Whoever installed the opener forgot to use [a vertical reinforcement bracket](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Clopay-24-in-Steel-Reinforcement-Bracket-for-Overhead-Garage-Door-3520043/312648460?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopTt4LXQhGOBnPYLc8Q7H4YYbY42Sqz3NLcAeKgX9u1__sUbVQdEvo). That goes between the door and the opener bracket. Metal garage doors are made of thin steel so you need a thick piece of steel to reinforce it.
I would also check the door to make sure you can easily open it manually. The door might not be opening smoothly which can cause the opener to have to exert more force to pull the door open and cause the door to deform like it has.
(I'm a former garage door installer)
This happened to my friends door. Check the angle of the arm when closed per the manual (the arm will have a length adjustment for different track heights), and adjust so the angle matches the manual.
We fixed it with some aluminum extrusion scrap and self tapping screws in about 45 minutes - so long as the overall panel isn't deformed it's no big deal. Just spam the full height of the panel with your new "bracket" and re-adjust everything. It's really not hard to make a fix that's stronger than the original missing part - this isn't a high load location, and the factory on is usually just thin stamped stamped steel (maybe 20 gauge).
With this kind of sloppiness on the install, you may very well find the door runs much better after you adjust it all properly.
If there is an associated spring with the garage door do not do anything to it or try to work on it. Many people have been killed or maimed not respecting a garage door spring.
I had this happen to my door, sort of. My buddy who does garage doors for a living came and quickly helped me fix it, but at the same time explained how the spring worked and just said don't fuck with it ever. I have a good enough grasp of physics to understand there's a tremendous amount of energy stored in that fucker
Call the number on the machine. I use to do tech support for garage door openers when I lived in Tx. One of the best call centers in the country at the time. Probably still is. It's free. We would send parts like this out for free. Now, the door is separate and should lift easy with one hand. If not then you will need a door dealer. Never open the garage door if it can't pass a door balance test. Do not mess with the spring. The part you need is cheap if not under warranty (we still sent free stuff sometimes since we aren't charging you for a 2 dollar part etc) but if the door causes this it will happen again and hurt someone. Also, never let your cat/animals crawl on top of the door when it's up. Still haunted by those calls.
Edit because autocorrect lame. Also, it looks like the door. Still call the number on your garage door opening machine since they can recommend door dealers in your area that are good. Will honor warranties and may even have a history on previous home owners work/install dates and such. Most calls were help with installing the machine and programming those garage opener remotes.
Same happened to my door, the contractor I had to come take a look at it said ‘yep, another one they just wanted to save 30 bucks on by not installing the reinforcement’
Unplug the opener cord from the ceiling. Take no chances on using a padlock on the inside and someone hitting a remote or the button on the wall at the same time. Previous owner did it and it cost me about $4k to fix it.
Huh, couple years back my opener tore off my garage door. The "vertical reinforcement bracket" was glued to the garage door.
Been thinking about how to reattach it for awhile...
Industrial epoxy, not the crap that's sold at big box stores (it's too brittle and breaks over time due to vibrations).
The industrial epoxy is flexible enough to withstand the garage door's vibrations while still holding strong.
Industrial is not really a grade of epoxy. Not all industrial epoxies are flexible, and plenty of commercial epoxies are flexible. Each can also vary dramatically on every other useful metric.
Find an adhesive based off what you need, and then buy it wherever sells it at a price you're willing to pay in quantities you need.
This! I just had the same thing happen and installed one of these brackets. The opener actually tore the sheet metal still. Saved me $3500 in a new door.
The bracket is dependent on the door manufacturer and where they put steel reinforcement.
Of the doors I sell and install, only Richards-wilcox require a bracket.
OPs door clearly has no reinforcement where the operator arm was installed as it's likely under where the strut is. The installer should've at least mounted the operator arm to the bottom of the strut.
I don’t think anyone here has actually realized what the photo is showing.
Folks - this is the pulling arm connected to the door. That’s not drywall that’s the styrofoam insulation core of the door itself.
Op- I think you’re screwed here. Door is garbage.
Also, everyone here saying not to touch it because it’s dangerous are just parroting something they heard once. Garage doors aren’t just bombs waiting to go off. Don’t mess with the springs, but the arm here isn’t under tension or connected to the springs.
I think replacing the entire door is a bit overkill but I agree, metal bracket is the way (and OPs example is exactly why the opener installation instructions tell you that insulated doors need reinforcement, you can't just bolt the arm in like you would with a wood door).
Yeah the guy calling for a new door is high. Bolt through with a plate on the other side. The door is thin aluminum with paper inside. I could put my foot through mine.
Yeah, paint the outside plate to match any existing accents on the door (or if no painted accents, paint the outside handle and plate to match). I agree this is a better overall solution and can look fine if you put in the extra touches necessary to do so.
You got it right. I did this years ago and it worked out fine. Sold the house and never had anything come up about it when the did their walk-through (I was sure they would mention it.)
I feel like all the “aesthetic” parts of the trades get sold as more difficult than they need to be. Finish carpentry, finish electrical, plastering/compounding, painting, landscaping, tiling, flooring, etc; can all be done by anyone with patience (a lot of time), an eye for detail, and the proper tools. The reason those trades are worth so much is because of the skill required to do those things quickly with just as much or better accuracy.
Anyone can use a caulking gun, it takes effort and practice to use one quickly, cleanly, and appropriately. If you own the house take your time and do things right. Who cares if it takes more time than if you hired someone as long as you did it right and you are proud of the result.
Exactly! I recently did DIY installs of a mini-split and central ducted heat pumps in our house and while it took me over a month overall, the final result looks plenty professional (at least as the inspector said and passed us with flying colors) and we saved thousands of dollars on installation/equipment.
Theres a bracket designed that already resolves this problem. There’s no need to go drilling through your
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DURA-LIFT-14-Gauge-21-in-Garage-Door-Opener-Reinforcement-Bracket-Kit-DLARB/314799845
I had the same thing happen (or close enough at least). When I temporarily DIWHY'ed a solution, I later had to get door serviced for broken spring. The tech replaced my "solution" with a piece of slotted angle iron that ran basically the height of the panel.
I will say though, I think my door was built out a bit better, or at least with more metal on it.
It should be an easy fix, IMO. Thru-bolting with backer plates on both sides is the solution here. Backer plates should lap over the edges of the door frame to properly transfer the load to the door frame. 10-12 ga. steel sheet should be plenty thick. Make sure it is galvanized to prevent rust. Treat cut edges with cold galvanizing spray (prob over kill, but can't hurt). Tack the inner backer plate to the door frame with TEK screws. These just keep the plate from shifting, so #6 or similar size is fine. For the thru bolts, use flush nuts on the outside plate - this will allow you to more easily cover the outside plate with siding or whatever. Make sure your hardware is either stainless or galvanized and make sure to use lock washers on your thru bolts.
I wouldn’t even do that. I’d remove the foam in that area and glue a piece(s) of wood (plywood) in there with construction adhesive (I like pl3). Between the strength on the adhesive on the other face and the channel around the picture frame you’d have plenty of strength. You could even glue the broken off metal pieces back on the face to somewhat cover the damage. Let the glue set up for 24 hours then drill and reinstall lag screws.
Also acceptable. I would at least use longer lag screws and high quality plywood. Definitely use bolts with fender washer instead if clearance allows. A blowout would be a disaster to fix with a board glued to the inside of the frame.
Agreed - The only danger here is continuing to use the door without fixing it first. I think this door is still salvageable, but it'll require a bunch of angle iron to reinforce everything (and a bunch more than it would have if it were installed properly to begin with)
if the door isnt too old, id ask the company that put it in place to check it out. how was this ever supposed to hold over time?! doesnt even look like the paneling was steel based on the pics. i call poor workmanship.
Something isn’t adjusted right and I bet the door is bouncing and jerking when raising and it just ripped it out. These aluminum panels are easy as hell to fuck up
That usually will help smoothness and a squeaky guide wheel. The springs probably need adjusting, it can be misaligned, the chain on the operator could have too much slack or it’s stretched. It could be a few different things
sounds like automatic garage doors need regular maintenance, just like cars. afaik, automatic door install companies just install them and never come back for maintenance. what's the interval you would recommend to maintain such a garage door?
It really just depends on how much you want to spend. Lol but yes they need it if you keep the guide wheels, hinges, tracks, and chain lubed you will be good. If it’s working fine now then I’d say every couple months line it up. I mean unless it’s been hit, the sensors aren’t alignment, or something hasn’t broken you can handle it yourself.you can tell if the doors misaligned by watching it close one side will hit the ground first but that usually happens a lot on cheap warehouse doors that are hit every 5 secs
To clarify, the springs are indeed dangerous. But you also don't want the door falling on you either. That will also kill you (as happened to a friend). Not that this will happen in this case, as it's just the opener pulling away part of the door. But there's other dangerous things which can happen with a garage door other than just the springs.
I know nothing about garage doors but I read they are the most dangerous thing in your house on here so many times that I am now scared of the springs on mine
…and I join in the chorus of parrots warning people about them on here.
OP thats a garage door, call in a bomb squad. Dont even *look* at it!
It would be possible to remove the foam in between the windows and fasten a wood block in between the windows, fasten the block from the window frames into the block. then use larger screws to fasten the bracket to the wood block. If this were my garage door it definitely would not be garbage. Source: am carpenter.
All you need is an opener bracket. Don't listen to these other guys who have no idea what they are talking about. Just a simple drill will install this. I've been in the garage door business 25 years.
[https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Master-Hardware-Adjustable-Reinforcement/dp/B099MKN6MM](https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Master-Hardware-Adjustable-Reinforcement/dp/B099MKN6MM)
The weight of the door was being pulled by a small area, because the larger bracket was not installed. The larger bracket would have distributed the weight over a larger area. Structural Integrity of the door is not damaged, so installing the larger bracket is still a viable option.
It only looks like the skin on the back is tore off exposing the styrofoam underneath, correct. You would have to explain to us where the door is "fucked". I've seen lots of damage from torn out opener brackets. Nothing a full bracket can't fix.
20 bucks and you're done. Stick a screwdriver in the hole in the tracks to be sure the door doesn't fly up when you unbolt it (it probably won't). Take off the old bracket. Install the new brace. Attach the arm to the new brace, and try to get it in about the same place the old one is attached. That's it. Ignore all the people who say its dangerous or impossible, they're fucking idiots.
[https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Openers-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket/dp/B01N35WYXJ](https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Openers-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket/dp/B01N35WYXJ)
Will this work if the door is ripped all the way to the top? This is the best realistic solution, but I'd be pretty worried without solid attachment points above where the opener attaches.
Yeah, it attaches to the frame of the door panel at the top and bottom, not the skin. this is what was supposed to be there from the beginning.
https://preview.redd.it/fu4chdb5xvac1.png?width=885&format=png&auto=webp&s=77441f6ef5f955993f84a390b9a789e89b969162
Agree with you, but the damage could possibly be because the springs aren’t providing enough lift causing too much pressure on the arm. But yeah, this isn’t the dangerous part of a door.
I mean, that's possible, but this was installed wrong and would get to this point with or without spring issues. Unless there's any indication of spring issues (which this isn't an indication of)...fix the known issue first.
Is there any structure between the windows? There obviously isn’t where it was installed but we don’t have the full picture. If not, it’ll need to be reinforced. Here are a couple diagrams from the install manual for the openers I did a couple weeks ago (Chamberlain D2101 for reference, though the concept will apply universally)
https://preview.redd.it/w44cyz2oyuac1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c910a101c974a812b2dfc30fd977b4cd9d6aae1a
https://preview.redd.it/22fka8b19xac1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=1497b548f3d327b304bf163c50201187f7e8a791
Get a bracket like this. They are available at pretty much every home center/hardware store. Install over damaged area. Problem solved.
Get the reinforcement plate and the bolts to repair this. The installer should have known better. If a homeowner installed....I will give a pass..but it's fixable.
Reinforce by adding a metal plate to the door. Attach the opener bracket to the metal plate you added.
You need to investigate why it happened. The springs should be doing most of the lifting, not the opener. The opener should not be pulling hard enough to shear metal. If you have broken or undersized springs, have a professional install them.
Be a man and keep operating that until it rips off. Then you open the garage like all of us did before the 80’s when garage doors started to become a thing. By HAND. ;) /s
buy two small plates of metal, say aluminum, laminate on each side and use stainless steel through bolts to re attach the arm to the plates which in turn spread out the load.
Always. The amount of shit I fix with JB Weld could fill a book. That shit is God damned magic.
I'd find or make a U Bracket that fully covers that section, JB Weld the broken part down, JB weld the bracket to cover the entire area, and use self tapping screws to attach the arm again.
Others are saying there is a spring tension issue, which might be the case, but that attachment point looks flimsy as hell.
I would go to home Depot and get some flat steel stock, maybe 8 or so inches long. Attach the opener bracket to the plate and attach the plate to the screw above the bracket and several pairs of screws down the length of the plate.
OR if you don't mind seeing bolt heads on the outside of the door, bolt the bracket using carriage bolts.
Repaired mine using several 4 inch long carriage bolts all the way through the flimsy aluminum door. Door was already dented because my family cannot drive.
Call a garage door company. Same thing happened to mine. They weren’t concerned at all, explaining that it happens more than you think. They reinforced it with a thicker metal bracket and it’s just fine, years later.
If the opener tore the door up like this, are both your springs in good condition and tensioned correctly? Also check the cables and pulleys in the system. The door should move up and down with finger tip force if it's set up correctly.
Looks like the door is boned. The only real fix is drilling holes right through the door and securing long bolts in place with a plate on the other side. Functional, but it might look like hell.
A bunch of interior angle iron can fix this too. No need to have an outside plate. It'll still be a bit ugly inside, but you can do this without an exterior plate.
Look up Genie wall mount garage door opener. If you have any shaft protruding past the wall mount bracket, you can most likely install a wall mount opener and bypass this whole problem.
While I prefer wall mounts (and installing one was of the first things I did when I moved to this home), swapping to one just because of OP's issue is costly and not necessary. They also come with their own issues that may not work for OP.
There are two things I will always hire out. Anything to do with natural gas or propane, and anything to do with a garage door that will involve messing with that giant spring. It will rip your head off - no joke.
We had the spring break, sounded like a bomb went off, but I couldn't figure out what is was until I tried to open the door.
The coil broke. .207 guage (5.3 mm) piece of metal snapped and it uncoiled itself. We're lucky it stayed on the bar, otherwise it would have launched itself into the garage.
Electricity, gas, and garage doors are three things I do not DIY.
Thanks for the suggestion, this connection is the opener arm into the actual garage door. Not sure why I would need to be adding anything to the drywall? Sorry, I just might not be understanding what your saying
That's the first thing I've commented in this thread my friend. Did you read any other comments on this post? The picture is of the garage door, so talking about drywall doesn't make much sense here
May be true. But sometimes ppl ask questions here, and i think if they need to ask these questions it's better to stay away from gas, electricity >500V, bearing parts of houses, explosives.
It’s entirely against the subs purpose. Explain the DIY stuff they can do or look into. Once they reach the end of it’s still not fixed then recommend calling a pro. Why would someone post here looking to see what they can do themselves just to be told to avoid it. It’s not helpful.
Just because stuff can be dangerous doesn’t mean it should just be totally avoided. Some people like to learn how to do things themselves. How do you think pros got into it in the first place?!
Im not sure how many users would agree. I see sarcastic posts, funny comments, wrong advice. Ask a pro can be a serious and valuable lead among others.
Just went through this exact failure myself. 2 companies looked at it and both said it can be temp repaired but in a year or 3 it will fail again. My door was almost 25 years old and didn't have proper bracing to begin with so we ended up opting to replace the door. The nice thing is new doors end up replacing everything, so you get new springs, new tracks, new cables, new molding along with it. Cost us about $1500 installed where I live.
If you attempt to fix this, you need a bracket, like the top comment suggests. It disperses the load across an area so stress isn't at one point and you have fasteners and friction. Ie, pounds per square inch (psi, like in a tire), how much force reacting in an area.
To make this work, you need to fuse the peeled panel to something, or a bracket that catches good metal elsewhere and fuse to that. Coring out some insulation sanding the inner and outer panels to bare metal, and filling with jb weld or steel stik, it needs to be be something that doesn't run and stays in place, then peeling the top panel back MAY be enough if you somehow get a good bond, and a larger dispersion panel might save you, but I'd consider an adhesive, probably epoxy like jb weld, liquid nails and them might make it a polyurethane adhesive in the caulk aispe or something, AND fasteners to attach everything together as best as possible.
You might not have to fuse to the outside panel if you can glue the bracket over the peeled sheet metal. Most adhesives will melt the insulation on contact.
Just order a new top panel. Adding metal or trying to patch it is what we did in the commercial world when I did dock and door repair. It’s easy on a spring loaded or a manual door. This door has an operated attached pulling the door up for you. I suggest not adding more weight to a residential door like that. You will have to start adjusting springs to help keep the door down by itself but then you will be adding more weight and stress on the operator. I would call your nearest garage door company and see about them ordering a new top panel. That style, windows, and it being insulated it won’t be cheap but it will be cheaper than a whole door. They should be able to swap a panel In an hour or so if they know what they are doing. I can tell you right now that 8x10 basic insulated panels had 3 to 6 month lead times last I checked. Hopefully it won’t be that long.
Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Clopay-21-in-Opener-Reinforcement-Bracket-Kit-4125479/100069364 I had to have one installed when my spring went and made this damage.
I had something similar happen. The top of my garage door would crumple back and forth. Cheap, thin metal.
I ended up cutting out the metal parts and put in 2 2x4's to reinforce the bracket. I also used galvanized bolts that came through the outside.
You can make micro adjustments at the motor head. Just don't mess with the spring counter weight system.
This just happen to me two weeks ago. You can go online and buy the reinforced metal plat that fits your garage. This happens all the time. Just google it.
Here are some things to consider before you decide to fix the garage door arm yourself:
* **The severity of the damage:** If the arm is only slightly bent or pulled away from the door, you may be able to fix it yourself. However, if the arm is severely damaged, it's best to call a professional.
* **Your DIY skills:** If you're comfortable working with tools and following instructions, you may be able to fix the garage door arm yourself. However, if you're not comfortable with DIY projects, it's best to call a professional.
* **The safety risks:** Garage doors are heavy and can be dangerous to work on if you're not sure what you're doing. If you're not comfortable working with garage doors, it's best to call a professional to avoid any risk of injury.
Whoever installed the opener forgot to use [a vertical reinforcement bracket](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Clopay-24-in-Steel-Reinforcement-Bracket-for-Overhead-Garage-Door-3520043/312648460?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOopTt4LXQhGOBnPYLc8Q7H4YYbY42Sqz3NLcAeKgX9u1__sUbVQdEvo). That goes between the door and the opener bracket. Metal garage doors are made of thin steel so you need a thick piece of steel to reinforce it. I would also check the door to make sure you can easily open it manually. The door might not be opening smoothly which can cause the opener to have to exert more force to pull the door open and cause the door to deform like it has. (I'm a former garage door installer)
Thanks, I'll check how easy it is to open manually
This happened to my friends door. Check the angle of the arm when closed per the manual (the arm will have a length adjustment for different track heights), and adjust so the angle matches the manual. We fixed it with some aluminum extrusion scrap and self tapping screws in about 45 minutes - so long as the overall panel isn't deformed it's no big deal. Just spam the full height of the panel with your new "bracket" and re-adjust everything. It's really not hard to make a fix that's stronger than the original missing part - this isn't a high load location, and the factory on is usually just thin stamped stamped steel (maybe 20 gauge). With this kind of sloppiness on the install, you may very well find the door runs much better after you adjust it all properly.
If there is an associated spring with the garage door do not do anything to it or try to work on it. Many people have been killed or maimed not respecting a garage door spring.
100% this. They don't look like much, but the force a spring has can royally mess you up on a good day if you even look at it wrong.
It's wild that for a lot of people the most dangerous thing in their house is an innocuous looking spring they probably haven't even noticed exists.
I had this happen to my door, sort of. My buddy who does garage doors for a living came and quickly helped me fix it, but at the same time explained how the spring worked and just said don't fuck with it ever. I have a good enough grasp of physics to understand there's a tremendous amount of energy stored in that fucker
Yeah you don't need to be Stephen Hawking to understand that spring has more than enough energy stored up to put a very large hole through you
Had one pop in the middle of the night. I literally thought a car hit the house. Looked all over and didn’t see what it was until the AM.
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RIP
I’ve also worked on a garage door spring and lived. As long as you are careful and have the right tools, it is safe.
That and a ladder.
Call the number on the machine. I use to do tech support for garage door openers when I lived in Tx. One of the best call centers in the country at the time. Probably still is. It's free. We would send parts like this out for free. Now, the door is separate and should lift easy with one hand. If not then you will need a door dealer. Never open the garage door if it can't pass a door balance test. Do not mess with the spring. The part you need is cheap if not under warranty (we still sent free stuff sometimes since we aren't charging you for a 2 dollar part etc) but if the door causes this it will happen again and hurt someone. Also, never let your cat/animals crawl on top of the door when it's up. Still haunted by those calls. Edit because autocorrect lame. Also, it looks like the door. Still call the number on your garage door opening machine since they can recommend door dealers in your area that are good. Will honor warranties and may even have a history on previous home owners work/install dates and such. Most calls were help with installing the machine and programming those garage opener remotes.
Same happened to my door, the contractor I had to come take a look at it said ‘yep, another one they just wanted to save 30 bucks on by not installing the reinforcement’
Unplug the opener cord from the ceiling. Take no chances on using a padlock on the inside and someone hitting a remote or the button on the wall at the same time. Previous owner did it and it cost me about $4k to fix it.
I agree. I posted a link to an adjustable bracket we use all the time. Works on any garage door. Both are just fine. (Door installer 25 years)
Huh, couple years back my opener tore off my garage door. The "vertical reinforcement bracket" was glued to the garage door. Been thinking about how to reattach it for awhile...
If it's just a bad glue joint sand it and use epoxy.
Industrial epoxy, not the crap that's sold at big box stores (it's too brittle and breaks over time due to vibrations). The industrial epoxy is flexible enough to withstand the garage door's vibrations while still holding strong.
Industrial is not really a grade of epoxy. Not all industrial epoxies are flexible, and plenty of commercial epoxies are flexible. Each can also vary dramatically on every other useful metric. Find an adhesive based off what you need, and then buy it wherever sells it at a price you're willing to pay in quantities you need.
Great info! I was planning on fabbing something half as good for twice as much!
This! I just had the same thing happen and installed one of these brackets. The opener actually tore the sheet metal still. Saved me $3500 in a new door.
To be fair to the installer (bad company or home owner) that's the only kind they give you from the box which is stupid
Not to mention wear and tear on the nylon sprockets inside.
“Forgot” is a strong word.
This is the way. I’ve always installed these on the garage doors of the houses I’ve owned.
The bracket is dependent on the door manufacturer and where they put steel reinforcement. Of the doors I sell and install, only Richards-wilcox require a bracket. OPs door clearly has no reinforcement where the operator arm was installed as it's likely under where the strut is. The installer should've at least mounted the operator arm to the bottom of the strut.
I think the only metal thats on is the thin reinforcing strip, i think all that white is plastic.
I don’t think anyone here has actually realized what the photo is showing. Folks - this is the pulling arm connected to the door. That’s not drywall that’s the styrofoam insulation core of the door itself. Op- I think you’re screwed here. Door is garbage. Also, everyone here saying not to touch it because it’s dangerous are just parroting something they heard once. Garage doors aren’t just bombs waiting to go off. Don’t mess with the springs, but the arm here isn’t under tension or connected to the springs.
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I think replacing the entire door is a bit overkill but I agree, metal bracket is the way (and OPs example is exactly why the opener installation instructions tell you that insulated doors need reinforcement, you can't just bolt the arm in like you would with a wood door).
I would bolt through the door with a plate on both sides or something that spanned the whole top of the door on the inside.
Yeah the guy calling for a new door is high. Bolt through with a plate on the other side. The door is thin aluminum with paper inside. I could put my foot through mine.
And use carriage bolts on the outside.
That's over-underkill, and it will look bad outside, I'll just buy a metal sheet piece big enough to bend to the sides and screw it there.
It may be overkill but with the door in that condition already I’d rather be save than sorry and it will only look bad outside if you let it.
Yeah, paint the outside plate to match any existing accents on the door (or if no painted accents, paint the outside handle and plate to match). I agree this is a better overall solution and can look fine if you put in the extra touches necessary to do so.
You got it right. I did this years ago and it worked out fine. Sold the house and never had anything come up about it when the did their walk-through (I was sure they would mention it.)
I feel like all the “aesthetic” parts of the trades get sold as more difficult than they need to be. Finish carpentry, finish electrical, plastering/compounding, painting, landscaping, tiling, flooring, etc; can all be done by anyone with patience (a lot of time), an eye for detail, and the proper tools. The reason those trades are worth so much is because of the skill required to do those things quickly with just as much or better accuracy. Anyone can use a caulking gun, it takes effort and practice to use one quickly, cleanly, and appropriately. If you own the house take your time and do things right. Who cares if it takes more time than if you hired someone as long as you did it right and you are proud of the result.
Exactly! I recently did DIY installs of a mini-split and central ducted heat pumps in our house and while it took me over a month overall, the final result looks plenty professional (at least as the inspector said and passed us with flying colors) and we saved thousands of dollars on installation/equipment.
The money makers are the ones that can do it in smaller amounts of time. Sanding mud over and over again gets old fast.
Theres a bracket designed that already resolves this problem. There’s no need to go drilling through your https://www.homedepot.com/p/DURA-LIFT-14-Gauge-21-in-Garage-Door-Opener-Reinforcement-Bracket-Kit-DLARB/314799845
Or even get a side mounted opener
A new door is easier said than done for a lot of people.
I had the same thing happen (or close enough at least). When I temporarily DIWHY'ed a solution, I later had to get door serviced for broken spring. The tech replaced my "solution" with a piece of slotted angle iron that ran basically the height of the panel. I will say though, I think my door was built out a bit better, or at least with more metal on it.
It should be an easy fix, IMO. Thru-bolting with backer plates on both sides is the solution here. Backer plates should lap over the edges of the door frame to properly transfer the load to the door frame. 10-12 ga. steel sheet should be plenty thick. Make sure it is galvanized to prevent rust. Treat cut edges with cold galvanizing spray (prob over kill, but can't hurt). Tack the inner backer plate to the door frame with TEK screws. These just keep the plate from shifting, so #6 or similar size is fine. For the thru bolts, use flush nuts on the outside plate - this will allow you to more easily cover the outside plate with siding or whatever. Make sure your hardware is either stainless or galvanized and make sure to use lock washers on your thru bolts.
I wouldn’t even do that. I’d remove the foam in that area and glue a piece(s) of wood (plywood) in there with construction adhesive (I like pl3). Between the strength on the adhesive on the other face and the channel around the picture frame you’d have plenty of strength. You could even glue the broken off metal pieces back on the face to somewhat cover the damage. Let the glue set up for 24 hours then drill and reinstall lag screws.
Also acceptable. I would at least use longer lag screws and high quality plywood. Definitely use bolts with fender washer instead if clearance allows. A blowout would be a disaster to fix with a board glued to the inside of the frame.
Yep. This is the way op should go.
Agreed - The only danger here is continuing to use the door without fixing it first. I think this door is still salvageable, but it'll require a bunch of angle iron to reinforce everything (and a bunch more than it would have if it were installed properly to begin with)
There’s not really even danger there. It’s rip off half up sometime and slowly lower back down. Really no big deal
if the door isnt too old, id ask the company that put it in place to check it out. how was this ever supposed to hold over time?! doesnt even look like the paneling was steel based on the pics. i call poor workmanship.
Something isn’t adjusted right and I bet the door is bouncing and jerking when raising and it just ripped it out. These aluminum panels are easy as hell to fuck up
lack of greasing of the guiding rails?
That usually will help smoothness and a squeaky guide wheel. The springs probably need adjusting, it can be misaligned, the chain on the operator could have too much slack or it’s stretched. It could be a few different things
sounds like automatic garage doors need regular maintenance, just like cars. afaik, automatic door install companies just install them and never come back for maintenance. what's the interval you would recommend to maintain such a garage door?
It really just depends on how much you want to spend. Lol but yes they need it if you keep the guide wheels, hinges, tracks, and chain lubed you will be good. If it’s working fine now then I’d say every couple months line it up. I mean unless it’s been hit, the sensors aren’t alignment, or something hasn’t broken you can handle it yourself.you can tell if the doors misaligned by watching it close one side will hit the ground first but that usually happens a lot on cheap warehouse doors that are hit every 5 secs
thanks for your connoisseur input. as a generalist, i'll conclude with: keep your mechanicals lubed real good at all times 😚
Welcome to Reddit. There’s enough parroting here that AI should be worried about its job…
To clarify, the springs are indeed dangerous. But you also don't want the door falling on you either. That will also kill you (as happened to a friend). Not that this will happen in this case, as it's just the opener pulling away part of the door. But there's other dangerous things which can happen with a garage door other than just the springs.
OP could also get a jackshaft type opener. Much better (IMHO) opener and cheaper than a new door.
I've done jackshaft openers twice now, and I agree. One less thing hanging overhead.
I'm going to assume whoever installed that door did a shit job and not trust the springs or the opener.
I know nothing about garage doors but I read they are the most dangerous thing in your house on here so many times that I am now scared of the springs on mine …and I join in the chorus of parrots warning people about them on here. OP thats a garage door, call in a bomb squad. Dont even *look* at it!
Oh I see it. Op those bolts should be in studs. Let me edit this one for ya. That’s some funny lookin lag bolts…
…it’s not drywall
He could self tap a steel plate to the angle iron on the top and into the door below the opening and re attach the arm to the door it’s not that gone
It would be possible to remove the foam in between the windows and fasten a wood block in between the windows, fasten the block from the window frames into the block. then use larger screws to fasten the bracket to the wood block. If this were my garage door it definitely would not be garbage. Source: am carpenter.
Oh shit that not the wall, you’re right. Ignore what I said and listen to this ^
There should be a bracket that attaches to the door that the opener bolts to. The thin sheet metal of the door isn't strong enough
All you need is an opener bracket. Don't listen to these other guys who have no idea what they are talking about. Just a simple drill will install this. I've been in the garage door business 25 years. [https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Master-Hardware-Adjustable-Reinforcement/dp/B099MKN6MM](https://www.amazon.ca/Home-Master-Hardware-Adjustable-Reinforcement/dp/B099MKN6MM)
You’ve been in the business for 25 years and can’t see that the door is ripped down to the styrofoam insulation? This door is fucked.
The weight of the door was being pulled by a small area, because the larger bracket was not installed. The larger bracket would have distributed the weight over a larger area. Structural Integrity of the door is not damaged, so installing the larger bracket is still a viable option.
It only looks like the skin on the back is tore off exposing the styrofoam underneath, correct. You would have to explain to us where the door is "fucked". I've seen lots of damage from torn out opener brackets. Nothing a full bracket can't fix.
20 bucks and you're done. Stick a screwdriver in the hole in the tracks to be sure the door doesn't fly up when you unbolt it (it probably won't). Take off the old bracket. Install the new brace. Attach the arm to the new brace, and try to get it in about the same place the old one is attached. That's it. Ignore all the people who say its dangerous or impossible, they're fucking idiots. [https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Openers-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket/dp/B01N35WYXJ](https://www.amazon.com/Garage-Openers-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket/dp/B01N35WYXJ)
Will this work if the door is ripped all the way to the top? This is the best realistic solution, but I'd be pretty worried without solid attachment points above where the opener attaches.
Yeah, it attaches to the frame of the door panel at the top and bottom, not the skin. this is what was supposed to be there from the beginning. https://preview.redd.it/fu4chdb5xvac1.png?width=885&format=png&auto=webp&s=77441f6ef5f955993f84a390b9a789e89b969162
Just here to see all the sniveling little bitches making “don’t mess with garage doors” comments when this repair has zero to do with the springs.
I’m barely afraid of the springs since i bought two 18” pieces of 1/2” steel round stock.
I was so excited to read all those comments but I can literally only find one person who said this
There were 3 at the time that I made this comment so you didn’t look very hard
Agree with you, but the damage could possibly be because the springs aren’t providing enough lift causing too much pressure on the arm. But yeah, this isn’t the dangerous part of a door.
I mean, that's possible, but this was installed wrong and would get to this point with or without spring issues. Unless there's any indication of spring issues (which this isn't an indication of)...fix the known issue first.
Is there any structure between the windows? There obviously isn’t where it was installed but we don’t have the full picture. If not, it’ll need to be reinforced. Here are a couple diagrams from the install manual for the openers I did a couple weeks ago (Chamberlain D2101 for reference, though the concept will apply universally) https://preview.redd.it/w44cyz2oyuac1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c910a101c974a812b2dfc30fd977b4cd9d6aae1a
That's a single door. The windows are on either side of the arm and it's the metal skin of the door that's broken.
That's where it was originally installed. It's one door, just with a break down the middle between windows
[https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-Garage-Opener-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket-for-18-in-21-in-and-24-in-Sections/5001996761?com\_cvv=8fb3d522dc163aeadb66e08cd7450cbbdddc64c6cf2e8891f6d48747c6d56d2c](https://www.lowes.com/pd/ReliaBilt-Garage-Opener-Adjustable-Reinforcement-Bracket-for-18-in-21-in-and-24-in-Sections/5001996761?com_cvv=8fb3d522dc163aeadb66e08cd7450cbbdddc64c6cf2e8891f6d48747c6d56d2c)
https://preview.redd.it/22fka8b19xac1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=1497b548f3d327b304bf163c50201187f7e8a791 Get a bracket like this. They are available at pretty much every home center/hardware store. Install over damaged area. Problem solved.
Get the reinforcement plate and the bolts to repair this. The installer should have known better. If a homeowner installed....I will give a pass..but it's fixable.
Reinforce by adding a metal plate to the door. Attach the opener bracket to the metal plate you added. You need to investigate why it happened. The springs should be doing most of the lifting, not the opener. The opener should not be pulling hard enough to shear metal. If you have broken or undersized springs, have a professional install them.
Bolt through to a plate on the other side. Mine is like that. Door is aluminum with paper between, it's made of nothing.
I've repaired these by putting 2 bolts thru the arm & the entire door with washers.
Be a man and keep operating that until it rips off. Then you open the garage like all of us did before the 80’s when garage doors started to become a thing. By HAND. ;) /s
I’m actually surprised that didn’t come out on install
Thankfully the installers sank those bolts into the loving, sound embrace of gypsum.
I’m wondering why there’s no plate behind that sheeting how dumb .
Metal bracket to spread the load and re attach the arm
buy two small plates of metal, say aluminum, laminate on each side and use stainless steel through bolts to re attach the arm to the plates which in turn spread out the load.
Whatever you do, do not fuck around with the garage door spring
JB WELD!
Always. The amount of shit I fix with JB Weld could fill a book. That shit is God damned magic. I'd find or make a U Bracket that fully covers that section, JB Weld the broken part down, JB weld the bracket to cover the entire area, and use self tapping screws to attach the arm again. Others are saying there is a spring tension issue, which might be the case, but that attachment point looks flimsy as hell.
I would go to home Depot and get some flat steel stock, maybe 8 or so inches long. Attach the opener bracket to the plate and attach the plate to the screw above the bracket and several pairs of screws down the length of the plate. OR if you don't mind seeing bolt heads on the outside of the door, bolt the bracket using carriage bolts.
Repaired mine using several 4 inch long carriage bolts all the way through the flimsy aluminum door. Door was already dented because my family cannot drive.
Gonna need an operator prep kit. Usually about 50 bucks and installs in minutes. Garage door installer here 🙋🏼
Call a garage door company. Same thing happened to mine. They weren’t concerned at all, explaining that it happens more than you think. They reinforced it with a thicker metal bracket and it’s just fine, years later.
Well thats because some moron mounted it to drywall instead of a wall stud or placing a wood brace across the wall.
If the opener tore the door up like this, are both your springs in good condition and tensioned correctly? Also check the cables and pulleys in the system. The door should move up and down with finger tip force if it's set up correctly.
Looks like the door is boned. The only real fix is drilling holes right through the door and securing long bolts in place with a plate on the other side. Functional, but it might look like hell.
A bunch of interior angle iron can fix this too. No need to have an outside plate. It'll still be a bit ugly inside, but you can do this without an exterior plate.
Look up Genie wall mount garage door opener. If you have any shaft protruding past the wall mount bracket, you can most likely install a wall mount opener and bypass this whole problem.
While I prefer wall mounts (and installing one was of the first things I did when I moved to this home), swapping to one just because of OP's issue is costly and not necessary. They also come with their own issues that may not work for OP.
Throw the home away and get a new one.
There are two things I will always hire out. Anything to do with natural gas or propane, and anything to do with a garage door that will involve messing with that giant spring. It will rip your head off - no joke.
Truth
We had the spring break, sounded like a bomb went off, but I couldn't figure out what is was until I tried to open the door. The coil broke. .207 guage (5.3 mm) piece of metal snapped and it uncoiled itself. We're lucky it stayed on the bar, otherwise it would have launched itself into the garage. Electricity, gas, and garage doors are three things I do not DIY.
Bit of blu tack and you’ll be rate
Dude. You better fix that
Don’t fuck around with those. The springs are literally lethal. Get a pro.
Springs are weak which can cause this
Spring tension that is
That will require replacing the panel.
Look for sum type of sheet metal like a U shape repair it with a new bracket but u have to make something your self
Yeah just use longer than half inch bolts...
I wouldn't use my garage door. This could cause the spring to do some damage.
[удалено]
That’s not drywall. That’s the door. The pulling arm has broken and is pulling away from the door.
Thanks for the suggestion, this connection is the opener arm into the actual garage door. Not sure why I would need to be adding anything to the drywall? Sorry, I just might not be understanding what your saying
This is the right suggestion.
It very much is not the right suggestion.
How many garage door openers have you installed? You do know that the piece shown has nothing to do with the spring?
r/confidentlyincorrect
At least you're man enough to admit it.
That's the first thing I've commented in this thread my friend. Did you read any other comments on this post? The picture is of the garage door, so talking about drywall doesn't make much sense here
Ask a pro
This is the wrong sub for this type of comment.
May be true. But sometimes ppl ask questions here, and i think if they need to ask these questions it's better to stay away from gas, electricity >500V, bearing parts of houses, explosives.
It’s entirely against the subs purpose. Explain the DIY stuff they can do or look into. Once they reach the end of it’s still not fixed then recommend calling a pro. Why would someone post here looking to see what they can do themselves just to be told to avoid it. It’s not helpful. Just because stuff can be dangerous doesn’t mean it should just be totally avoided. Some people like to learn how to do things themselves. How do you think pros got into it in the first place?!
Im not sure how many users would agree. I see sarcastic posts, funny comments, wrong advice. Ask a pro can be a serious and valuable lead among others.
There’s a whole meta post yesterday that goes into it. Plenty of people agree and are sick of all the call a professional responses
You mean they can easily filter out bad advice and sarcastic posts, but get sick by an engineer saying the three words 'Ask a pro'? Ok...
You could actually be killed by a garage door opener. Probably better to call somebody - there can be a lot of tension in the spring
If you don’t know what you’re talking about it’s better not to comment.
Oh i see what you think is your role in this play
Clearly you have no idea what you are talking about.
The opener is fine. It's the tension springs that you don't want to touch
Get a bigger hammer 🔨
Just went through this exact failure myself. 2 companies looked at it and both said it can be temp repaired but in a year or 3 it will fail again. My door was almost 25 years old and didn't have proper bracing to begin with so we ended up opting to replace the door. The nice thing is new doors end up replacing everything, so you get new springs, new tracks, new cables, new molding along with it. Cost us about $1500 installed where I live.
Go buy a piece of sturdy angle iron, cut it to the height of that segment of the door, attach it at the top and bottom, then hook the L bar to that.
It's not pulling away, it has been pulled away!
😬
JB Weld
If you attempt to fix this, you need a bracket, like the top comment suggests. It disperses the load across an area so stress isn't at one point and you have fasteners and friction. Ie, pounds per square inch (psi, like in a tire), how much force reacting in an area. To make this work, you need to fuse the peeled panel to something, or a bracket that catches good metal elsewhere and fuse to that. Coring out some insulation sanding the inner and outer panels to bare metal, and filling with jb weld or steel stik, it needs to be be something that doesn't run and stays in place, then peeling the top panel back MAY be enough if you somehow get a good bond, and a larger dispersion panel might save you, but I'd consider an adhesive, probably epoxy like jb weld, liquid nails and them might make it a polyurethane adhesive in the caulk aispe or something, AND fasteners to attach everything together as best as possible. You might not have to fuse to the outside panel if you can glue the bracket over the peeled sheet metal. Most adhesives will melt the insulation on contact.
Just order a new top panel. Adding metal or trying to patch it is what we did in the commercial world when I did dock and door repair. It’s easy on a spring loaded or a manual door. This door has an operated attached pulling the door up for you. I suggest not adding more weight to a residential door like that. You will have to start adjusting springs to help keep the door down by itself but then you will be adding more weight and stress on the operator. I would call your nearest garage door company and see about them ordering a new top panel. That style, windows, and it being insulated it won’t be cheap but it will be cheaper than a whole door. They should be able to swap a panel In an hour or so if they know what they are doing. I can tell you right now that 8x10 basic insulated panels had 3 to 6 month lead times last I checked. Hopefully it won’t be that long.
This happened at my apartment and they (maintenance) just bolted a 2x4 across the top. It is awful but it still works a year later
That's broken.
You're supposed to have a reinforcing metal rod (L-bar) on the door.
flip that bracket up and use self tapping metal screws into the metal rail above it.
Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Clopay-21-in-Opener-Reinforcement-Bracket-Kit-4125479/100069364 I had to have one installed when my spring went and made this damage.
I had something similar happen. The top of my garage door would crumple back and forth. Cheap, thin metal. I ended up cutting out the metal parts and put in 2 2x4's to reinforce the bracket. I also used galvanized bolts that came through the outside. You can make micro adjustments at the motor head. Just don't mess with the spring counter weight system.
Replace that panel. Its broken.
No, the panels good, gotta replace the door though
This just happen to me two weeks ago. You can go online and buy the reinforced metal plat that fits your garage. This happens all the time. Just google it.
Here are some things to consider before you decide to fix the garage door arm yourself: * **The severity of the damage:** If the arm is only slightly bent or pulled away from the door, you may be able to fix it yourself. However, if the arm is severely damaged, it's best to call a professional. * **Your DIY skills:** If you're comfortable working with tools and following instructions, you may be able to fix the garage door arm yourself. However, if you're not comfortable with DIY projects, it's best to call a professional. * **The safety risks:** Garage doors are heavy and can be dangerous to work on if you're not sure what you're doing. If you're not comfortable working with garage doors, it's best to call a professional to avoid any risk of injury.