Garage door repair guy says Im screwed unless I buy new door. door techs please step inside - Page 1

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Garage door repair guy says Im screwed unless I buy new door. door techs please step inside

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:07:14 AM EDT

before going to bed yesterday morning I heard a large "Bang"
and after further review discovered my garage door spring had failed

.
so I call the repair company I had used before when the door started to sag
and had them install a new spring.
.

guy came pretty fast and took just under an hour to finish.
it set me back 190 bucks installed .. no issue there as no way I was gonna
do that myself with the energy involved with the spring.
.
but he gave me a report stating that the door is basically a death trap
and if it was his door he would not park cars inside as it could come off the track and fall on
anything inside at anytime. and of course offered to sell me a new door.
.
the following pics are some of the areas he stated on the report that the parts can fail at anytime and probably will.
if you guys have any thoughts on this it would be appreciated .
drums/cables/track/rollers/bearings are some items mentioned as failed in the inspection
about all I can do myself are the rollers
.
more pics
.

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:16:39 AM EDT

[#1]

2nd and 3rd opinions

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:29:07 AM EDT

[#2]

I don't see anything that I'd be concerned about

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:32:04 AM EDT

[#3]

I would not be concerned.

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:33:49 AM EDT

[#4]

I did order a set of ball bearing rollers and will replace them all
.
these
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQCOY3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:43:31 AM EDT

[#5]

Simple way to find out....

open door, pull out car, close door, utilize step stool if needed, yard on tracks...

If they fail... well... they fail.

Pics never tell the whole story, but initially looking at it guys sounds full of shit.

It is getting near Christmas too...

Posted: 12/18/2014 9:23:20 AM EDT

[#6]

He is full of it.
Why are you changing rollers?
Are they sliding and not rotating? If yes its the grease on the tracks, makes them slide rather than turn.
They need the friction of contact to roll. Only oil the bearing part

Posted: 12/18/2014 9:26:42 AM EDT

[#7]

I don't really see anything wrong other than the top roller with the washers on it which tells me the track needs to be adjusted. The hinges and rollers can be replace if they are bad with out having to buy a whole new door

Edit to add: After looking again that picture with the number 3 hinge and roller it looks suspect if it were mine I would change it. By the way don't grease any part of the door except for the door opener rail and only use rail grease made for it. On the rest of the door use a light weight oil to lube the spring, rollers, hinges, and track.

Posted: 12/18/2014 9:33:34 AM EDT

[#8]

I agree with the above statements. Nothing looks bad enough to replace whole door. Rollers, hinges and top bearing plate can all be replaced cheap. I replaced several rollers and a hinge that were failing. You already replaced the most expensive part besides the motor unit.

Posted: 12/18/2014 9:54:29 AM EDT

[#9]

Door guy appears to be full of it - just trying to make a sale/drum up business....

Posted: 12/18/2014 10:01:31 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
Door guy appears to be full of it - just trying to make a sale/drum up business....

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.
that was the vibe I got from the guy .

Posted: 12/18/2014 10:06:30 AM EDT

[#11]

door looks fine to me

Posted: 12/18/2014 10:32:04 AM EDT

[#12]

Looks exactly like mine.

Posted: 12/18/2014 12:18:26 PM EDT

[#13]

I don't see anything from the pics that would make it a death trap.

Probably could use a tune-up, clean and lube parts, replace rollers if necessary, check cables for fraying, make sure track is mounted securely, etc..

If you are bored you could always invite him back and ask for a detailed explanation of what will fail and potentially kill you.

Or, never call him again since he is using scare tactics to pry you away from your money.

Posted: 12/18/2014 1:00:53 PM EDT

[#14]

He could also be looking to eliminate his liability in the event of some future failure and consequential damage. With this report, he relieves himself of liability, placing responsibility for any future failures on you for failing to act on the details in the report.

Posted: 12/18/2014 7:35:00 PM EDT

[#15]

That door guy was full of shit. I work on garage doors for a living and your door looks fine to me. As others have mentioned,the
grease on your rollers and hinges is not recommended because it collects dirt and dust making your door run like shit.

He was just trying to sell you a door that's all. If you do replace the rollers just remember that the bottom fixtures have the cables on
them with the tension from the torsion springs.

Posted: 12/18/2014 8:00:39 PM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:

.
that was the vibe I got from the guy .

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Quoted:

Quoted:
Door guy appears to be full of it - just trying to make a sale/drum up business....

.
that was the vibe I got from the guy .

If it was the death trap he says it was he should have refused to do the repair. Fixing a dangerous door would put him in a world of liability.

Posted: 12/19/2014 4:57:14 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
That door guy was full of shit. I work on garage doors for a living and your door looks fine to me. As others have mentioned,the
grease on your rollers and hinges is not recommended because it collects dirt and dust making your door run like shit.

He was just trying to sell you a door that's all. If you do replace the rollers just remember that the bottom fixtures have the cables on
them with the tension from the torsion springs.

View Quote

thanks for the info.
I noticed that when the door is up I can slip the cable of the end of the bottom fixture easily as it is not under tension
I will replace all rollers and hinges and leave the lube off.
thanks everyone else. for the tips.

Posted: 12/19/2014 11:48:56 AM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
By the way don't grease any part of the door except for the door opener rail and only use rail grease made for it. On the rest of the door use a light weight oil to lube the spring, rollers, hinges, and track.

View Quote

The only thing that might need lube are the bearings on the individual rollers.
The rollers do just that, roll.

If things get wet some WD-40 for rust prevention is all you might consider.

Posted: 12/19/2014 12:13:38 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:

thanks for the info.
I noticed that when the door is up I can slip the cable of the end of the bottom fixture easily as it is not under tension
I will replace all rollers and hinges and leave the lube off.
thanks everyone else. for the tips.

View Quote View All Quotes

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
That door guy was full of shit. I work on garage doors for a living and your door looks fine to me. As others have mentioned,the
grease on your rollers and hinges is not recommended because it collects dirt and dust making your door run like shit.

He was just trying to sell you a door that's all. If you do replace the rollers just remember that the bottom fixtures have the cables on
them with the tension from the torsion springs.

thanks for the info.
I noticed that when the door is up I can slip the cable of the end of the bottom fixture easily as it is not under tension
I will replace all rollers and hinges and leave the lube off.
thanks everyone else. for the tips.

STOP
If the rollers are not broken and yours do not look as though they are nor do your hinges look bad
LEAVE them alone.
Years ago I worked making and installing doors. Yours looks fine

Posted: 12/20/2014 3:36:34 AM EDT

[#20]

What is going on with the mounting brackets at the top of the door framing? On both sides, the screws look caddy-wompus and the wall looks patched. Are those two brackets held to the well with adequate strength? It looks like they ripped out and the bracket was just flipped over and re-used and the wall damage was just spackled-over.

Posted: 12/20/2014 3:47:27 AM EDT

[#21]

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Looks exactly like mine.

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Posted: 12/20/2014 6:24:41 AM EDT

[#22]

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What is going on with the mounting brackets at the top of the door framing? On both sides, the screws look caddy-wompus and the wall looks patched. Are those two brackets held to the well with adequate strength? It looks like they ripped out and the bracket was just flipped over and re-used and the wall damage was just spackled-over.

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no Idea. it was like that when I bought the house 5 years ago. I think if it was going to fail it would have by now . the brackets are very firm.

Posted: 12/21/2014 1:00:20 AM EDT

[#23]

Looks like everything and should be oiled and your GTG

Posted: 12/21/2014 1:12:11 AM EDT

[#24]

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I don't see anything that I'd be concerned about

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thats what I'm thnking too. Nothing looks like its gonna grenade or anything.

J-

Posted: 12/21/2014 5:59:58 PM EDT

[#25]

On another note, replacing this springs is super easy yourself. Not all too dangerous because if they break the rod through the center catches it. It can't really go anywhere.

Posted: 12/21/2014 7:04:54 PM EDT

[#26]

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On another note, replacing this springs is super easy yourself. Not all too dangerous because if they break the rod through the center catches it. It can't really go anywhere.

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WRONG I have seen winding bars slung across the room after a spring plug has broken and personal know several people who have been hurt while servicing Torsion spring.

Posted: 12/21/2014 8:13:10 PM EDT

[#27]

well, changing a tire on a car is dangerous too - if you're stupid/careless.

Posted: 12/21/2014 9:35:47 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
On another note, replacing this springs is super easy yourself. Not all too dangerous because if they break the rod through the center catches it. It can't really go anywhere.

View Quote

When winding, if the winding rod gets away from your grip, it will move at great velocity and if it pops out of it hole in the crank, it will fly with great velocity. Someone could easily get hurt.

That is why you would always do the winding with your body to the side, out of line with the crank/windlass (or whatever they call it).

Posted: 12/21/2014 11:09:09 PM EDT

[#29]

Quote History

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When winding, if the winding rod gets away from your grip, it will move at great velocity and if it pops out of it hole in the crank, it will fly with great velocity. Someone could easily get hurt.

That is why you would always do the winding with your body to the side, out of line with the crank/windlass (or whatever they call it).

View Quote View All Quotes

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
On another note, replacing this springs is super easy yourself. Not all too dangerous because if they break the rod through the center catches it. It can't really go anywhere.

When winding, if the winding rod gets away from your grip, it will move at great velocity and if it pops out of it hole in the crank, it will fly with great velocity. Someone could easily get hurt.

That is why you would always do the winding with your body to the side, out of line with the crank/windlass (or whatever they call it).

Yeah, I'll give you that. But the springs themselves arent all that dangerous.

Posted: 12/22/2014 1:10:20 AM EDT

[#30]

Quote History

Quoted:

On another note, replacing this springs is super easy yourself. Not all too dangerous because if they break the rod through the center catches it. It can't really go anywhere.

View Quote

Till you smash your hands in the direction of travel with the bar when there is no longer any resistance....

Posted: 12/22/2014 8:35:14 PM EDT

[#31]

Looks ok, could use some lube on the rollers.

my 16' door has 2 torsion springs, though.

Posted: 12/22/2014 9:31:27 PM EDT

[#32]

put the new rollers in today. runs much better now.

Posted: 12/24/2014 2:37:17 PM EDT

[#33]

I stood in on a surgery in which a guy got a new epoxy patch for the part of his skull that was broken when something went wrong while tensioning a torsion spring. It was a few months out and he was almost used to having vision in only one eye. Guy was not a dumbass but it sure as shit got away from him. I don't fuck with em.

Posted: 1/1/2015 11:50:20 PM EDT

[#34]

$190 to come out and install a new torsion spring is a fair price.

You don't need a new door.

The thing that looks out of place to me is the single spring on a 16' door and the fact that it has only been wound about 6 1/2 turns. Every 16' door I've ever installed had 2 springs and required 7 turns per spring. That must be one hell of a strong spring.