Garage Door Help


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Old 01-29-08, 01:22 PM
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Question Garage Door Help

I installed a 9'x8' Insulated door on a 12' tall wall. I cut the track that came with the door and installed a piece between the vertical that came with it and the elbow. So there is a 10' vertical section then the elbow and the remaining 3' after the elbow. The door opens perfectly to where the bottom of the door is just above the top of the door frame before it hits the stops. My problem is the ez torsion system is for a door that starts getting lighter due to the panels resting on the horizonal section as you raise it. So if i set my torsion spring to where it almost opens the door by itself it gets to where im lifting the whole weight of the door when its about half way up. Other than installing counter weights like on the old time windows that were inside the walls what could i do? Is this to much stress to expect any garage door opener to lift?

Thanks

Eric

P.S. Sorry for the length post but its hard to describe my specific problem.
 
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Old 01-29-08, 02:51 PM
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I'm not sure what you are describing. It sounds like you modified the door track so that it has (when fully open) 1/2 of the door still vertical and 1/2 horizontal (approx).

You should order the right track for what you want the door to do. If you are trying to keep the ceiling of the garage clear, I just don't think that,s gonna happen. On a taller wall you can get the mechanism to lift it straight up, sold many of those to people with motorcoaches.

This doesn't sound very safe, and it definitely voids any warranty you may have had.

You may find an opener that will work, but not for long. And I wouldn't want to be under the door when it fails.

Post some pics of your situation, and maybe someone will have an idea to help.
 
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Old 01-30-08, 07:12 AM
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You have it right. I guess i will just do the counter weights. Im going to add some pulleys and hide the weights inside the walls. Add enough weight that the door will be pulled open gently at the end. Yes i see the safety risk of what im doing. Theres always risks with everything. This door will not be used but only a few times. My other idea was to just put a spring latch at the top but that seems rather risky with the weight of the door being almost 100lbs at that point. Another idea i came up with was to install larger pully to the torsion system to utilize more of the strong point of the spring since by the time the door reaches the top the spring is almost fully unsprung. But i do not know where to find a larger pully for this system. The best bet i thought of was a side mounted opener i see some say they can lift 600lb doors but they are rather expensive. I appreciate the help and concern for saftey i guess thats why i came here instead of just trying one of my ideas.
 
 

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