Anyone here install garage doors?

[78fj40]

I paid some $$$ for a new 18x8 garage door on my shop (link)

I have a few questions about proper installation:

1. What is the length of the door? Does the door overlap the opening to make a tighter fit? What is the amount of overlap?

2. What is the desired gap between the opening and the door?

I have a feeling that the door was installed improperly. It overlaps the opening 1/8 of an inch one one side and almost 2" on the other.

3. Can the door be moved over easily by the above average homeowner, or can it only be done by a professional?

If you close the door with the lights off, the light just shines through the door along one side. I also get water really bad inside the bottom rubber seal. Both times the service guy said it's normal, but now that I have the HVAC installed, I want a tight fit.

Any help with nomenclature would be great. My next call is to have the owner of the company come by and tell me that there is nothing wrong with the door. I just want to get an opinion before I make the call.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Junkman]

I am not an installer, but I do know that the door should be centered in the door opening. I also know that there is a slight set back from the door opening, so the door doesn't rub on the framework when opening. The outside of the door should have a seal installed to make it air tight. If the door isn't installed properly, then don't pay for the job until it is fixed. If you have already paid for the job, then you are at there mercy to get it fixed. If the installer is a independent contractor of the garage door company, it makes it even harder to get the door company to take sides, because they depend on the independent contractor for installation, and any problems, they might want to protect him, so he continues to do there work.
I just went to your link and see that the door was installed in December 2006 according to your post and pictures. What took so long to decide that it was not installed properly? The time to complain was when it was first installed, not 6 months later. I think that you might have a hard time getting them to fix it now. I also would not suggest that you tackle the correction yourself.

 

[jpekarek]

I am not a professional installer, but I did work as a building maintanence mechanic for many years at a trucking depot with 36 overhead doors. There should be 1" overlap at each end of the door and be centered. If it is not "exactly" centered it's no big deal, but it should be close. There should not be light coming in from under the door, or water for that matter. That can be adjusted by you. The locking latch mechanisim can be slightly raised on the door (1/4" or so) so that the door holds down tighter when locked. Look at the gap under the door, is it even all the way across? If not, you may have a poorly finished cement slab and there is nothing that a door installer can do about that. I have seen that alot.

On a properly installed door, there should be no more than 1/4" gap from the door front to the 2x8 case trim around the door opening. The gap is sealed by a rubber seal piece around the perimeter. There is usually more gap at the top of the door and less at the bottom so the door can slide into position without scraping the casing, but the rubber seal should be pressed against the door when closed and there should be no light showing through. Everything is adjustable by a knowledgable installer. You just need to get hold of the installer or door company and see if he is willing to come out and fix it.

Remember, sugar works better than salt when dealing with service companies!

 

[nova65ss]

Yeah doesn't matter if it is not centered but it might look funny on the outside. The door is meant to kind of float side to side an inch or so. You can manipulate it some by adjusting the vertical track on one side in some and out on the other but in your case I do not think it is necessary. Did they install the vinyl stop molding on the outside perimeter. That will usually solve the gaps problems on the outside between the door and jamb. The bottom rubber really isn't meant to be watertight just to kind of keep the bugs and debri from coming in. You can buy some threshold to put on the floor that might help some we have it in aluminum and hard rubber.

 

[78fj40]

I just went to your link and see that the door was installed in December 2006 according to your post and pictures. What took so long to decide that it was not installed properly? The time to complain was when it was first installed, not 6 months later. I think that you might have a hard time getting them to fix it now. I also would not suggest that you tackle the correction yourself.

The installer who did the install is pretty reputable, so I didn't do a through inspection when the door was installed. It looked like it was installed correctly. I took over a year to build this garage. I didn't have the money to complete each step right after the other, so the garage sat dormant for a few months while I did the electrical, insulation and sheetrock. It wasn't until I completed the electrical lights inside the garage that I noticed a fair amount of light seepage around the door and took a closer inspection to the install.

The company came out twice, once because the bottom seal (the rubber tube on the bottom of the door) was filling with water and would leak out every time the door opened, and the second time was when I noticed the light seepage. Both times I was told that the door was fine. After the last time, I did a bit more research and looked at other doors installed by this company at other sites to see what was different.

This is what leads me up to here.....

 

[78fj40]

Yeah doesn't matter if it is not centered but it might look funny on the outside. The door is meant to kind of float side to side an inch or so. You can manipulate it some by adjusting the vertical track on one side in some and out on the other but in your case I do not think it is necessary. Did they install the vinyl stop molding on the outside perimeter. That will usually solve the gaps problems on the outside between the door and jamb. The bottom rubber really isn't meant to be watertight just to kind of keep the bugs and debri from coming in. You can buy some threshold to put on the floor that might help some we have it in aluminum and hard rubber.

When you say vinyl stop molding, do you mean that 1x4 strip of vinyl/wood, with the piece of rubber weatherstripping on it? If so that is installed. I really wish there was an easy way to take photographs of the install so that you could see it better.

Thanks for the info.

 

[thefairlaneman]

The vinyl seals go on the sides and across the top of the door opening. As the door drops into the closed position it has to lightly press against the seals from the inside. The seals will be visable from the front.If the guy didnt install it this way he for sure didnt know what he was doing.