Garage Door Hinges sealed my door!

Folks,

Let me start out by saying I don't generally write reviews or give praise of stuff via forums. In my opinion a lot of it is from inside the companies offering the product acting like a happy customer or just not worthy to hassle with.

With that said, after getting these hinges I wanted to tell you guys about them. I live outside of Chicago and have a heated garage. This winter has been really cold as I'm sure some of you have seen on the news. I started looking on this forum for a better way to get my door to seal. Specifically the top and sides. The bottom of my garage door seems to be ok. The sides and top however, you could always see a little light coming through. I have the vinyl seals on the outside and while they do a good job I knew I there had to be a way to make it better. So, after searching on here I saw a couple posts where guys had mentioned Green Hinges ( http://www.greenhingeofamerica.com/ ). So I looked them up.

I wrote to the company via the webpage with a couple questions and I think the next day got a call from Lester (the owner). My major concern was whether this hinge could cause my door to bind and if the vinyl seal on the outside would be effected. Lester assured me that I had nothing to worry about. The springs in the hinge are not so strong as to effect door up/down performance or the seal on the outside. He also assured me that if I didn't like that things he'd be willing to take them back. That comforted me so I bit.

I have two doors, a 16' x 7' and 8' x 7' both 4 panel. So I had to order two 4 panel kits. One commercial grade for the big door and one residential for the smaller one. Installation was as easy as removing the old hinges via 4 bolts (each) and putting them back on in the same place as the old hinge (one at a time of course). For both doors I guess it probably took me an hour...maybe less.

Anyway, I'm shocked. The light on the sides of the doors is pretty much gone. I have one section now that has a tiny bit at the very bottom of the door..and I mean tiny. The other 99% of the problem areas are now sealed! As for the tops of the doors, the hinges won't take care of that...and Lester the owner, told me ahead of time that it wouldn't. The springs just can't do that, they aren't strong enough and if they were the garage door would bind. So, the tops will still have to be sealed up but I've already ordered a seal for that.

Back to the hinges. As a side benefit. It made my door quieter. The panels or rollers would rattle when going from vertical to horizontal going down/up. Now they still make a little noise but there is a significant difference! The spring holds the roller to the track like a shock absorber would. I have to say I'm impressed. With my bedroom right above my garage, and me working nights sometimes...the quieter the door is the better. I already have the side mount liftmaster to quiet things down but these new hinges helped even more. I have to say this was a benefit I didn't really think about but am very pleased with!

So, like I said at the start of this...I don't normally review things or give praise via forums but this hinge really works and I thought I should say something. If your looking to seal the sides of your garage doors fairly easily and for what I thought was a fair price you should check these out. I don't work for these guys and I'm not getting a discount or something for saying I like them. This is just my honest opinion and I wanted to pass along what I thought were really good results from a good USA company. I'm actually going to forward this link to the owner of green hinges and see if I can get him on here to answer questions you guys might have. Good luck and I hope this helps someone!!!! I've also attached some pictures of the hinges installed. If you have questions for me let me know. I'm not an expert on these things but I'll help any way I can.

Thanks!

One thing to add....The customer service from these guys is second to none. They even called me after I got the hinges to see if the install went ok or if I had any questions. Can you remember the last time a company did that???? Really cool

Thanks for the heads up. I may have to check them out. Bill

Thanks for posting this, I've got three new Clopay doors that will be installed soon so I will be giving these serious consideration.

How well will they seal in heavy winds? Does the spring have quite a bit of pressure?

Yes the springs have quite a bit of pressure. I got samples of these several years ago and they have been sitting on my desk ever since. They are very well made, I will give them that. The price tag is very high though, and they will not work with all garage doors, especially those with a pinch resistant design. The other downside to them is that over time, I think they will end up causing the paint to be rubbed off of some sections due to the pressure exerted by the spring and the extreme amount of rubbing that occurs as the door goes up (trim alone set too tight will cause this, and I think these would be even worse). I understand what they do, but I just don't see the big need for them with properly installed weather seals.

John

Overlord66 said:

How well will they seal in heavy winds? Does the spring have quite a bit of pressure?

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I haven't really had an issue with wind that I've noticed. The only place I've noticed air getting by is on the top of the door

"price tag is very high"


$85 for a set is very high? Something must be wrong with me cause I thought this was a pretty fair price for this project. Rarely do you get to do a home upgrade for less than $100....Hell, I just put in some LED light bulbs and it cost me more to do that than my garage door!

Out track is set back a bit in the middle and with the winds we get will push open a 1/4 gap on the side. If the hinges would help seal the door shut it would be work the $85.00.

I understand how they work and I think someone is going to make some money off of these. I had the same issue on my 16x7 door and chased air leaks around for several months. I ended up replacing the weatherstrip on the bottom of the door, and installed new outside weatherstripping. This helped but I still had the gap especially when the wind blew. I merely installed washers as spacers between the door and the hinge across the whole door and on 3 sets of hinges out of the 5. Works like a charm. If you want to seal your door up just use shims/washers like I did. Cost for the washers was around $7 total.

I have tried the washer fix. I think these will do a better job. I'm calling on monday for more info.

dirtymoe77 said:

"price tag is very high"


$85 for a set is very high? Something must be wrong with me cause I thought this was a pretty fair price for this project. Rarely do you get to do a home upgrade for less than $100....Hell, I just put in some LED light bulbs and it cost me more to do that than my garage door!

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For 6 hinges? That's pretty expensive in my book, but maybe you work on a different budget than me. Also these aren't exactly new. I don't remember when I got my sample but it was at least 3 years ago.

John

Streetbu said:

I understand how they work and I think someone is going to make some money off of these. I had the same issue on my 16x7 door and chased air leaks around for several months. I ended up replacing the weatherstrip on the bottom of the door, and installed new outside weatherstripping. This helped but I still had the gap especially when the wind blew. I merely installed washers as spacers between the door and the hinge across the whole door and on 3 sets of hinges out of the 5. Works like a charm. If you want to seal your door up just use shims/washers like I did. Cost for the washers was around $7 total.

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Basically all you are doing by shimming the hinges is pushing the door closer to the weatherstrip. You can accomplish the same thing by adjusting the track closer to the wall or moving the weatherstrip closer to the door.

It takes a little time to install the weatherstrip correctly and adjust it to the door. If you first put it up without fully pounding in the nails, you can move it until you get the best fit. Simply nailing it up on the edge of the jamb isn't going to produce the optimum fit in most cases.

John

I would've but my track is NOT adjustable. It is riveted in place to the brackets that space it from the front wall. When I replaced the outside weatherstripping I installed it closer to the door so it would seal better but when the wind blows at my house, it blows! Have farm field all around me and nothing to block it. I've registered 63mph STEADY winds at my house. I also had to install support braces on EVERY panel because they flex so much in the wind... This isn't my first rodeo.

Riveted track can be converted to adjustabe pretty easily as long as you use the correct bolts after you drill out the rivets. I HATE riveted track, but a lot of installers like it because it is faster to put up and get to the next job.

John

I hear ya, It's what was there when I bought the place though so until I win the lottery...

The colder it gets outside the larger the gap I get between my garage door and the seals. Anyone else experience this? I am leaning towards the brush seal solution for this.

The vinyl or rubber seals do wear out over time as the door rubs against them going up/down. Would it not have been possible to replace the weather seals instead ?

Normally the new seals come with an extruded plastic moulding, the center section pops off. You take the old seal off, snug up the new ones against the door, screw them on with some 1" screws, snap the center section back on, done.

But those are very nice hinges ! and I can see how they would also make a door quieter by preventing the panels from rattling in the tracks.

Everyone has valid points here. I'll add my two cents once again. Sure we can reinvent the wheel by looking for other solutions and you can shim and adjust all you want to make things work for you. Sounds great. My tracks are riveted and this solution took my about an hour from start to finish. Problem solved...do it how you want. I personally don't have a lot of free time to be messing around. I installed these and it solved my problem and made my door quieter. I'm really happy with the solution and just wanted to let you guys know about it. It's obviously not for everyone but they worked great for me.

DM,

Thanks for the post. I have the same issue as you. I'm probably 25 miles north of you and live near the corn fields... Looks like a good solution to me without spending lots of time drilling out all those rivets to adjust the track. I will still end up with the ****** OEM rollers, and will still be noisy!

So for less than $100, it's a no brainier.......

AL

I am involved in the NJ Office of clean Energy Home Performance w Energy Star program. (a BPI certified contractor) We do thermal imaging and blower door testing on houses for air infiltration and leakage. If you have watched a garage door on a breezy day through and imager and you have a heated or semi heated area you can see the difference. It makes sense with the cost of oil and propane today. Even if your garage is not actively conditioned it is what we call a buffered space which means the garage is taking the brunt of the weather outside of it. I am glad that somebody has developed a very affordable
solution to a very common issue. Another energy saving measure is to install a "man" door in the side wall of the garage if you don't have one. Keep the garage door CLOSED as much as possible. Lester seems like a nice man anyway which helps.

foleymech said:

Another energy saving measure is to install a "man" door in the side wall of the garage if you don't have one. Keep the garage door CLOSED as much as possible. Lester seems like a nice man anyway which helps.

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My man door is a key chain garage remote and a Indiana Jones slide out with inches to spare.

I have these hinges. I make a point of mentioning them here on GJ once or twice a year. I put them in the made in USA thread last year too.
Seems everyone has their own ideas on how to seal up a door, but with western facing doors taking the brunt of the wind all winter long, these are the best solution for me. They will also seal a door to a wall that is warping or bulging, not much else out there will do that.

I installed these on my 16" door and it has made a difference in the movement in windy conditions. I think they are way worth the money.

Thanks dirtymoe! I've been doing some research on the green hinge and came across your review and pictures. I'm actually from Wisconsin and am all in favor of supporting a local business, so I ordered a set two weeks ago, and just put them on last weekend. I can't believe the difference. I know I'll recoup my purchase price in one winter. These are the best made hinges I have ever seen. I looked at the big box stores and the hinges I found looked like they were made out of tinfoil. When I found the green hinges at Ace Hardware, and looked at the workmanship, I was very impressed.
You know, it's about time I found something made in the USA that I can be proud of!
Thanks again dirtymoe for your input on a great product!

Looking to sell soon, but my next home will have these.

Another big thumbs-up for Green Hinges! After reading about them here, and after seeing how much my doors leak in my auto repair shop, I decided to give them a try. Everything is first class, including the product, customer service and even shipping for a change! We had them installed in minutes and I was so happy with the results that I ordered 3 more sets for the other doors. It's great to see someone come up with a simple idea that no one else thought of and see it through to production. Thanks Lester!




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I put the hinges on a 16 x 9 door 3 weeks ago that faces west with prevailing winds from the southwest. It has made a significant difference but we have not had high winds yet. The high spring winds here in the panhandle may overcome the spring tension - door is a big sail. Have to wait and see but it sure made a difference during the last few weeks. Down to -1 last night

I can't figure out what these things do.

Is the spring pressing radially, or rotationally to the axle?

texasOFT,

They will give when the big winds blow, but they spring back quickly. When things start hitting 50-60 MPH, we would have to nail the doors shut to resist that!

er3456df,

If you reference the pic up above, these springs simply push against the track roller to put some outward tension on the door so that it is tight to it's frame.

One of those "it's so simple, why didn't someone think of this years ago" ideas.

So - when the door is up then the springs are holding it up or do they bottom out in that position?

What is the difference between the residential and commercial hinges? They appear to be exactly the same. Different spring tension?

I'm glad this thread got some traction and that a couple of you decided to purchase them. As I stated in my original post, I thought they were great, the customer service is second to none and the product just works!

AndrewDouglasBird said:

What is the difference between the residential and commercial hinges? They appear to be exactly the same. Different spring tension?

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The commercial hinge is for doors larger than 8' wide. The spring just has a bit more tension than the residential hinge. So I have a 16' 2 car door and had to get the commercial hinge for that door

The torsion spring in the hinge pushes the door towards the weather stripping. It basically pushes the roller against the innermost part of the track (towards inside the building) and subsequently pushes the door out. I'll take a side shot of a hinge before I install one when the next batch arrives on Thursday.

The difference in commercial vs residential hinge is that the torsion spring has more tension in the commercial hinge. Both hinges come also come with another feature -- you can adjust the spring pressure even higher than the setting Lester ships them at. I will also point this feature out when I have a hinge in my hand. Lester says that some people need a little more tension depending on windy it is or how big their door is. Some people set them on the high setting for winter for more defense against the wind and then put them back to the standard setting for less wear/drag in the summer.

I've only had them on for a couple of days and the difference is pretty amazing! We had -20°F wind chill the other night and the shop was nice and toasty in the morning. After I noticed the wind and snow coming in last week, the door next to the 4-wheeler in the picture was so bad that I actually used a tire and pushed the 4-wheeler up against the tire to hold the door, and used window wedges higher up. The door tracks are non-adjustable..

In one of the bays that I'm waiting for more hinges on, we finally figured out that the security alarm (motion sensor) was being triggered at times by wind blowing the door in and actually causing one of the chains for the manual override for the power door actuator to swing in the breeze. We've relocated the chain for now. This door and the door next to it were added on this summer in a shop expansion, so we are still working out the kinks. Looking forward to all 6 doors having the Green Hinges!

Will these wear out the plastic on the rollers? My door has plastic coating on the rollers - I would think that "constant tension" on these would wear them out prematurely -no? I would love to install these, but want to avoid any other issues with installing them.

Great product can't wait to install them!

B&H, I am keeping an eye on your posts. I want to see how the springs can be adjusted.

I had a question prior to ordering. I called and spoke directly to the owner as the OP stated and he was very knowlegeable and helpful.
I just ordered two sets of the Green Hinges.

Thanks dirtymoe77