Garage Door Too Heavy?
Stan
The old manually opened 16' wide garage overhead door is rotten, and I
would like to replace it with either a cedar or redwood pair of
motorized single wide doors.
A colleague mentioned that wood garage doors can become very heavy
due to moisture absorbtion, particularly in wet climates like we have
in Vancouver. This would then lead to an early motor burnout due to
the extra effort required to lift the heavy door.
Is there any truth to this? If so, what precautions can be taken, or
what alternatives are out there?
Has anyone had a problem with this? Any advice would be greatly
appreciated.
OffCenter
While we don't have the moisture problems
here that you have in the northwest, the hypothesis
mentioned by your friend does make sense.
I can tell you from my experiences in the home
repair business that an aluminum door is
much MUCH lighter than a wooden one
and should lengthen the life of your door
opener considerably.
Look into a good quality aluminum door
before you make your decision.
Just my two cents worth, Stan.
--
George, N2ELC
Just a little OffCenter.
High in the Hills of Northern New Jersey!
Visit my shop: www.inpro.net/offcenter
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Wayne Cannon
heavy sucker. It's not a problem for the garage door opener, however, since
the spring (torsion in my case) balances the weight of the door. Without the
torsion spring, it's all I can do to lift it, so I'd guess it's approaching 200
lbs. Mine doesn't have the nice molded seals in the joints between the panels,
so some water does seep through the cracks in a blowing rain, and the
unfinished backside of the panels can get fairly wet and heavy. The difference
from the wetness isn't enough to affect the opener, however. --Wayne
Stan wrote:
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(Change "nospam" to "wcannon" for e-mail)
John Moore
I had an 18 foot! wooden in Memphis, always out of alignment and needed huge
springs to counterbalance.
My aluminum one uses a smaller sized electric opener -- is better
insulated -- and quieter.
john
durable and lightweight.
I can't imagine why you would even want to consider going back to wood.
Just my .02
-JR
Al Cooperband
aluminum panels. When it rains, the door picks up enough weight (whether
from being water soaking into the frame or coating the aluminum panels,
I don't know) that the opener motor can barely lift it. Now, that opener
is about 30 years old, but I seem to remember that I had this problem
right from the start.
____________________
Al Cooperband
(drop the .invalid from my "reply to" address")
Swingman
lbs 36W 44R coat size at the time) I could open it manually without too
much effort. When I replaced it 12 years later with aluminum, I could not
open the old door without help.
I'd certainly like to think that damn door got heavier ... I know I did.
Aluminum garage doors are wonderful things, IMO.
--
http://www.wood-workers.com/users/swingman/
Last update: 4.02.02
"Stan" wrote in message
Thomas Kohlman
...the springs do the lifting with or without an opener!!!...if the door is
properly installed the opener only does what you would have to
manually...not a problem at all...16' will need 1/2 vs. 1/3 HP but that is
about $15 difference in the price.
"John Moore" <jmoo...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:a8ijjg$4s5$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
Bob
installed, you should be able to open any garage door with one arm.
"Thomas Kohlman" <t.ko...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:8k7r8.4863$Rw2.3...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
Larry Jaques
<offc...@SpamBeDamned.inpro.net> put up pixels to the effect:
>Stan,
> While we don't have the moisture problems
>here that you have in the northwest, the hypothesis
>mentioned by your friend does make sense.
>I can tell you from my experiences in the home
>repair business that an aluminum door is
>much MUCH lighter than a wooden one
>and should lengthen the life of your door
>opener considerably.
>Look into a good quality aluminum door
>before you make your decision.
>Just my two cents worth, Stan.
I'm going to be cutting my $#%^&*# heavy 16' wood
monster in half, framing that half, and putting in
an insulated 9' aluminum door. Lowes has them for
$267 with choice of windows, so including lumber,
I'm only into it for $300. Figure $500 for a big
one.
- - -
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
---
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming for YOU!
Larry Jaques
up pixels to the effect:
>I have an overhead garage door that consists of a wooden frame and
>aluminum panels. When it rains, the door picks up enough weight (whether
>from being water soaking into the frame or coating the aluminum panels,
>I don't know) that the opener motor can barely lift it. Now, that opener
>is about 30 years old, but I seem to remember that I had this problem
>right from the start.
Is there any reason you never sealed the bloody
thing, Al? <g>
Robs_Woodworking
doors get so wet no piddly-assed eleteric opener is gonna do the
trick..nope, when I go to fire off the old Jeep in the morning, I first
light off my 11HP Tecumpseh two stroke horiztnal shaft engine I pulled offf
an old rototilling machine my neighbor was throwin' out. It usually rolls
over after the tenth or 11th pull but the pull string is nubed down to about
a foot long....gotta do sompithin about that......After that old moter gets
up to about 3000RPM and the smoke turns to a purty shade of blue, , I throws
the big lever and that old hemp rope sqeakes and groans and then that big
ole door comes right up to the top just as fast as you please. After I tie
the rope off on old boat cleat I found at the dunp, I roll the Jeep out and
let the door back down again.... Little bit o work, but it deters burgalers
from gittin' in that way....and I git about 21 lifts to the tank so it's
purty eckonomikal....
Rob
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"John Moore" <jmoo...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:a8ijjg$4s5$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
Doug Winterburn
>
> That ain';t nuthin'. Out here in the wet spot of the USA (Warshington) the
> doors get so wet no piddly-assed eleteric opener is gonna do the
> trick..nope
...and that's a metal door - the wooden ones _really_ get soggy!
-Doug (Seattleite for my first 46 years)
Morehead City, NC
plus stalls. He was constantly having to replace the torsion springs.
"Wayne Cannon" <nos...@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:3CACCE2E...@sonic.net...
Morehead City, NC
:-)
I grew up as a mechanics son. My father had wooden doors on all of his 30
plus stalls. He was constantly having to replace the torsion springs.
"Morehead City, NC" <ja...@coastalnet.com> wrote in message
news:uaqvg4k...@corp.supernews.com...
Stan
> That ain';t nuthin'. Out here in the wet spot of the USA (Warshington) the
> doors get so wet no piddly-assed eleteric opener is gonna do the
> trick..nope, when I go to fire off the old Jeep in the morning, I first
> light off my 11HP Tecumpseh two stroke horiztnal shaft engine I pulled offf
> an old rototilling machine my neighbor was throwin' out. It usually rolls
> over after the tenth or 11th pull but the pull string is nubed down to about
> a foot long....gotta do sompithin about that......After that old moter gets
> up to about 3000RPM and the smoke turns to a purty shade of blue, , I throws
> the big lever and that old hemp rope sqeakes and groans and then that big
> ole door comes right up to the top just as fast as you please. After I tie
> the rope off on old boat cleat I found at the dunp, I roll the Jeep out and
> let the door back down again.... Little bit o work, but it deters burgalers
> from gittin' in that way....and I git about 21 lifts to the tank so it's
> purty eckonomikal....
>
> Rob
Hey Rob,
I had a chance to check out your website....nice shop! I noticed your
TS is ducted into the floor, did you build the shop from scratch?
(please excuse me if you mentioned it in the text.......I'm at work
stealing company valuable time.......no time to read much......but the
pictures are purty!)
My intention is to temporarily outfit my 26 year old garage as a
woodshop, (hence the garage door problems) then when time and funds
permit, build an out building for my uber-shop. I'm thinking of
something about 20x30 with barn doors, and a second floor for a hobby
room (too many hobbies, not enough time).
If you've (or anybody else out there) encountered any problems, or any
brilliant ides, with you shop design, I sure would appriciate finding
out about it before i go tumbling out of control into designing my
ultimate dream!
By the way, thanks for all the feedback on the garage door
question.....I'm new at this.......what a surprise!
Stan
Thomas
"Stan" <bigbac...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3f788d08.02040...@posting.google.com...
Robs_Woodworking
Thanks for the comments on the shop and yup, I built it from scratch....sort
of. I started with a 12'x20' single car garage, but by the time I was done,
I ended up using the front 8' of the existing slab, one side wall and the
end wall. The rest is all new.
If I was going to offer one piece of advice for people building a new shop,
it would be to start with the layout of the equipment first. For me, I did
up a perimeter design on the computer (perimeter for me was bounded in size
by proximity to house and edge of yard etc), printed it out as large as I
could with a gridded background, and then printed diagrams of every piece of
shop equipment I have, or may have during the shop's life. I also drew up
several sized workbenches and cabinets. Place these parts in an area you
walk by all the time (mine was on the way to the bathroom...I know, too much
information right?!) Over the course of about 4 months, place the equipment,
and start moving it around. Also build templates for lumber (8', 9' and 10'
lengths) to check the "swinging room) Don't forget sheet stock either).
Every time you look at the layout, "build something" in your head in the new
shop and see how the material flow works. Rough lumber in (have to get it in
the place (need doors)) and then need to put it somewhere (lumber rack).
Lumber came from somewhere (truck or outside lumber storage). Need to cut it
to length (makes sense to have crosscut device (miter saw / radial arm saw)
close to lumber storage). Need to stage "project bundle" for jointing (don't
want to be swinging sticks around too much, how much ceiling height's needed
etc.) after jointing, need to put stock on/up against something and rip to
width (where's the table saw?)...you get the idea. You will end up with a
regimented material flow, and staging areas before and after each machining
operation . Finally, you'll stop moving equipment around the layout and then
you can start designing the electrical and dust collection systems (yes I
have some underfloor runs) etc. You may end up "moving" doors as well (I
did) and windows, or eliminating windows, so don't restrict your thinking.
You'll want a work area to assemble "stuff" and don't forget that your shop
has walls to hang/stash/store stuff on. That said, wall space is at a
premium so use it carefully and where ever possible, create it. Also don't
forget that when you're setting up your equipment, there's a third axis to
think of. An example is my planer. Stock being fed to my planer actually
goes over the infeed table of my jointer. Raising my planer allows me to
set the planer in a spot much smaller than it "should" have. Workbench
heights should be the same and they should either be at or 1/4" below the
height of your table saw (can you say outfeed table?)...you get the idea.
My shop is big and small at the same time. I have to open one of the large
doors to joint an 8' stick of wood (but the lumber never exceeds the eave so
it always stays dry), and if I'm ripping anything longer than 9'. I open the
pedestrian door to the shop and stick the tail end out there. I have only
one (small) window, but the four skylights were extremely economical to
install, and give me all the natural light I can use. I also have equipment
on mobile bases so I can rotate them. The jointer for example, has room for
a 6' stick to clear the blades and sit on the outfeed table without butting
against the bench. If I run a stick longer, I turn the jointer by a little
bit, and the sticks go right by the bench they otherwise hit. I can turn the
tablesaw for crosscutting long stock, or move it back if I need to
manipulate large stick on the incorporated router table.
Flexibility is key to solid layout and a solid layout is the basis for a
good facility design. a space 20' x 30' will be all kinds of room for a nice
shop. Good planning up front will only pay off in the end. If you can adopt
this philosophy, and pick up a few books on layout for ideas, you'll end up
with nice space that really doesn't cost any more than if you hadn't thought
it out but is much more fun to be in.
Good luck
Rob
--
visit my web site:
http://www.robswoodworking.com
or visit the Evergreen Woodworkers Guild site:
http://www.ewwg.org
Al Cooperband
____________________
Al Cooperband
(drop the .invalid from my "reply to" address")
Apeman
of us have our shops out in the garage or have an overhead door on our
shop buildings, I'll go ahead and jump in.
T. Kohlman is correct...A properly designed and installed garage door
system is counter weighted using springs, weights or torsion bars to
make opening-closing almost effortless.
True that a wooden door will absorb moisture and you should consider
that extra weight when you install or readjust your door, but that
alone shouldn't make it too dificult for a modern and properly sized
opener to handle.
A 16 foot wooden door can be either a dream to have or a nightmare to
maintain. It's all in your tastes and if you can afford the time/money
to keep it looking good.
Replacing a 16 ft door with two 8 footers may sound good, but you
should first consider how difficult it can be to navigate in and out
of an 8 foot door. Many of my golfing neighbors have elected to
install a 9 foot alongside a 6 ft door in place of their old 16'
door...One door serves the SUV. the other the golf cart and riding
mower...Such is life in the rural berbs.
Replacing a single 16 ft door with a 9 or 10 foot door will gain you a
lot more wall space and be easier to navigate thru. An 8 foot door
would be my last option.
Light weight metal or fiberglass is an option and both can be finished
to resemble wood. Both can also be insulated whereas wood cannot.
Select your garage door based on your desired tastes and expected
utility. Consider whether you want the rich look of stained wood, the
benifits of insulation or the easy maintenance of glass/alum...But
don't fret about the weight.
All can be had in much the same styles and all can be finished to look
very much alike. And most of all, they are all weightless when
installed properly.
Larry Jaques
Whassamatta wit youse rolla duct tape?
On Fri, 05 Apr 2002 16:03:29 -0800, Al Cooperband <co...@usc.edu> put
up pixels to the effect:
>I don't have a Zip-Lok bag that big.
> ____________________
> Al Cooperband
> (drop the .invalid from my "reply to" address")
>
>Larry Jaques wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, 04 Apr 2002 16:55:40 -0800, Al Cooperband <co...@usc.edu> put
>> up pixels to the effect:
>>
>> >I have an overhead garage door that consists of a wooden frame and
>> >aluminum panels. When it rains, the door picks up enough weight (whether
>> >from being water soaking into the frame or coating the aluminum panels,
>> >I don't know) that the opener motor can barely lift it. Now, that opener
>> >is about 30 years old, but I seem to remember that I had this problem
>> >right from the start.
>>
>> Is there any reason you never sealed the bloody
>> thing, Al? <g>
>>
>> - - -
>> Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
>> ---
>> http://diversify.com Website Application Programming for YOU!
-
Gently-used Firestone tires for sale at discount!
-----------
Mark Thieme
I worked in garages as a youth, and their are people that make a living
running around adjusting overhead door springs. (go figure).
I added a door to my garage a few years back.
Newer doors are constructed of a metal skin filled with higher density
insulation.
This makes for a very light door that is more efficient.
Mark from Pasadena ,MD
Robs_Woodworking
Go back to bed now.
Rob
--
visit my web site:
http://www.robswoodworking.com
or visit the Evergreen Woodworkers Guild site:
http://www.ewwg.org
"Thomas" <West_End_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Hpkr8.3011$Sk6.12...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
> uh.....and the relevance to wood working is......?
>
> "Stan" <bigbac...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:3f788d08.02040...@posting.google.com...
> > "Robs_Woodworking" <ran...@imajis.com> wrote in message
> news:<3cad2...@news.foxinternet.com>...
> > > That ain';t nuthin'. Out here in the wet spot of the USA (Warshington)
> the
> > <snipped>