Overhead Garage Doors

[bruiserx2]

I have been looking and have not been able to find a thread that discusses garage doors and what everyone looks for when purchasing one so I thought to start one.

We have decided to replace our old garage doors. The garage is part of the house with the living room and kitchen above it. The ceiling is insulated but the poured concrete walls are not.

Is it worth spending the extra money to get an insulated door and if so is a R13 good enough or should I get the R18. The other question is gauge steel. One is 26 gauge steel the other 24 gauge steel. Will it make that much of a difference to get the lower gauge steel.

These are the two doors we are looking at and both price include 1 new opener, 2 remotes and a keypad

Raynor Centura Doors
R18
24 Gauge Steel
2 inches thick
Insulated Glass
$2,415

Haas Platium Edition RHT 780
R 16
26 Gauge Steel
1?/4 thick
Insulated Glass
$1,915

$500 dollar difference, is it worth it

 

[oldhippy]

If you buy a door and it is not insulated and it comes down on something on the end it might ruin the door. I had a water meter key fall down under the door and it bent the door. It would not reverse before it ruined the door. With the insulated door it is strong enough to reverse before door is ruined. Our house door faces south and was pretty hot in the afternoons the insulated door keeps it more comefortable. We have the 1 1/4 insulated residental door. big dan

 

[timswi]

What size door are you looking at?

I have installed a bunch of Wayne Dalton doors for myself and my neighbors (DIY'er) I prefer their door over the Clopays..Very well built and the enclosed tortion spring is nice too...Also they have an opener called an i-drive that mounts to the tortion bar...Very nice set-up...I got no skin in that game, just speaking from experience.

Get at least the medium amount of insulation, you won't regret it.

If you're even a little bit handy, you can install one of these yourself and save some serious money.

Mine was a 16x8...very painless to install, by myself.

 

[bruiserx2]

They are standard doors 8 x 6'6"

I would be a little nervous installing them myself, Never done one and I want it done right. Also the ceiling height is only 7'4" so its tight

 

[mbohuntr]

I recently completed my first door, an 8x8 HAAS. I cut and framed an opening on the gable end of my garage. Pretty painless except that you were supposed to position the torque spring winder facing the matching color on the cable pulley. (red or black) and the winder had both red and black marks on it??? Of course I got it wrong.... this door was lined with 1" foam. Well worth it...

 

[dave1949]

If you want to heat your garage, or at least loose less heat ( you should because you have living space above), I would go for the 2" R18 door. It should help keep your floors above the garage warmer.

Also, whichever door you decide on, get the anti-vibration mount option for the opener/track so you won't be annoyed by the door vibrations in your living space.

I am like you, I want to be able to pick up the phone and call for service if needed. After one thunderstorm, both my openers needed new circuit boards.
Dave.

 

[mojoinco]

One could enter the model/brand name door in a search engine with the word 'forum' and/or 'review'. Having said that, I would not spend the $500 if all else is equal (door openers). There are only a couple of brands, with many being private labels of the others.

If you were planning on insulating the concrete walls, well, that's another thing altogether.

You should occasionally test your garage door opener over torque limiter clutch (crash sensor/reverse switch). That should be set so that it doesn't quite crush a roll of paper towels laid on its side (simulates a childs chest being crushed). Then it doesn't matter what the door crashes into/onto.

There are special door openers if you need to preserve all of the ceiling height possible (mounts next to the side rails on the header).

Some doors come with video instructions. It's like hanging a people door (except no lock set holes). All the work is pretty much in getting the rails correctly laid out. And pay attention to cranking up the door springs. Nothing too difficult, just pay attention. And have someone handy to hold things. Just like any other project.

 

[bruiserx2]

mojoinco I tried the forum route as well as review and compare and did not find anything that really answered specific questions. It mostly covered comparing door openers at best. Even the sites DIY, Hometime, This Old House etc did not have anything useful. Believe me I thought twice about entering it here but everyone has been so helpful and since I could not find anything in this forum I thought it might help others when it comes time for them.

I appreciate the feedback and have had the same thought Save the 500 bucks since the wall are not insulated. I just do not want to be penny wise. Also does the difference in Gauge of the steel make that much of a difference?

 

[mbohuntr]

The thinner ones will dent much easier. As well as rust thru faster. I haven't seen that many rust though. If you are moderately handy, you will have no problem installing them yourself. Just be real carefull when winding them up, they can really hurt you.

 

[timswi]

Bruiser...Peruse this site for some info...My door has been up for eight years with now issues whatsoever.

Wayne-Dalton | Residential and Commercial Door Systems

 

[eepete]

Our garage has 2x6 walls with fiberglass (R19). It's on a concrete slab on the ground. I got the minimum insulated doors, they also have a row of windows at the top. I think they were only 7/8" of insulation. I have an electric heater that kicks on at about 45 degrees in case a door is left open in the winter (the garage has a sprinkler system). Compared to our old house with un-insulated doors, the difference is amazing. The doors face south, so they get a lot of help in the day if the sun is out.

Here's a plot from the automation system of the outside temperature vs. garage temperature for the last 24 hours. You can see changes in the outside temperature as clouds come and go, and you can see changes in the garage temperature as cars come and go. The dip in garage temperature at about 15 hours is when a car went in at the end of the day. You can see the faster warm up as the day starts due to the south facing doors. You can also see the slower cool down at night, dropping about 7 degrees in 15 hours.

So in a picture, here's what insulated garage doors can do for you.

Pete

 

[radioman]

Think dents, not insulating value. Most box stores just carry metal doors so denting becomes an issue. If you go to the box stores and start knocking on the sample doors in store, you will feel and hear the difference of a better insulated door. The more expensive the door, the more dent resistance it is due to better foam and tiny bit thicker gauge.

From this point of view, I feel some dents are livable instead of buying the best and then have it dented anyways. You just go with what fits your lifestyle, not the insulating value issues. If you don't want metal doors, you can still get wood, but of course it needs to be specail ordered.

 

[Pops15]

I've never used Haas doors so I can't comment on them. I have installed a bunch of Wayne Daltons and Raynors. This is a no brainer...go with the Raynor doors (over Wayne Dalton). They are heavier gauge steel, fit between panels is much better, no comparison in quality when it comes to the rollers and other hardware, they operate much more smoothly, and they have a very good warranty. This is Raynor VS Wayne Dalton which is like comparing an Escalade to a Chevette. That's not to say W-D doors don't have a place because they do. I don't know how the Haas doors compare but the specs you posted makes me think they're not in the same league. At least not that model.
I've never heard anyone say they wish they had gone with a cheaper and inferior product, but I've heard lots of people say they wish they had spent the money to do it right the first time.
The $2415 is a very good price for the doors, operators, and installation.

 

[jayste]

All good responses. A lot of experience and that's what you're looking for. I can vouch for most doors mentioned here but not Haas. I was in "the" business about 13 yrs ago so some things have changed, I.E.- operators and encased spring torsion systems. I will say that thicker steel means stronger and more resilient to knicks and dings. Insulated means what it implies as well as quieter while being operated. Just remember all garage doors need "room" to move and function and this boils down to having to live with a not-so-desired seal around the opening. When wood is around it (and most are) the elements cause wood to "move" and affects how tight you can seal it. Garage door seals are nice but are subject to the operation of the door. As far as rigidity of the door (thickness) while being operated and being able to withstand jams, this is adjusted at the operator. Excessive down force will kill most doors especially light guage doors. As far as the old "adjust it to a roll of paper towels" goes, good luck. A door has to be properly adjusted in the spring tension and the down force of the operator has to be adjusted as well. I'd like to help you make up your mind on which door to pick. Both seem to be nice doors and am not sure if there should be such a big difference in price. I wouldn't expect a big difference in either one as far as the insulation factor goes. Probably more of a difference in rigidity and quiet operation.

Jay

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I was looking at WD and the I drive, until I talked to a guy that used to work in the WD factory who recommended I get something else...
I have clopay insulated doors and like them, my house ones have the easy torsion system that is easy to wind. I have commercial ones on my barn (only thing insulated in my barn so far), they don't come with the easy torsion system, too big of a door.

Garage doors are actually pretty easy to install, watch the springs.

 

[timswi]

I was looking at WD and the I drive, until I talked to a guy that used to work in the WD factory who recommended I get something else...
I have clopay insulated doors and like them, my house ones have the easy torsion system that is easy to wind. I have commercial ones on my barn (only thing insulated in my barn so far), they don't come with the easy torsion system, too big of a door.

Garage doors are actually pretty easy to install, watch the springs.

Did he say why?...I have a WD and all of my neighbors do as well, along with the i-drives..We love them. We've had no issues. My door is 8 years old and still looks like new.

 

[ray66v]

I have a close friend who runs the largest O/H door co. In the area. they sell several million dollars of doors a year.

He sells just about everything that is out there, and swears by Haas Doors. He says the owner of Haas door company is a first class guy, who really cares about his customers. He has been know to show up driving the semi truck, when they get a shipment from them. That is how hard he works to stay in touch with his business. If there is a problem, the owner takes care of it personally.

I have 2 Haas doors, and have been very satisfied. I am sure you will be too.

One thing my friend taught me was always upgrade the size of the spring gauge, when you buy a door. For another $40 bucks or so, you can have a spring that you may never have to service.

 

[gno242]

Your best bet is taking several responses and doing an assessment for your needs. If I were you I'd go insulated 26 gauge. 24 gauge is thicker but they are both coated generally with the same material.

 

[garagedoors1]

C.H.I. Overhead Doors can definitley meet the appearance and endurance needs of your project. They've been making doors since 1981 and were founded by an Amish man in Rural Central Illinois. They have a nationwide network of professional installation companies and C.H.I.'s quality and service are the best in the door industry. I recomend using a professional installation company. It can make a difference in the operation and longevity of the door.

Most Door manufacturers make high end doors as well as economy doors. They can also have multiple levels of quality on the components that go into a door such as the type of insulation, Gauge of steel of the door sections, gauge of steel of the hardware and track etc. Be sure to look at the specs when when comparing different quotes.

This link shows a couple of industry opinions. Home Improvement Stuff What brand and model of garage doors do you have and how well does it function?


See C.H.I. Overhead Doors's new video at Garage Door Manufacturers Selection Is Now Made Easy - Inside Tips From IDA Director Patti McCombs | C.H.I. Overhead Doors

Also, C.H.I. Overhead Doors are American made by an American owned company. Not all companies are...