Rearranging Garage Door Panels

[Colt]

Greetings! This is my first thread here even though I've been lurking for years. We bought four first house a couple of years ago and while I've already modified and improved several aspects the garage door has always bugged me.

I prefer the windows to be on the top panel both for security and lighting reasons. I'm really not familiar with different types of garage doors and I've never installed one but I don't see any physical reason why I couldn't unbolt these two panels from their tracks and move the windows to the top position. This is all in preparation for insulation. I've looked around on the door quite a bit and can't seem to find any make/model identification but perhaps I'm simply looking in the wrong places. The garage door opener is a Chamberlain unit that's probably around 10 years old, at a guess. The door is steel and the standard size for a one car garage. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. I've done some searching here and off site but nothing I've found is about this particular subject.

 

[larry4406]

Not a garage door mechanic, put I think you can swap the top two panels. Make sure the trolley arm attachment to the window panel is secure. Don't touch the torsion spring unless you know what you are doing. May have to move some guide wheels and hinges around.

I have had houses built where wrong panels with windows were installed, and they simply swapped them out.

 

[readhead]

Swapping them is not a problem. The hinges have to go back in the same locations. Put some C clamps in the track above the rollers in the third panel down so the door doesn't go up when you remove the panels.

 

[toolmiser]

I did one of mine once, wife and I decided we didn't like it so I switched it back. Just thought you might enjoy the little story.

 

[kbs2244]

The documation that came with the last two doors I installed said that the top panel had reinforced attachment points for an opener.
If your door panel is missing these attachment points you may want to add some reinforcement of some kind across the top frame.

 

[gnpenning]

It looks like a Wayne Dalton. They are so proud of their product they put there name on it.

If you look at the top panel you will see a raised area that your opener attaches to. The window panel doesn't have one to support the opener. You can buy a opener bracket. You need to know the height of the panel. From here it looks like a 18". Make sure you buy one for a Wayne Dalton panel.

You even have a sticker on the top panel telling you that it's reinforced for a opener.

 

[K13]

Seems to me putting the windows at the top would make it less secure not more. Way easier to reach in and cut/disable the opener when the window is right beside it.

 

[zkdiesel]

Tinted my windows. People can’t see in, but I can see out

 

[Colt]

The main reason I mentioned security was people being able to casually observe what's in the garage, not prevent them from getting in. I appreciate all of the feedback from everyone. It sounds like I should be able to unbolt the two panels and lift them away from the track and simply swap the hardware with maybe some minor fitting. I'll be sure to restrain the lower half of the door when I do this. The other reason I'm contemplating this little project is that it's obvious some of the weatherstripping between the panels has come loose and I would really like to fix that. This thing is the single biggest heat loss in the garage as it's always facing into the wind and it's a big sheet of thin steel.

Good eye on the Wayne Dalton, gnpenning. I went and looked again and none of the stickers has a name on it still so I'm not sure what the deal is but the images I can find online of similar Wayne Dalton doors look just like it from the inside.