My Overhead Door is Too Big

[njc41980]

Too big? What's that mean? Seems like a good problem to have. Right?

Well, on my shop the overhead door is 15' tall and 24' wide. It's from 1974, so its well weathered by now, and it takes more than a little grunt to raise it up with the chain hoist. In fact, my son and my wife can't open the door, so that's a bit of a problem.

Unfortunately, to replace a door that size looks like it's going to cost me almost $20K, and that's not in the budget this year.

Any ideas?

 

[wssix99]

Is it a roll-up door? Why not just paint the thing and then rebuild the mechanism so it opens smoothly with little effort?

 

[njc41980]

Is it a roll-up door? Why not just paint the thing and then rebuild the mechanism so it opens smoothly with little effort?

Rebuilding may be easier said than done. It's a sectional overhead door - not a rolling coil up.

Unfortunately, it may be my only option.

The chain hoist actually broke yesterday, and if I want to get anything in or out, I'm going to have to at least patch it together.

 

[RPH]

Some pictures showing the inside of the tracks and rollers would help.

 

[njc41980]

Here are some more pics

 

[duneslider]

Its funny, when I saw the picture I thought that looks like an Idaho potato shed, then I saw you are in Idaho.

Have you had a door company come look at it and see what can be done, I would think they could give the lifting mechanisms a refurb and get it working better.

 

[mike93lx]

Rebuilding may be easier said than done. It's a sectional overhead door - not a rolling coil up.

Unfortunately, it may be my only option.

The chain hoist actually broke yesterday, and if I want to get anything in or out, I'm going to have to at least patch it together.

Looks like rollers and hinges, like a normal overhead door. Just more of them and probably larger. Doesn't seem like too big of a deal. Am I missing something?

 

[Garcky]

That's a big door, for sure. Once you do whatever you do to fix the chain hoist mechanism, get a tall ladder and lube every hinge and segment roller. Then spray white lithium grease in the tracks. I'm betting that will make it a lot easier to raise and lower.

Also check those springs. One or more of them could be broken, which would make the door harder or even impossible to raise. You'll probably have to have a door tech show up and pay him to do that, if you have a broken spring. The springs for that wide and high of a door are going to be wound up pretty tight. While the door tech is there, ask how much it would cost to motorize the door. It might be too much for you, but it's worth asking. You're going to have to fix it, though, one way or another.

It's not a DIY job, I think, just for safety reasons.

 

[njc41980]

This door takes a lot of wind. It's a big area south facing towards open fields in Idaho.

You can't really see it in the pictures, but we've got cable braces on it so that it doesn't fold up when it blows hard.

 

[BillK]

I am going to second what Garcky said. The first thing I would be looking at would be the springs. Make sure none are broken and then make sure they are adjusted properly. I bet that fixes your issue. The door at my business is 12' wide and 14' high and it opens very easily. I keep the springs clean and lube them once a year or so. I have only had to crank them up a little one time in the 22 years I have been here.

Also, This building and the door is about 30 years old. I see no reason to replace the door at this point. It probably gets opened 10 times a day on average.

 

[Damon L.]

I would be tempted to frame it down to a 16' wide one if nothing else. Those should be quite a bit more realistic in pricing. Unless you need the width.

 

[kbs2244]

I vote for a spring check and a lube job

 

[Firstram]

Don’t underestimate how dangerous those springs are!

 

[jstroede]

It is hard to tell on your pictures, but it looks as if possibly the spring on the right has slipped. It is hard to see, but it doesn't look like it has as many turns on it as the spring next to it. They are a little rusty though so it is hard to tell.

I don't think you need a door replacement though. I think a couple hundred bucks would probably get someone out there to give it a good going through and adjustment.

 

[Bucko]

One of my sectional shop doors is like 16x16 and has the same system but just 2 springs. I'm betting the spring are not wound correctly if its hard to open. Have a tech Check it out.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Another vote for checking the springs. The door shouldn't be difficult to open if they are in good condition and adjusted properly.

 

[purplezr2]

Do you need a door that size?

Maybe search you local craigslist/facebooks see if you can find a take out that is smaller and fits your needs?

 

[Relax]

That's an awesome door, definitely a keeper. Should be a lot less work to solve the problem than to install a smaller door. I also vote for checking the springs, as their job is to counteract the door's weight to make it easy to raise.

 

[PoorUB]

That door should open fairly easy if it is adjusted properly.
I am with the rest, it needs adjustment and lube.

 

[jack stand]

At a $20k replacement vs a $1000 for a painter and $2000 for a garage door mechanic it's an easy decision providing that the OHD guy doesn't find something terminal about the door. Those numbers should be extremely generous also, at least around here it would be.
Give a guy a call to see if he can get it functioning then feel him out for a proper fix once he's there.

 

[tdkkart]

Are you sure the springs are good, from the pics, looking at the way they're hanging on the bar, it looks like the middle 2 might be broken.
Properly adjusted, that door, or any overhead door, should go almost 1/2 way up basically non assisted.

I too vote for an overhaul and a paint job, springs, rollers and maybe hinges. The door is nothing special, other than damned expensive.

 

[firebirdparts]

I would totally patch that thing together until the day I die. super low tech, everything visible. Would be an absolutely pleasure to work on it, compared to the pleasure of being out $20,000. If you don't know how to fab stuff, maybe here's a chance to do some trial-and-error once in a while.

 

[Garcky]

Don’t underestimate how dangerous those springs are!

Well, they can be dangerous, but they're manageable, if you know how they work and how to wind them properly. The real danger on a door that high is working on the springs from a ladder. That's really distracting, and winding overhead door springs takes some attention and experience.

Personally, I recommend not doing it yourself, especially on a high door like that one. It's a job best left to a pro, I think. Personally, I wouldn't work on that door without a man lift of some kind. Even a scissors lift would be fine.

I've installed a couple of that style of door, but smaller, and I've replaced springs on a couple of them. It's not a job I like one bit.

I think a good overhead door technician could probably get that door back working properly without a lot of issues. However, it's not going to be a cheap job, due to the height and number of springs.

 

[wssix99]

Lots of great replies above. The door is big but everything looks like comodity parts to me. Any local garage door company should be able to replace the springs, put a new opener on it (and maybe some new rollers) and have you running like new.

Oiling the springs every year will help keep everything going. They look rusted and the oil will help.

 

[kwb]

Agree - check if the springs are still both in tact. There should be some paint marks on the coils that are similarly offset if they are equally wound.
Lube the spring if that thing is old and some surface rust is showing up - that can be a lot of friction and that stops assisting the lifting.

If you haven't done it before - this isn't the door to learn about winding springs. My dad had a wood door a bit smaller than yours but probably about the same weight. I helped R&R that door a couple times for projects that wouldn't fit through the opening. Winding those things was a PITA. Doing it from man basket was much safer than from ladder. Looking back we never should have done it from ladder. A pro overhead door guy probably has done enough that he can do it safely but having only done a few previously- it was a safety 3rd sort of deal.

Traditional style opener for that tall of a door is $$, jackshaft for that size is also $$. It is really nice to have it be just a push of a button. If the door is fixable (and it should be) spend a bit of the money you just thought you had to spend on a new door and get one.

 

[Jbullfrog]

There shouldn't be a need for a chain hoist on a door mounted with springs. Are the lift cables not attached to the bottom of the door? I have worked on doors that big, and you could lift them with one hand.

 

[nicks78camaro]

Another vote to call a garage door guy and see if they can tune it up for a grand or two

 

[kwb]

I have been around doors like that before - the chain is maybe 2:1 ratio. Not huge leverage but it helps and really helps to control the door on the downhill side of things or to be able to hook the chain anywhere between full open and full closed and keep the door at that height without drifting one way or the other.

It is really hard to get the right spring constant and preloading to be perfectly balanced throughout the range on a door that big.

 

[njc41980]

Thank you everyone.

I'm going to take the advice of getting a garage door company to tune it up.

I can buy a new chain hoist assembly online for a hundred or two, but I'm encouraged by you'alls comments to try to tune up the door and add the electric operator I want.

 

[nicks78camaro]

Thank you everyone.

I'm going to take the advice of getting a garage door company to tune it up.

I can buy a new chain hoist assembly online for a hundred or two, but I'm encouraged by you'alls comments to try to tune up the door and add the electric operator I want.

Let us know the outcome and good luck!

 

[jstroede]

Make sure that you get a company that does commercial work to come and look at it. There is a big difference between what you have and a 16x7 on a house. It will cost a little more, but those guys know how to work with doors that large.

John