, it helps to know how damage is judged: the Australian Garage Door Association's inspection guide looks at a door's surface from at least 2m away in normal daylight. Photos taken that way show the door specialist what matters.
Repairs around Toowoomba
Older streets
Houses in the Caledonian Estate, east of the CBD, date from the turn of the 20th century. On an older home, mention the age of the opening and any timber framing when you describe the job.
After heavy rain
If storm water has run through the garage, as it did near East Creek and West Creek in January 2011, have the opener looked at before using it.
Licence
A licence is needed in Queensland for building work valued over $3,300, which a full door replacement can reach.
A service on the range
- B&D recommends a regular service every two years for its sectional garage doors
- Steel-Line voids its warranty when a door goes more than a year without a service from Steel-Line or an approved partner
- Use powdered graphite rather than oil on sectional door locks, B&D New Zealand says
- Never paint the tracks, rollers, hinges, cables, springs or locks, Steel-Line's manual says
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Clean the guides and tracks
- Change the remote battery
- Photograph hail marks in daylight from a couple of metres back
Leave to a door specialist
- Springs, cables and roller door tension
- Dented panels and bent tracks
- Opener faults and new remotes
- New power points, by a licensed electrician
What we would do
If the door has become heavy, do not keep running it on the motor. The opener ends up covering for a tired spring, and B&D says running a door with a broken spring can strain the motor, cables or tracks.