Garage door issues,,,Help

[Scotsman1886]

Two years ago I bought a house that had been a HUD repo. Was vacant for four years when I moved in. Was an "as is" deal.

My biggest battle has been with the garage door. Standard aluminum roll up door.

Trouble is it often comes out of the track resulting in rollers flying, pannels flopping and cables coming off.

My usual fix is to get the rollers on and it in the track then re-wind the cables. Level it and hope for the best. While I can get it working again my question is why does it keep doing it?

What should I be checking? Something must be outa wack

 

[LB-1911]

You have a few things going on. There is a wealth of information on the topic @

Garage Door Troubleshooting
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/troubleshooting.php

If it is pretty hammered, starting fresh with a new door and track might be a better choice than throwing parts at it.

 

[FrankR63]

Two years ago I bought a house that had been a HUD repo. Was vacant for four years when I moved in. Was an "as is" deal.

My biggest battle has been with the garage door. Standard aluminum roll up door.

Trouble is it often comes out of the track resulting in rollers flying, pannels flopping and cables coming off.

My usual fix is to get the rollers on and it in the track then re-wind the cables. Level it and hope for the best. While I can get it working again my question is why does it keep doing it?

What should I be checking? Something must be outa wack

Hi,
I am a garage door professional with 35+ years of service.
It sounds to me that the door is hung out of square and or level.
The best way to remedy that is to re install the door.
There are many tutorials available on the web that shows the proper install of a garage door.
The sections must be stacked level and the tracks must be square to each other.
Cliff notes of this are as follows.
Set the bottom section in the opening and level it. Place a wedge under one side to level the section. Then stack the remaining sections, use a nail ran at an angle along both edges of the door and bend it over to hold the sections in place. Stack the entire door and secure all the hinges. Put the rollers into the end hinges. Set the vertical tracks in place and measure down from the top of the vertical track to the center or any roller, this measurement needs to be same on both sides, raise one track to get the same measurement on both sides. The door is now level and the tracks are square. Finish off installing the horizontal tracks and spring system and your set.
Make sure that the back hangers are also square.
You want to maintain 1.5” from the edge of the door to the outside edges of the track all along the track.
Take a few minutes to watch a video or read a install manual and this job should go pretty easy for you.
Frank
www.garagedoorstuff.com

 

[nova65ss]

Sounds more like a spring issue to me? How many springs does the door have and how old is the spring or springs?

 

[AndyL]

I'll go the other way...

First off - how many kinks in your cables? Chances are if it's been acting up as you say - then they're probably pretty nasty, which is really not helping. Secondly - what's the part number on the drums, how high is the door - and how many turns are you putting on the springs?

The basics... Level the door to the track - try to set it up so that the spacing is equidistant at the top rollers (this isn't always LEVEL; it should be, but things shift/lean/sink over time) Replace the cables - Set your left hand drum first - when you tighten the set screws - the left one's will loosen the cable off, right will tighten. Once the left is set, vicegrip 'taught', then set the right. Remember - snug + 3/4 of a turn on the set screws - don't crush the shaft.

Winding springs - use proper tools, not screwdrivers, the rule of thumb is 1 turn per foot of door - based on 4" residential drums. So for a 7' high door - your 7 turns - then add 1/4 turn - to keep the cables tight a full open. 8' - 8 turns... Don't forget to tap in ~1/2" of stretch, so your coils don't bind against eachother.

 

[sophijo]

You have a few things going on. There is a wealth of information on the topic @

Garage Door Troubleshooting
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/troubleshooting.php

If it is pretty hammered, starting fresh with a new door and track might be a better choice than throwing parts at it.

This guy is very helpful...great printable tutorial and will ship parts cheap. You can talk with him on the phone even!!