The first thing we look at on a Greystanes callout is the guide rails, because that is where the heat shows up. This part of Sydney sits well inland and regularly runs several degrees above the coast in summer, and aluminium that has been baking on a west-facing wall all afternoon expands enough to grip in the track.
We cover Greystanes right across the 2145 postcode, from the streets near Prospect Reservoir through to the Merrylands and Wentworthville boundaries. Pemulwuy, Girraween, South Wentworthville and Guildford West are on the same run.
Greystanes is largely post-war and 1960s to 1970s brick housing on decent blocks, with a lot of later additions and second storeys. Shutters here are usually retrofitted to the original openings rather than built in.
Most heat-related jams are avoidable. Clean rails, the right lubricant and correctly set travel limits give the curtain the small amount of clearance it needs when the metal grows. If yours is already sticking on hot days, do not force it with the motor, because that is how a bent bottom rail or a burnt-out motor happens. Run it manually if you can, leave it, and get it looked at before the next hot spell.
