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Default old garage door, bowing

Give me a chance of success here...(you garage door pros)

I have an Al door, 18+ ft?, 20 years old, that bows in the middle
(when the door is in the open position). Because of it, the door
'bangs' when the door is shut. The bang is caused by the drooping
door "snapping" straight and it begin the trip downward around the
bend in the door race.. Sometimes it doesn't flex straight thou and
the door fails to close (it jams and the motor resets and rises). The
upper panel, which bows, is stiffened with an 18 or 20 gauge V'd metal
beam. It screws on.

Do you think it's worth a try to "rebow" (in the opposite direction)
this support piece? Can it even be done? I was thinking that I could
remove it and bend it back ( create an up bias) with some heat and
force. Has anyone done that?

I assume these beams are sold. Maybe I could just buy a new one
instead.
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Default old garage door, bowing

hjkhjk wrote:
Give me a chance of success here...(you garage door pros)

I have an Al door, 18+ ft?, 20 years old, that bows in the middle
(when the door is in the open position). Because of it, the door
'bangs' when the door is shut. The bang is caused by the drooping
door "snapping" straight and it begin the trip downward around the
bend in the door race.. Sometimes it doesn't flex straight thou and
the door fails to close (it jams and the motor resets and rises). The
upper panel, which bows, is stiffened with an 18 or 20 gauge V'd metal
beam. It screws on.

Do you think it's worth a try to "rebow" (in the opposite direction)
this support piece? Can it even be done? I was thinking that I could
remove it and bend it back ( create an up bias) with some heat and
force. Has anyone done that?

I assume these beams are sold. Maybe I could just buy a new one
instead.


If you have a local fab shop with a big sheetmetal brake I would just
have them fab up another v'd brace for the section that is bowing.
maybe heavier this time.

nate

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replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
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Default old garage door, bowing

hjkhjk wrote:
....

Do you think it's worth a try to "rebow" (in the opposite direction)
this support piece? Can it even be done? I was thinking that I could
remove it and bend it back ( create an up bias) with some heat and
force. Has anyone done that?


Not at all likely w/o having it buckle imo. I'd give far less than 1%
odds w/o a forming machine.

I assume these beams are sold. Maybe I could just buy a new one
instead.


Don't know whether they're considered replacement parts or not altho
possible I suppose.

Actually, as write this, what I'd probably try would be to place shims
of varying thickness under it to recreate the straight edge from end to
end--try a few washers behind it in the center as a starter and see if
helps; if so you can get more precise...

(Thanking my lucky stars I don't have the house w/ the single
double-wide garage door any longer to have the problem... )

hth, dpb

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Default old garage door, bowing

Nate Nagel wrote:
....
If you have a local fab shop with a big sheetmetal brake ...


Yeah, an 18-ft brake will be a big'un fur shure...

Those are rolled from coil flat sheet stock like guttering, not bent.

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Default old garage door, bowing

On Jul 22, 7:24*pm, hjkhjk wrote:
Give me a chance of success here...(you garage door pros)

I have an Al door, 18+ ft?, 20 years old, that bows in the middle
(when the door is in the open position). *Because of it, the door
'bangs' when the door is shut. *The bang is caused by the drooping
door "snapping" straight and it begin the trip downward around the
bend in the door race.. *Sometimes it doesn't flex straight thou and
the door fails to close (it jams and the motor resets and rises). *The
upper panel, which bows, is stiffened with an 18 or 20 gauge V'd metal
beam. *It screws on.

Do you think it's worth a try to "rebow" (in the opposite direction)
this support piece? *Can it even be done? *I was thinking that I could
remove it and bend it back ( create an up bias) with some heat and
force. *Has anyone done that?

I assume these beams are sold. *Maybe I could just buy a new one
instead.


When My dad had that problem he just bolted a piece of angle iron to
the back of the offending panel. He did that in the '60s and it was
still working well when he died in 2001, & I'm pretty sure the present
owner still is using it.


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Default old garage door, bowing

dpb wrote:
Nate Nagel wrote:
...
If you have a local fab shop with a big sheetmetal brake ...


Yeah, an 18-ft brake will be a big'un fur shure...

Those are rolled from coil flat sheet stock like guttering, not bent.

--


I must have missed that. I was thinking a regular single bay door, not
a wide one.

nate

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replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
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Default old garage door, bowing

On Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:12:00 -0700 (PDT), Eric in North TX
wrote:

On Jul 22, 7:24*pm, hjkhjk wrote:
Give me a chance of success here...(you garage door pros)

I have an Al door, 18+ ft?, 20 years old, that bows in the middle


My neighbor Al Bundy used to have an A-1 door.

When My dad had that problem he just bolted a piece of angle iron to
the back of the offending panel. He did that in the '60s and it was
still working well when he died in 2001, & I'm pretty sure the present
owner still is using it.


I'll bet he is. Your dad know what he was doing.
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Default old garage door, bowing

On Jul 22, 8:24*pm, hjkhjk wrote:
Do you think it's worth a try to "rebow" (in the opposite direction)
this support piece? *Can it even be done? *I was thinking that I could
remove it and bend it back ( create an up bias) with some heat and
force. *Has anyone done that?


The problem is not that the brace is bowed. Once you remove it from
the door, it will be perfectly straight.

The problem is, the brace is not adequate to support the door. Steel
comes in up to 20ft lengths. I would get a piece of light 1-1/2" steel
angle and bolt it to the back of the door as additional bracing.


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