We Need A New Garage Door.

[MineralMan]

I'd love to buy one to replace the one that was there when we bought our house six and a half years ago. However, the budget won't stretch that far, and I refuse to add another $1000 to one of our credit cards. So, what to do?

Consult the Internet, of course. I'm pretty darned handy, but I've never worked on a garage door before. One of the cables broke, which means unwinding and rewinding the two torsion springs that handle the weight of the door before I can replace the cable. I can get the cable, and the hardware I need to replace some worn stuff with no problem. But...all of that stuff comes with boldfaced warnings about calling a professional for anything regarding those torsion springs. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS YOURSELF! the warnings scream.

Well, OK, but I can't afford to hire a "professional." So, a Google search on garage door torsion springs brings lots of information, including several step-by-step guides to what I need to do. For someone like me, who's been doing household repairs and who has even built some room additions, etc., the instructions are pretty simple. I have all the tools needed, access to the parts I need, and the information. So, I'll be out there tomorrow doing this repair. After I clear away the 6" of snow from the driveway from the snowstorm we're expecting. I have to take the snowblower out the side door of the garage. I measured, and it will fit with no problem. I'd sure rather not do this in temperatures that may get into the teens, but it's Hobson's choice.

My point? Well, the point is that it's fine for me to fix this door. I have the accumulated skill set I need to follow the directions I have. I can do this safely, and the old door will be back in business, scarred and ugly as it is. The question is: How do other people do this if they can't afford to get their repairs done by a pro? I'm envisioning inoperable garage doors all over the city that turn people's garages into useless storage rooms. Cars left out in the snow, and needing to be cleared after every storm, for want of the knowledge to do the job themselves, or the money to pay someone. How many people will attempt to do this themselves without the skills and the right information? How many will be injured trying?

This is a minor deal, really, but it's one more casualty of the bad economy. The garage door businesses aren't even interested in repairing these things. They'll just try to sell you a new door. That's their business. Most often, a repair would fix the problem, but that's not how it works. It's frustrating. I hope things get better. I really hope they get better, because it's not just broken garage doors. It's broken lives.

[RKP5637]

1. Imagine those that loosen the cable retaining clips at the bottom of the door

thinking they are releasing the door and lose a hand or worse in the cable retraction from the torsion spring if not properly unwound.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. It's a dangerous apparatus. I hadn't paid much attention

to garage door, since I never had one before buying this house. My former house was in California, and didn't have a garage. When the door wouldn't open, I took a close look at it. I could see that those torsion springs had a lot of energy stored in them. So, once I identified the problem, I headed for Google. I'm not a fool. Fortunately, all the info anyone needs can be found.

I'm not concerned, now. It's not that enormous a job, once you know what to do and have, or make, the tools you need. Still, if I didn't have a lifetime of experience working on things, I can see how I might get in trouble with a job like this. I worry about others trying to do this without the basic knowledge and step-by-step instructions.

And yet, people who can't afford to have things repaired will try to do it themselves. Not recommended.

[FSogol]

3. No idea. I was also raised by a family that never called a repairman

so I learned to fix appliances, do plumbing, electrical work, and a huge variety of home repairs. When I was little, it was common to help the neighbors do projects and get help from them. Nowadays, neighbors act surprised when I hold their ladder or show up when they are cutting tree limbs or cleaning gutters.

I suspect you are right, they repairs get put off or some senior citizen falls off his roof.

[MineralMan]

6. A lot of people are badly injured or die from attempting repairs

they shouldn't have started. It's very sad. I grew up in a family that was always short of cash, so my father was my model for learning to do as much as possible on my own. It's very worthwhile, but has to be started early. If you haven't done that kind of thing before, it's tough to learn complex jobs from scratch. That gets people in trouble, or worse.

[FSogol]

7. True. It is also harder to fix something that someone has attempted to fix before you. n/t

[FSogol]

4. Get a circular saw, cut the door in half vertically and install carriage hinges on the sides.

Hope that helps. ;-)

[MineralMan]

8. Ha! Believe me, it's tempting. But this is a segmented, roll-up

door, so that won't work, and the cost of building my own door from scratch is too much. Otherwise, I'd be thinking seriously about a pair of swinging doors. The opening is just 9 feet, so it's doable, but would need some serious hardware to prevent sagging, although I could probably add wheels to the inner edge of each door to bear the weight.

In fact, I'm seriously thinking about doing that next summer. It would be cheaper than a new door, for sure.

[FSogol]

11. And stylish. You could start calling your house, "The Manor." n/t

[MineralMan]

12. Ha! Well, I would start calling the garage the carriage house.

Has a nice ring to it.

[FSogol]

5. Dupe - please delete.

[rainbow4321]

9. Heh..I can tell you from experience

about not being able to afford to get one fixed.

The house I had lived in up til this year had garage doors that I just couldn't get fixed. I would open and shut the one I needed manually but as I only owned one car, I had no need to make the other one workable.
The second one was slightly crooked so you could see that part of it sat MAYBE an inch higher off the ground than the rest of it. But you really had to look to see it. The paint job was fine, it was not worn and torn looking.

The Homeowner's association fined me for it and sent me nastygrams non stop.
Over that slightly crooked garage door and also over some rust spots I had on the side of my house waaaayyyy up high that no one could see unless you went between my house and the neighbors house and looked up. The rust was from when my a/c pipe to the outside of the house wall had leaked at one point and I never had the money to get the side of the house painted.

I think they were trying to keep their coffers full cuz when I finally left, there were alot of empty houses in the neighborhood. My guess is that they were resorting to nickle and dime the people who were left.



But all is good now, I sold the house, moved into an apartent and do NOT miss dealing with the HOA or repair bills. Now if there is something wrong in the apt, the onsite maintenance man is here within a day..whether it be changing out the a/c air filter to changing a blown light bulb that is set up on high ceilings where I cannot reach. Even came out at 10:30pm when the damn smoke alarm battery was chirping that it was low (it, too, is way up high and I don't own a ladder).

[demodonkey]

10. I've done this same repair myself a few years ago... just follow instructions and be careful.

Also you should install a safety cable through the springs on both sides. Again, this is very doable if you follow instructions and be careful. You can get safety cable kits at hardware stores.

Sadly, our 1970's garage door finally lost two panels (groundhog or something pushed them in) and then jumped the track... top fold's now hanging down and the whole thing can barely open or close. We need a new one badly and even if we could afford the parts, I can NOT do a complete installation myself.

[MedicalAdmin]

15. I'm saving up to get mine replaced.

It is one of those old pressed material ones that weigh about 80,000 pounds. But we have a patients whose husband does them so we are trading services for a new door installation. It's still a lot of money but I'm putting a little away each month.

On the bright side, our semi new car will be paid off in a few months and that money is going straight into home repair for 6 months and then back into our next car fund so we still have wheels when this one dies (hopefully in 20 years).

[Billy Burnett]

13. The garage has already been converted to house the unemployed returning kids.

I see this all around my neighborhood. Not only are the parents cars ouside, but now the kids cars are too. I've never seen so many cars parked around the houses lately. Including mine.

[IMATB]

14. I had a 30 year old wooden garage door

with decorative glass. Two car garage, solid one piece door.

One day I drove in, turned the car off and while I was getting out of the car the door fell, hard.

The spring at the top broke and hit the wall and the cable broke. Scared the hell out of me.

I called the first person in the phone book. He told me it would be $100 to fix. He showed up the next morning, replaced the cable and the spring, even put a new rubber on the bottom of the door. It took him 30 mins.

I asked if the door needed to be replaced, he said no. It was in very good condition considering it's age and it being wooden.

I felt he did a great job and the price was reasonable. Call around. You may be surprised.

[madokie]

18. Welcome

to our world here in du land :-) :hi:

[IMATB]

19. Hello to you too.

Nice to be here.

[Turbineguy]

16. It's not that difficult.

You might end up with the door less than perfectly adjusted, but it will work. There are stores that specialize in garage doors and they can sell you parts and give advice. The key is that there is tension on the springs when the door is closed (obviously).

From your description it sounds like you have the type where the spring runs along the upper beam parallel to the door?

The key is to not release the springs while under tension, meaning, when the door is closed. You can make measurements to where the cables should attach to the door and pretension to that distance.

I have actually released tension under load using 2 wrenches and counting the number of revolutions the tensioner had to turn. Then after replacing parts, reset the tension with the door closed. That works too.

[madokie]

17. If I was a little closer to you I would come and give you a hand

I just put a 9 ft garage door in my shop were there was no door before. I have another door on the other end but I needed one on this end so I just cut a hole and made a frame and put it all together. I paid fifty bucks for the door, hardware and all. A friend was turning their one car garage into living space and had just taken the door out the day I found out about it. Of course I built my shop to begin with about 20 years ago so I knew what I was getting into. In fact I still have the plans that I drew in autocad and went to them to plan my progress.

But to get to your question, a lot of people are just making do with what they have, living with whatever cause they're isn't any money for repairs that possibly can be put off until another day. Sad but thats what the pukes want for us and as it stands today thats what they're getting. Sorry bastids anyway.

[JuniperLea]

29. Between you and the Mineral Man...

I bet you could fix or make almost anything!

:hi:

I have a great admiration for people who can do such things. I'm great with needle, thread, material, and yarn, thanks to grandparents. But my grandfather, the welder, never would teach me to weld... he didn't want me hanging out with welders! Gotta love it!

:rofl:

[MineralMan]

35. Welders always need someone to fix the holes in their clothes.

You'd be a great find for a welder, I think. :hug:

[JuniperLea]

47. Awww...

:hug:

[madokie]

43. We all may have to band together one day

at the rate the politicians and corporations are destroying our way of live we may be taking a second look at the community thing. Thats the way it was back when my parents were alive and still is to some rural communities but so many have bought into the 'moving to the city' where that camaraderie isn't so strong, those are the ones I worry about if times were to get really tough.

Feels good to make something, a piece of clothing or what ever doesn't it? Not only clothing but any number of things made from thread and cloth. Yes, as a do'er you know the feeling :hug:

[JuniperLea]

46. Yes, I do!

I was just eying a property with seven bedrooms that's going for a song. I was thinking commune:)

I've felt the "band together" urge since the 70's when I started reading the Foxfire books. There's so much that today's society doesn't know, and they would be absolutely lost without electricity, let alone a grocery store!

It's folks like us that will be in great demand... WHEN it all falls apart.

I thank The Cosmos that I was raised by country folk who could take care of themselves from the ground up. :hug:

[MineralMan]

54. Actually, I'm in a running conversation with a bunch of friends of my

wife and I about the possibility of pooling resources and buying a small lakeside resort that's seeing hard times. You know the type. Little one bedroom cabins, a central building with a commercial kitchen, and docks, etc. The idea is that we'd all live in our little cabins, and hire a couple of people to do things like cook and the like. It'd be our own little assisted living retreat, with those of us living there doing most of the assisting for each other. Lots of those little resorts in Minnesota, and they're seeing hard times. Most of us own homes outright, so the funding would be pretty easy. It's very tempting, and the idea is catching on with these friends. We may end up doing it one day. I'm the oldest, though, so I'm going to want to move in the next five years or so if it's going to happen.

[MineralMan]

33. Thanks. This looks like a one-person job, though.

Sounds like your help would be very valuable, though. Once I'm done, I'll know about garage doors and maybe I can help someone else with theirs. I'm sure there's more than one in my own neighborhood that needs some repair, and maybe I can help someone else out. That's one solution for bad economic times. Everyone has to help as they can.

[madokie]

42. My parents were old when I was born

and the memory of the depression was still very much with them so they taught us kids to do everything necessary to keep going.
accept help when you must and pass it forward is the right way to go about it, no doubt. :hi:

[JuniperLea]

48. Barn raisings and flour sack undies!

I've heard those stories. I'd give anything to be able to spend just one more day hearing them again!

My grandmother had 14 brothers and sisters. Her father worked for the railroad, so they would have been a lot better off than most but for all those kids! Wants and needs were clearly defined. I think that's where today's society hits a hard patch.

[madokie]

57. 13 of us kids

8 of us still going strong. Oldest still alive is 82 and youngest is 58. flour sack shirts for us boys and flour sack dresses for the girls all made on a pedal singer sewing machine.

[JuniperLea]

60. No wonder...

I always felt like you we family. :)

[MineralMan]

53. Seems like all the fix-it guys are volunteers these days.

There used to be a lot of handy people who made a living at it. Pity. Maybe it'll make a comeback. Back in the early 70's, I had a handyman business called "Let George Do It" for a couple of years, and made a tidy little living fixing stuff for people. The name of the business was aimed at my parent's generation, and it worked. I did lots of things for older people for $10/hr. It didn't matter what they needed. I'd take care of it for them. Plumbing, electrical, automotive. I fixed it all.

I sort of miss that little business, to tell the truth. It was gentle, sustainable, and much appreciated by the customers.

[Skidmore]

20. We replaced a garage door last year...

the old one was in bad shape. We caught a sale at Menards and got one on markdown. My husband bartered with a local tradesperson in the village to help install it in exchange for repairing his television, something he did not know how to do.

[Rochester]

21. I built my garage door from scratch

using plywood and dimensional lumber. I used tension springs rather than torsion springs, which are easier to handle. It works great! I've had to do some tweaks and adjustments to it but I'd rather do the work myself.

[MineralMan]

24. I'm seriously considering building my own door next summer.

I can do it.

[Liberal_in_LA]

22. why has this topic been unrecced? I'd really like to know

[MineralMan]

23. Has it been unrecced. I never pay any attention to that on posts

like this. It's not aimed at the Greatest Page, anyhow. I suppose it's because I wrote it, though, if someone's unreccing it. Not everyone here likes me that well. :shrug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. yeah it's been unrecced. I can tell because I recced it and the total remained at zero

damn crazy unreccers

[DainBramaged]

26. This is appropriate for GD?

Isn't this what the Lounge is for?

[JuniperLea]

27. Clearly you didn't finish reading the OP...

I think it belongs in GD. This is all about the current financial climate in the US.

[MineralMan]

31. Thanks for replying to my thread. This is about the bad

economic climate and how it affects people. I'm just the example. I'm very sorry it didn't meet your specifications for a GD post.

[DainBramaged]

34. Meh...........

:eyes:

[MineralMan]

36. OK, then....

Have a great weekend.

[JuniperLea]

28. I called Omar...

There's a very old pick-up truck that is parked in front of a modest home in my neighborhood. I've passed that house and that truck hundreds of times over the past 10 years, and noted the name painted on the side. My grandfather used to drive old trucks like that with the name of his business, "Dugan Equipment Repair" proudly painted on the side. I can't see a 1940's or 1950's pick-up without thinking of Grandpa. I could have called the guy who advertises great prices on TV, but I thought that Omar should have my business. I needed a new garage door opener... $$$$ !!

A lot of people in my townhouse complex park on the street and use their garage as storage, or an extra play room... they are all nicely finished inside and look more like a room than a garage anyway. I often wonder if this is by choice, or because they had a problem and couldn't afford to fix the door.

We have to think a lot more about money these days. What we need vs. what we want; WalMart vs. Omar.

After a few days, there was a glitch. The door would go back up once it hit the ground. I know nothing about garage doors, so I called Omar. I figured he'd come out and adjust something and maybe charge another house visit. He gave me perfect instructions for the fix over the phone!

Repair is a word we as a country haven't used much. My grandparents were children of the Great Depression... repair was their middle name. I'm so thankful to have had them around for so long. Not only because I loved them dearly, but because I learned a lot about repair. There are precious few things made today that can be repaired. That's a whole 'nuther OP!

[MineralMan]

32. Well, I wish I could give work to someone on this job,

but I can't this time.

[JuniperLea]

37. If I were you, with your skills...

I'd do as much as I could myself. I'm not, and I don't, so Omar was a good fit with my needs:)

[MineralMan]

39. I'm lucky to have learned that stuff, mostly by necessity.

I did contribute to the local economy, though. A few trips to my locally-owned Ace Hardware has provided all the stuff I need to do the job. It's a great hardware store, family-owned, and very, very well stocked. Everyone who works there is knowledgeable and happy to offer good advice. I do all my hardware shopping there, because it's the best hardware store in the area. They know me well, and I know every aisle in the store.

I haven't been in the nearby Home Depot for a couple of years.

[SoCalDem]

51. Repair, Restore, Re-Use... words from a bygone era

but around here, we live by it:)

What people often do not realize, is that the "replacement" is not likely to last much longer than the "warranty" on it.

Cheap is no substitute for quality.

[MadHound]

30. Repair is becoming a dirty word in this country

More and more products come with built in obsolescence. Gone are the days when companies built quality products designed to last decades. And when something does break down, good luck in finding somebody who can repair it. The days of "Mr. Fix-it" shops, where you could get small appliances fixed, are gone. Not to mention that even if you do find somebody who could fix it, it would cost almost as much to fix the item as to simply get a new one. This is across a wide range of products, ranging from appliances to electronics to shoes to cars.

The new ethos is not to fix it, but throw it away and buy something new. A sad statement about our society.

[Waiting For Everyman]

38. Mine's been broken for two years.

It's a double-wide with horizontal panels. Two of the five heavy metal hinges between two panels of it completely broke in half, bending one of the panels too. As you say, the "fix" from repair people is to replace the door - there's no way I can afford that, being a widow.

Fortunately, it broke while it was down and the car was outside at the time. Fortunately too, there is a normal-sized side door to the garage, to go in and out of myself with the lawn mower and trash cans etc.

On the "do list" that I have no way to deal with, there is: the garage door, 2 out of 3 bathrooms dysfunctional, a kitchen sink problem, the dishwasher broke 5 years ago, a marginal refrigerator, a missing piece of siding up by the 2-story roof line, and an electrical problem in the car.

By the time I get one thing solved, I get two more.

I do a lot of smaller/easier repairs myself though, and I often worry too about people who can't even do that much.

[mtnester]

56. You can replace the section only, or the hinges and get a strut.

I hate when people try to do more. Sure, they can recommend a full door replacement, however, once you tell them that is not within your budget, they should have recommended the section only, or the hinges and strut reinforcement.

Call around, get your free estimates. Do not tell them this is a service call...Tell them you want an estimate on replacing the section, or reinforcing it with struts and replacing the hinges.

(this is what we do for a living)

[Waiting For Everyman]

58. Thanks so much, mtnester!! I will do that.

It helps to know that can be done, and what to ask for. Thank you!

[Hello_Kitty]

40. I'm driving an 8 year old car with a lot of miles on it that needs numerous repairs.

[MineralMan]

41. Lots of people in your boat. The newer cars are less

easily repaired by the home mechanic. It's gotten markedly worse over the past 20 years. I can still do some things, based on my time working as an auto mechanic in my father's shop, but that was long ago, and there's less and less that's doable now. The last repair I made on one of my cars was replacing the radiator, and that's complicated by a special tool needed to remove the oil and transmission cooler lines from the radiator. I found a workaround, but it wasn't easy.

I don't know of a solution for automotive stuff. I normally take mine to the shop now, where the average bill has been about $800. The exception is my 1991 Volvo wagon, which I still maintain myself. Fortunately, it has had very few problems.

I know your frustration, but have no good solutions.

[Hawkeye-X]

44. We have a good garage door repair service here in Denver

Efficient Garage Door Repair.

just fyi

[malaise]

45. Good luck

Post the results.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

49. Good luck with the repair

We had to replace ours last winter
It was old anyway but then Mr pede forgot to open before backing out the car....
He tried to fix the damage and it worked for awhile but with colder weather it wasn't so good
About $600 installed (single car), took them less than an hour to get it done

[Raine]

50. The springs busted on my old wooden garage door

years ago. Luckily I have a big driveway to park in and can access the garage thru the house. One problem is even finding someone I can hire to repair it because no one I know can do it.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

52. Start a barter system like Hour Exchange Portland.

http://www.hourexchangeportland.org/

I find your post odd, though, since in a recession folks tend to fix things rather than replace them. They delay new purchases, hit pawn shops, Goodwill, etc. One would think the garage door business needs, well, business, unless you're in an area that's not hit too hard by the crap economy.

[MineralMan]

55. My city, St. Paul, MN has been impacted, but is doing OK,

overall. We have a perennial low income population, though. I'm sure I could find someone able and willing to do this work at a reasonable price, but it's something I can do myself, so I will. I try to be as self-reliant as I can.

[Motown_Johnny]

59. Just be careful and have someone with you to call for help if needed

because you will be working on the garage door the door will be closed.


If your hand slips and the tension on the spring releases injuring you it is important that someone is there to help you.


If you are alone in a garage with the door closed when injured you may be in serious trouble.


After all that, it isn't that dangerous. Those warning are equivalent to the warnings that McDonald's coffee is hot.

[MineralMan]

61. I'm happy to report that the repairs worked.

It took three trips to my local Ace Hardware, but it's done and the door works better than it ever has.

[malaise]

62. Fabulous

:applause:

[MineralMan]

66. I still wish I'd been able to support the local economy by

hiring someone to do the job, but I suppose those trips to the hardware store helped a little.

It turned out that this job is eminently doable by the homeowner. All that's needed is a source of parts and good instructions from the internet. Piece of cake, really.

On another note: I'm blown away that four people came back to the thread to see how it went. Thanks to everyone for all the support!

[B Calm]

63. Great news! I learned to work on my garage door years ago. As

a home owner you'll learn to work on a lot of things to save money. I learned a long time ago how to work on my well and doing a little preventive maintenance during the warm months after spending many dollars to get it unfrozen in the dead of winter.

[Motown_Johnny]

64. 3 trips isn't bad

good job

the next time it will be easier, and all your neighbors will now think you are the expert to turn to when their's needs work


Congratulations!

[msanthrope]

65. Good for you! And I. like Juniper Lea upthread, have an Omar for the repairs

I cannot do myself.

Growing up, my grandfather thought it important that I know basic carpentry, how to change a tire, how to do simple wiring, and plumbing, so that I would never be dependent on a man to do these things for me.

[madokie]

67. I'm doing that with my grand daughter

I'm teaching her how things work so she will know when someone is ripping her off and maybe she'll even be able to do some things she wouldn't be able to do otherwise. All machines are made up of three basic things. A lever, a wedge and a wheel and once you understand that then figuring out how it works comes much easier.