Roller door openers sold in New Zealand
Roller doors take openers made for them. B&D NZ says one can be fitted at either end of the drum the curtain rolls onto.
Dominator's roller door opener is the Excel, and Merlin's New Zealand roller door range is the SilentDrive Essential, SilentDrive Elite and WeatherDrive. Dominator's Series A roller door works by hand until an Excel goes on.
Room beside the drum
A motor on the end of the drum needs space on that side of the opening. Dominator lists 80mm of sideroom for its Series A roller door without an opener and 135mm with one. Its Flex-A-Door needs 130mm of headroom with an opener rather than 80mm.
Power for the motor
The opener needs mains power close by, unless it runs on battery and solar: B&D NZ says its openers can run on solar power with a backup battery.
Where there is no power point in the right spot, a new one is fixed wiring. The EWRB says only registered and licensed electrical workers can carry out that kind of work, and they must give you a Certificate of Compliance for it.
Check the door before the motor goes on
B&D NZ's care guide says a roller door should take no more than 15kg of effort to move by hand. A motor on a stiff door strains and wears, so a door that drags needs its springs or guides sorted first, at the same visit if possible.
Features to ask about
- Battery backup: Merlin says its openers carry no battery unless a backup system is fitted, so ask for one if you want the door to run in a power cut.
- Phone control: Merlin's myQ app works with its roller door openers.
- Remotes: B&D NZ's Tri-Tran+ remotes use 128-bit AES encryption to avoid interference from household wireless devices.
- Reversing: B&D NZ's monthly test for roller door openers uses timber about 40mm high, or the opener's cardboard box.
- Warranty: Dominator covers the Excel for 7 years or 20,000 cycles, whichever comes first; Merlin's opener warranties run from 3 to 7 years.
Safety beams on a motorised roller door
B&D NZ says safety beams must be installed if the closing force at the bottom edge of the door goes over 400N (40kg). Ask the door specialist whether your door needs them, and keep up the reversing test every month once the motor is on.
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Measure the gap between each end of the drum and the wall
- Check whether there is a power point near the drum
- Wash the curtain and clean the guides before the visit
- Keep remotes out of children's reach
Leave to a door specialist
- Fitting the motor and setting its limits
- Checking the springs before the motor goes on
- Safety beams
- A new power point or hard wiring, by a licensed electrician
What we would do
Measure from the end of the drum to the wall on both sides before you send the job. Dominator lists 135mm of sideroom for its Series A door once an opener is fitted, so those two measurements let the door specialist say on the first call whether a motor will fit and on which side.