Does a roller door suit your garage?
It mostly comes down to space. B&D NZ says roller doors suit openings with plenty of headroom, because the steel curtain rolls up onto a drum above the opening. If you have that room, a roller door is a simple, tough choice for a Hamilton garage, shed or lifestyle block workshop.
Measure before you ask. Dominator's Series A comes in heights from 1300mm to 3200mm and widths from 1250mm to 3200mm, and Dominator says all its doors are made to order for the opening.
Room around a Dominator Series A
| Dominator lists | Where it is measured | |
|---|---|---|
| Headroom | 400mm | Above the opening, where the roll sits |
| Sideroom | 80mm, or 135mm with an opener | Beside the opening |
| Backspace | 450mm | Back from the opening |
Short of room above the opening
If the lintel sits close to the ceiling, the curtain can't wind up in the usual way. Dominator's Flex-A-Door gets around that by running the curtain on a curved track, and it needs only 80mm of headroom with its retractable head infill panel, or 130mm with an opener. It is also sold as a replacement for an old tilt door.
Adding an opener to a roller door
Dominator's Series A works by hand unless an Excel opener is fitted, and B&D NZ says an opener can go at either end of the drum. Merlin's roller door openers are the SilentDrive Essential, SilentDrive Elite and WeatherDrive.
Check the door first. B&D NZ gives 15kg as the most a roller door should take to move by hand. Heavier than that, and the springs need looking at before a motor goes on. If the garage has no power point near the opener, a licensed electrician fits one.
Roller doors around Hamilton
A calm city
With a mean wind speed of 11 km/h, Hamilton is sheltered compared with the rest of Waikato, NIWA says, so wind is seldom the deciding factor.
Springtime gusts
If a door is going on an exposed shed, note that 44% of the city's strong winds come in spring. Dominator says side tracks stop its roller doors blowing open or shut.
Dust and upkeep
Inland, the wash is more about dust and grime than salt. Dominator's guideline is clean water and a cloth every 3 months.
Keeping a roller door running
- No grease, oil or sprays such as WD-40 in the guides, B&D NZ says.
- Use powdered graphite on a stiff lock.
- Check how the door runs every 6 months.
- Have it serviced every 12 months, sooner with heavy use.
- Keep clear of the springs and let a door specialist adjust them.
What we would do
Take your own tape to the garage first. Measure from the top of the opening to the ceiling, and from the opening to the nearest wall on each side. Send those numbers with the job, and the door specialist can tell you straight away whether a roller door fits.