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Garage Doors


Guest billybird

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Guest billybird

As spring nears I am ready for some new garage doors. Mine are old, wood, and rotting away. Also being wood they are very heavy. Although they are power operated, when a spring snaps it's scary to think what might happen were someone to be in front of it. I don't want wood anymore. I was hoping to get some ideas from some of you that are satisfied with what you have. How about the opening mechanism? Mine is chain and springs which I want to get away from. I'm talking about starting from ground zero with a whole new system, tracks included. Any help any of you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

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Here is what I bought two of for my home and I am planning on buying another one for my workshop this summer. I did buy mine in color with a special order.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_493497-83410-ZZ3910240_4294858019__?productId=4750165&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=

I am very happy with it. Not that hard to install yourself.

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I agree with Larry. Modern insulated garage doors are relatively light and mine don't sweat. They are also pretty easy to install. Any good quality opener is going to work but the belt drives are not as loud.

I have one door on an opener and the other manual lift. I should have planned for the 4 post lift I installed though. The door had to go straight up to allow clearance for the car.

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Guest billybird

Thanks midman. Three things I want to get away from are sweating, weight, and springs. Some years ago I remember seeing a screw drive for opening. Is anyone familiar with this mechanism?

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Get an insulated door. An uninsulated door is cheaper but it is like having single pane glass windows in your house.

The weight of an insulated alumium door is handled by heavy duty springs and you will be able to use any size door opener.

You can get a door opener from 1/4 to 1 horse. I buy 1/2 or 3/4 horse unit on a 16 by 7 foot door.

Just be aware the springs will fail based on the number of times the door is opened.

Both doors use the spring that goes above the door opening and use a twist concept to handle the door weight.

Monday of this week, a spring broke on a door 10 years after the last replacement.

This house garage door is opened and closed 6 to 10 times a day.

The door company charged $198 to replace both springs.

As of January 1 2014 they now provide a life time warranty on the springs but like the old Midas Muffler, there is no warranty on labor.

They are gambling we will move before a spring breaks.

I am not sure I have the best setup but it works for me in southern OHIO.

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Guest billybird

Thanks huptoy. I was for sure thinking about insulated doors. I'm still trying to find some info on the screw drive vs. chain/belt/spring.

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Guest billybird

Thanks guys. I got what I asked for. I believe the choice will be metal insulated doors with belt drive. Thank for all the insight.

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I always wanted a man door built into my garage door. They use to be some what common to see. There is a company outside Detroit that is making them now.

http://www.walkthrugaragedoors.com/photo-gallery/index.html

Not sure what they cost to buy but I'm thinking of making my own this summer. I've got a 9' door that has a bit of damage from me forgetting to take the ROP on my tractor into account when I attempted to drive into the shop. Can't hurt it any more if it doesn't work.

post-59118-143142430752_thumb.jpgThis is from their site. A good idea returns!

post-59118-143142430749_thumb.jpg

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First, I'm going to recommend that you go with insulated doors like these that I just had installed in my new garage. The smooth surface on the inside alone makes it worthwhile just for the ease of keeping them clean. Helping to keep the garage temperature more comfortable is of course more reason.

Secondly, forget those overhead openers. These direct-drive liftmaster 8500 openers are the smoothest, quietest openers made. A major benefit is that they leave the space overhead completely clear of dangling machinery that gets in the way. If you pan to have a vehicle lift or just want to use the overhead space for storage, then having a clear ceiling is a must. They also may be more secure in that they come with electric deadbolts that engage or disengage automatically when you operate the opener. The price is not significantly more than traditional overhead openers.

post-97678-143142431017_thumb.jpg

post-97678-143142431029_thumb.jpg

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Guest billybird

Wheelnut. Thanks for the pic of the direct drive. Having not had to deal with new doors for many years, I wasn't aware of direct drive; but it sounds really good.

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Billybird, it turns out that I mis-identified the liftmaster as a direct-drive type. Actually the liftmaster 8500 is called a "jackshaft" type opener. There is also the liftmaster 3800, which is the older version of the 8500 but possibly better known.

I found out that there is a type called direct-drive but it is a variation of the overhead type that I don't care for.

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Guest billybird

No problem. I found a Liftmaster dealer in my area. I like the set up and am going to discuss it with them. The free overhead space really appealed to me.

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Be sure to shop around. If you are ok with online purchases, Amazon.com has several dealers selling these. I got mine from this place for a lot less than retail:

https://direct2ugaragedoors.com/

Also, when shopping for doors, be aware that this style isn't compatible with the torque tube mechanism used on many doors made by Wayne-Dalton. So check with your door vendor for compatibility before making your final choices.

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Guest Pops1532

I've installed many different brands and types of overhead doors in the past 35+ years.

I'm a firm believer in buying the best quality material your budget will allow. I recommend Raynor overhead doors. They have several series of doors. I wouldn't say any of them are cheap, but they are a good value. Most quality doors will use a torsion bar and spring set up where you use two bars to preload the spring. Lower quality doors generally use extension springs. Safety cables have been mandatory when using extension springs for around 20 years.

There are some good belt drive operators with DC motors but they can be pricey.

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  • 5 months later...
Guest userfll5026

I honestly think that you should call a professional you could go check out Garaga Inc.

Just an idea but in my opinion they were really great when I purchased our new garage door.

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Thanks midman. Three things I want to get away from are sweating, weight, and springs. Some years ago I remember seeing a screw drive for opening. Is anyone familiar with this mechanism?

Yes I have a screw mechanism and no issues as I lube it once a year. It seems quiet. Not sure about costs vs other systems. I do have a chain one also and have noticed sagging but still works great.

Robert

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  • 4 weeks later...

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