I love This Old House and Ask This Old House and have loads of respect for the people on the shows. That being said, as a garage door professional, there are a bunch of things on this install that were not done properly which should be mentioned. 1. The old tracks were re-used which voids any manufacturer warranty. NEVER re-use the old tracks. 2. The old tracks are low headroom tracks, used when you have less than 12" of headroom above your door. Low headroom track requires a special bottom bracket where the cable runs on the outside of the track. You can see the bracket at the 1:36 mark on the video. Nathan uses a standard bottom bracket which you can see at 3:21. This brackets runs the cable on the inside of the track. 3. While the door was properly leveled and shimmed, the tracks were not. They should be. 4. The reason the top brackets did not work is because they are meant for standard lift track. The brackets he “salvaged” off the old door are the proper brackets needed for low headroom track applications. 5. Garage doors a drawbar type opener should have a special brace across the top of the door. It is referred to as a strut. Without a strut, the top section of this door will crack in the center within 2-5 years due to simple metal fatigue from the steel flexing. With a strut, it will not crack. 6. Since the wrong bottom brackets were used, the lift cables will rub on the edge of track as the door gets to the totally open position and break pre-maturely. Any other garage door professional who reads what I have said will agree. We see this type of installation far too often. A properly installed garage door will work safely for many years. The door installed on this episode is NOT installed properly. They should have a professional garage door technician fix the mistakes.
1. Can you come install my new garage door? 2. When they leveled and shimmed, didn't that leave a gap on the bottom on one side? What should they do for that gap between the bottom panel and the garage surface on the one side?
Another thing I noticed, when the door was coming up, the extension spring went loose before the door was all the way up. Which tells me the door is heavy at the top which will shred the gear in the motor over time. The springs should not go loose at all on a door like that
Cheapo gator grip socket on your impact makes short work of those pesky old school square nuts. Also I'd guess the extension springs from that old wooden door aren't correct for that steel backed insulated door. The new door should have stickers on the edge that has the weight of it. Just match your extension spring pair to that number. Also the pulleys are pretty typical wear items, cheap and easy to zip a set on during install. And a good practice to run a safety cable through center of extension spring so when it breaks it doesn't smoke your car, wall or something worse.
Very helpful. 5 more seconds when he was running the safety cable through the retention plate and we would have seen how he finished the "knot" tie off.
The replacement job is incompete and actually quite dangerous. Let me explain with questions and a safety action. a) Is the new door heavier or lighter than the old door? Normally the door vendor supplies matching springs corresponding to the door weight. And for replacement springs, you may notice that part of the replacement coil spring is sprayed with colored paint to indicate the pounds per inch of pull. (red, yellow, or other color) for 10lb/inch, 20lb/inch etc. b) Springs that are 10 years old may snap soon after the new installation. If someone is in the garage when a spring snaps, and they are hit by the recoil, that could mean death, or major crippilng damage. c) For minimum safety, here is what you should do to complete the repair. 1) Match the spring force to the door weight. It may mean replacment springs or adding an inner spring to the one that is there. Best to get the proper spring to mach the door weight. 2) Pass a strong unstranded steel (or with few strands), cable, through the interior of the spring. Hook and anchor one end where the spring is anchored. and let the other end be tied to the closed door frame or thereabouts. It should not snag with the pully. It does not need much tension, just enough to keep it from snagging during door operation. Do it for both sides. When a spring snaps (door closed position), it can sever a persons head. Make sure that cable is not going to snag the door and spring pully operation during normal operation. Benefit = Safety ============ Now, if the spring snaps, or the door pully cable snaps, the in-spring cable will limit the spring's free end travel, and limit the wiplash from the snapped cable holding the pully. Noone should be injured if that happens. I mentioned to try to use a solid steel cable through the spring, simply because individual strands tend to rub and wear out. These inner cables should be checked yearly to make sure they are fit and do not interfere with the operation of the door. I am a retired computer programmer and home owner. I added those safety cables running inside the spring, as I had young kids with bikes going in/out of the garage. And some 4 years after I added that safety line, one spring snapped. There were no injuries and that is how I also learned about the color coding on the spring.
Some observations need to be addressed. What about the fact that they had to raise the door on the facing right side and that left a gap. Did they install the bottom moulding to make a seal? A sloped drive like that and no drail will potentially funnel water into the garage. Secondly, thieves know to reach in at the top and hook the release pull rope. Always install a barrier to prevent this.
You need to understand that people behind the keyboard can actually be educated about things. It’s not as if real skilled people never touch a keyboard nor people behind a keyboard are always idiots. Sure there are some 16yo wisenoses who just ramble things, but i think some people think too often that comments are just all nonsense and TOH is the DIY bible itself.
I've been working in garage doors for 11 years, and what he showed would not have actually functioned. The only thing he did right, was to salvage the top brackets, because what he had was wrong for the track.
For the automatic opener, you first have to open and close the door manually without the opener attached, to see if it’s going light enough. It looks like they went from solid wood to some vinyl material so possibly the springs are way too strong. Then the automatic opener will be under a lot of tension all the time, making it fail sooner than intended. And also the open and close positions may have to be reprogrammed as apparently the new door is shorter.
This vid was made for basic users. Those of us who know the real items that are important get the job done right. It does irk me that they leave out important details. Some things should be left to the pros. At the very least for reasons of safety.
I’m going to leave it to someone else to do, although I know it may never get done. Contractor I hired is a flake. Doesn’t show. Doesn’t communicate. I’ll have to ghost him, too.
Rarely do projects like this go as smoothly as this one. I'm in the middle of changing my own old door panels with new ones and have a lot of questions and issues. I've learned more about garage door installation than I ever wanted to know but not enough to finish the project. It would have been helpful to know why the roller brackets are different sizes (as was pointed out by the homeowner) and which tube the roller goes into if there are two, and if the installer explained the difference between the two types of top brackets that he had to swap out. My rudimentary understanding is that the new replacement bracket was for a standard track and the original bracket that he ended up using was for a low overhead track.
The two different types of roller brackets allow the top panel to snug into place where it belongs when closed while roller brackets on the lower panels guide the rollers into the more gradual incline track below which places less stress on the motor. I'm glad he included that part.
Old wooden garage door brought back a memory of my old door crashing down on top of my 63 Corvette Split window, car was fine oddly but the door never gave a hint it was so rotten!
Why didn't they show the door running from the inside? with the cables scraping all the way down because he didn't use the proper bottom brackets. Please consult someone who knows what they are doing. This video is very flawed.
if you look closer, that old door already had many repair braces so was on its last legs. Based on the type of hardware I would say that original door was pre 1960.
If you are going to replace the opener mechanism, and the garage is part of the house structure, go for a rubber belt drive. It is soo much quieter. The door being balanced means that tthe belt and drive should last some 25 years before needing replacement. Some new features allow you with bluetooth, to determine if the door is open or closed. Great for bedtime confirmations.
Chain moving doesn't make any noise, if it did then something is wrong. Belt drives are just a sales tool to up the price. You only hear the motor, if you want a quieter opener then get a DC motor model. And most chamberlain models come with WiFi, not Bluetooth
This "Old" House just installed a new door, without discussing the option of restoring what appeared to be a superior crafted original door. I see this a lot and the replacement turns out to be cheap crap. I have 4 wooden doors from 1950, Northern Ohio, Southern exposure. Every option I researched was cheap and out of character. So I restored for a fraction of the price and quality is 10x
We have winter in Montreal, with 20 below zero during mid-jan to mid-feb. Our door is under the house (duplex building). The double wide door is thermally rated as r19, aluminium clad exterior and lifetime warantee. It was not inexpensive. In winter, we can enter the garage with shirt sleeves rolled up. (about 10-15C or 50F to 65F). In Fall or Spring, the garage self maintains around room temperature.
Are your garages to the side of the house (eg attached) or part of the house. If the former, you did well, if the latter, i would go with the new R18/R19 insulated door. Just the AC and Heating savings and home comfort make a difference.
Lol, This is not a quality old wood door. It was very cheap model when it was sold. That is not wood raised paneling It's just Masonite, R value of zero
I know this Old House has a no shake when you first meet the person because they think it might look better but I think a shake hand will be better and shows respect. I'm just saying that as my personal opinion but I love this whole house and I believe I seen all of your episodes.
Very few 9x7 doors need struts for wind bracing. Especially a steel backed insulated door, it is very strong from the factory. Obviously the wider, or taller your door is the more wind it will catch. Typical for a 16x7 to have 1-3 struts based on what model it is
@@evanisley3237 Our double wide garage door has a stiffening bar at the floor level. In that bar is a balloned rubber insulation strip. That strip blocks water and snow.
It is highly recommended to use a support strut at the top of every door, that uses a garage door opener, regardless of door width. I've seen hundreds of 3layer steel doors, cracked at the top-center, because they did not have a strut installed. The cheap, bearingless rollers that came with the door, in the video, will cause it to suffer the same fate. Because of the friction in the tracks, the operator will make the top section flex, every time the door goes up or down. If you flex a piece of metal, back and forth, it will crack.
Yes that is absolutely correct. I would usually put a piece of 1" angle across the top of a 9' door and a short piece down in center style to attach operator to so they are tied in together. But this is exactly what happens when a homeowner gets just panels to replace a door when they really should have replaced the whole 9 yards. Track, springs, and all should be matched to the new door.
A standard 9/16 deep socket works on square nuts, also measure top to bottom as well, seeing as 2 panels are smaller the door is probably 6”6 tall, new doors should come with new tracks, no sense in reusing tracks from the 70s
When the door is goes down there is probably enough play in the rollers that the bottom panel will make full contact. I think the reason for the shim was to make sure the panels were installed parallel with each other but the lag screws should hold it together just fine once everything is said and done
With extension style springs, shimming the door was useless since they reused the track. Each sides independent and odds are it’ll settle into the ground and seal (just a little crooked) With torsion style springs each side is the exact same and door will stay exactly level. you’d fix the gap with a bigger seal or foam inside the seal
@@nick4leader wouldn't the panels be parallel without the shim? Since you're resting on onto the other, it seems like they would all be level with eachother.
@@ilovelamp22with each other, probably. But if the old rails are straight and the panels are assembled even with the floor then as the door could bind because it isn't in the track correctly
@@brandonhartman5950 At my home, I made a form to hold cement, and added a 2mm (1/4 inch layer of cement along the floor, to insure "door and floor" were both perfectly parallel to each other.
They didn't add a handle to the outside of the lowest door panel, which is necessary if the power if off or the automatic garage door opener is not working.
Humansoup is correct. Most professionals do not install any handles to the outside of the door. Garage Door Openers have made them, mostly, obsolete. If the power goes out, one must be inside the garage to disconnect the garage door opener. So a small lift plate inside is all that is needed
@@billyjack8906 The only time I saw a handle was when there was no access from inside the house. In that case there was a cable run from the release through the door and secured with a lock. In case of an opener failure you could unlock the cable, release the opener, and lift the door.
@@phonedave That is an emergency key release. We (almost) only install them when the garage door opener is the only access to the garage. Lock-bars and lift handles are often installed when there simply is no operator.
@This Old House Do you have a video about converting a garage that was converted into a living space back into a garage? Basically we have a wall were the garage door used to be and we want to revert it back into a garage.
So many items left out that affect the install. I only wish it was this easy. This is a disaster of safety in the making. He did not even run the wire thru the spring. If that wire breaks in mid raise it could kill someone if it snaps around. The doors should have a weight on them. Did they even consider adjusting the spring tension to the new door weight? This is embarassing for TOH to put out such a poor video.
The J-arm (6:27) that connects to the door should be upright, not like they installed it here (6:38). At that angle, it'll be super easy for anyone (including thieves) to get in your garage and with the big windows, they can see just how weak your security is. The J should be upright so that anyone outside pulling up would just be pushing the bracket upward against the chain track. At this angle, pulling up on the door would result in the J-arm pushing the chain backward and allowing easy access to the garage.
If you did that, you could never open the door by hand. You have to have it angled back at least slightly. I agree they installed it in the wrong place with the wrong fixture but there is no way you could force the door open with that opener, forcing it couldn't turn the gears inside of that opener
@@NateNelzen For security, you don't want it openable by hand. Unless you have some special circumstance where there are no other doors into your garage and you HAVE to be able to get in if the power goes out, then there's no reason to leave the garage vulnerable.
@humansoup I get what you're saying, but trust me, there is no way someone can force a door open while it is connected. You want the customer to be able to use the door manually if needed without any extra steps then just pulling the emergency release and lifting. What the person in this video did wrong was attaching the arm very low, you should always attach the j-arm as much as you can in line line with the top rollers so the arm doesn't start pulling the section out before it can go up. And being so long the arm will force the top of the top section up causing it to bind. It will work for a while but these things will soon lead to problems and a lot of premature wear and tear
@@NateNelzen He attached the arm at the highest point on the ORB. Where else could he attach it? He's using low headroom top bracket, so the top rollers are going to be higher than the j-arm attachment point. Also, because they're using low headroom tracks, the top section barely moves up before going back.
I’ve been in the garage door industry for 29 years. This door was incorrectly installed in many different ways. I’ve seen the comments about the springs. The track should have been changed also. The top brackets were incorrect because they were for the track that would have came standard with the door. It should have been ordered with the correct low headroom track so it could have been changed also. The cables were incorrectly installed. The way that they were installed will make the cables fray very quickly. I’m very disappointed in Ask This Old House for putting out this type of work and have lost confidence in the things that they tell people to do. You should have had a professional do this work not someone that does not know what they are doing.
I’ve been a tech for 21 years now, and this install is quite poor. We would never reuse the tracks on a door of this vintage. I agree this door should have been ordered with the correct low headroom hardware. The bottom brackets should have been outside pickup. The operator drawbar is way too long. This job is far more complex then most people realize. Maybe next time, have an experienced tech from the industry to show this. This video should be removed.
Agreed. This video should be taken down immediately. Those cables will come off or fray and break quickly. What if it came down on top of a kid or something? This is dangerous. Very disappointed in them for putting this video out there
Torsion Springs are a bit more dangerous to install, especially for the weekend warrior who tries to improvise. There are videos that detail the changing of torsion springs, but, as it is difficult.to acquire the proper spring, without knowing the correct wire gage, coil diameter, and Spring length, it's typically best left to a professional.
Obviously you aren’t going to order a new door and leave the old tracks and springs. You will order everything new and not just replace the door. If the door is bad chances are everything else is going to be as well. Also ypu aren’t going to reuse the same top bracket that would have came with the new hardware if ordered correctly which it’s a low headroom door. Also you wouldn’t use a wrench to take the square head screws off either just take your sawzall and cut em. Saves time for sure. I could keep going
@@jej3451 when you buy a door it comes with the whole package new springs, hardware, track and sections why wouldn’t you replace everything? Trust me if you want your garage door done get a professional. Not many people in my area even use an extension spring anymore they are almost always torsion in todays world.
Wow my garage door is gonna fall due to wood dry rot and it's no longer secure to the stud only thing that's keeping it standing up is the other side of the door and the ground
My god this is a dangerous video. 99 percent of garage door safety is how the springs work, so of course let's totally gloss over that part and just show people using an impact a bunch of times. Yes this was a light door but loads of people have 18' doors with overhead springs and red screws that will go off like shotguns if mishandled, not a single mention of that.
They believe in natural selection apparently 🙈😂 I think any adult understands that a spring under tension is dangerous. If not, they’ll learn it, either in an unharmed or harmed way 😜
I agree with you and I believe that the secret to financial stability is having the right investment ideas to enable you earn more money, I don't know who agrees with me but either way I recommend either real estate or crypto and stocks.
Do not pay attention to this video. It is very wrong. TOH should remove it immediately before somebody hurts themselves or somebody else. The opener is installed wrong it will damage the top of the door, The cables are installed in a way that they will fail, hopefully not while the door is open and cause the door to come down like a 130lbs guillotine. Hopefully not on somebody or their car.
As a pro installer this guy makes it look harder not easier. He obviously doesn't do this for a living. What a hack. It's ok if i criticize him I'm a professional installer
nothing like throwing away the character of a house for " new" Many of the doors were marine grade plywood, ours is in excellence condition after 75 years .
I get this was an abbreviated video. There can be different ways to install a garage door and still be correct and function properly, but there are wrong ways to install as well. This video shows many wrong installation techniques. TOH really?
That’s a low head room it’s not going to work with those bottom brackets and top brackets lmao this is wrong! You can’t put the cable on the inside of the door and have the pulleys on the outside of the track.
Please pull this video down TOH. As a door professional with over 40 years experience- there is not one thing done properly on the installation. About the only thing they got right was getting the correct size. Heck he even used the old pulleys off the old door and re-used a piece of 2x8 to mount the spring. Read the comments from other pro's and DO NOT use this video as a reference to install a garage door. Call a professional.
I have owned a Garage Door company for 19 years and this is a disgrace to the entire door industry. Teaching the public how to do a complete hack job. This video should be taken down.
only issue i see is reusing the old track and springs this isn’t the way i’d do it but there’s a million ways to install a door this isn’t a bad method
As a professional garage door service tech/installer/salesman, there are so many things wrong in this video. From not measuring the opening height, measuring the headroom, not changing out the springs, not changing out the pulleys, using the wrong bottom fixtures. Actually, that about sums it up. But know something, you will not be that clean when done installing a garage door.
Here’s the garage god of the world here folks. He knows it all!! He doesn’t even consider what the customer wanted. He’s a genius. Let’s all pay him lots of attention ruin.
Those are definitely new springs, they just didn't show it. I guessing not only does the guy installing not know what he is doing, the person editing it didn't either
I also own a garage door company. Please do not follow this video. Nothing personal against the people in the video but they just didn't do it right. Call a professional.
If you're a homeowner and you're watching this and thinking you can do it don't this they did everything wrong in this video. I own a garage door company and been doing this 10+ years this is dangerous please just call a professional.
This guy is not a garage door technician. First of all you didn’t change the track second of all he has the wrong bottom brackets on the door which are going to make the cable either fray and break or start cutting into the track poor lady wasted a lot of money and now has to have it fixed properly lol. Call Global Discount Door to get it done correctly! Good old Internet garbage in garbage out
This is not how you install a garage door you cannot reuse the existing track on a old wood door most steel doors are 2 inches thick wood door is thinner .call a professional.
I grew up with my father watching this old house and I like it to learn something new these days
Don’t watch this because it’s wrong lol they will be calling a real technician within a year due to many issues.
same
I love This Old House and Ask This Old House and have loads of respect for the people on the shows. That being said, as a garage door professional, there are a bunch of things on this install that were not done properly which should be mentioned.
1. The old tracks were re-used which voids any manufacturer warranty. NEVER re-use the old tracks.
2. The old tracks are low headroom tracks, used when you have less than 12" of headroom above your door. Low headroom track requires a special bottom bracket where the cable runs on the outside of the track. You can see the bracket at the 1:36 mark on the video. Nathan uses a standard bottom bracket which you can see at 3:21. This brackets runs the cable on the inside of the track.
3. While the door was properly leveled and shimmed, the tracks were not. They should be.
4. The reason the top brackets did not work is because they are meant for standard lift track. The brackets he “salvaged” off the old door are the proper brackets needed for low headroom track applications.
5. Garage doors a drawbar type opener should have a special brace across the top of the door. It is referred to as a strut. Without a strut, the top section of this door will crack in the center within 2-5 years due to simple metal fatigue from the steel flexing. With a strut, it will not crack.
6. Since the wrong bottom brackets were used, the lift cables will rub on the edge of track as the door gets to the totally open position and break pre-maturely.
Any other garage door professional who reads what I have said will agree. We see this type of installation far too often. A properly installed garage door will work safely for many years. The door installed on this episode is NOT installed properly. They should have a professional garage door technician fix the mistakes.
1. Can you come install my new garage door?
2. When they leveled and shimmed, didn't that leave a gap on the bottom on one side? What should they do for that gap between the bottom panel and the garage surface on the one side?
Thanks for listing everything out instead of just complaining
Another thing I noticed, when the door was coming up, the extension spring went loose before the door was all the way up. Which tells me the door is heavy at the top which will shred the gear in the motor over time. The springs should not go loose at all on a door like that
Why does it have to be a professional? Why can't it be an amateur?
I agree with Richard, you forgot to show balancing the door.
Cheapo gator grip socket on your impact makes short work of those pesky old school square nuts.
Also I'd guess the extension springs from that old wooden door aren't correct for that steel backed insulated door. The new door should have stickers on the edge that has the weight of it. Just match your extension spring pair to that number. Also the pulleys are pretty typical wear items, cheap and easy to zip a set on during install.
And a good practice to run a safety cable through center of extension spring so when it breaks it doesn't smoke your car, wall or something worse.
^ This guy garage doors ^
@@gsantee the garage door whisper
Good job, Nathan! You make it look easy.
No that garage door is dangerous to homeowners someone is going hit bad
I love her face of excitement...😱
Nathan is the man.
Very helpful. 5 more seconds when he was running the safety cable through the retention plate and we would have seen how he finished the "knot" tie off.
The replacement job is incompete and actually quite dangerous.
Let me explain with questions and a safety action.
a) Is the new door heavier or lighter than the old door? Normally the door vendor supplies matching springs corresponding to the door weight. And for replacement springs, you may notice that part of the replacement coil spring is sprayed with colored paint to indicate the pounds per inch of pull. (red, yellow, or other color) for 10lb/inch, 20lb/inch etc.
b) Springs that are 10 years old may snap soon after the new installation. If someone is in the garage when a spring snaps, and they are hit by the recoil, that could mean death, or major crippilng damage.
c) For minimum safety, here is what you should do to complete the repair.
1) Match the spring force to the door weight. It may mean replacment springs or adding an inner spring to the one that is there. Best to get the proper spring to mach the door weight.
2) Pass a strong unstranded steel (or with few strands), cable, through the interior of the spring. Hook and anchor one end where the spring is anchored. and let the other end be tied to the closed door frame or thereabouts. It should not snag with the pully. It does not need much tension, just enough to keep it from snagging during door operation.
Do it for both sides. When a spring snaps (door closed position), it can sever a persons head. Make sure that cable is not going to snag the door and spring pully operation during normal operation.
Benefit = Safety
============
Now, if the spring snaps, or the door pully cable snaps, the in-spring cable will limit the spring's free end travel, and limit the wiplash from the snapped cable holding the pully. Noone should be injured if that happens.
I mentioned to try to use a solid steel cable through the spring, simply because individual strands tend to rub and wear out. These inner cables should be checked yearly to make sure they are fit and do not interfere with the operation of the door.
I am a retired computer programmer and home owner. I added those safety cables running inside the spring, as I had young kids with bikes going in/out of the garage. And some 4 years after I added that safety line, one spring snapped. There were no injuries and that is how I also learned about the color coding on the spring.
You are absolutely right, in spring cable is critical.
really appreciate this
This Old House should pull this video. They have an older kne, that is much more complete and correct.
Some observations need to be addressed. What about the fact that they had to raise the door on the facing right side and that left a gap. Did they install the bottom moulding to make a seal? A sloped drive like that and no drail will potentially funnel water into the garage. Secondly, thieves know to reach in at the top and hook the release pull rope. Always install a barrier to prevent this.
Great video, love all the keyboard rambos.. what's wrong with reusing old hinge plates?? Nor like they where rusty..he did use new rollers..😊
You need to understand that people behind the keyboard can actually be educated about things. It’s not as if real skilled people never touch a keyboard nor people behind a keyboard are always idiots. Sure there are some 16yo wisenoses who just ramble things, but i think some people think too often that comments are just all nonsense and TOH is the DIY bible itself.
I've been working in garage doors for 11 years, and what he showed would not have actually functioned.
The only thing he did right, was to salvage the top brackets, because what he had was wrong for the track.
For the automatic opener, you first have to open and close the door manually without the opener attached, to see if it’s going light enough. It looks like they went from solid wood to some vinyl material so possibly the springs are way too strong. Then the automatic opener will be under a lot of tension all the time, making it fail sooner than intended. And also the open and close positions may have to be reprogrammed as apparently the new door is shorter.
This vid was made for basic users. Those of us who know the real items that are important get the job done right. It does irk me that they leave out important details. Some things should be left to the pros. At the very least for reasons of safety.
@@thelostarchivesserialvault5353 Even (not even; especially) a basic user should pay attention to such details, otherwise they'll break their motor.
I’m going to leave it to someone else to do, although I know it may never get done. Contractor I hired is a flake. Doesn’t show. Doesn’t communicate. I’ll have to ghost him, too.
Beautifull work very nice and clean
What about the opening at the bottom now because of needing to shim to level?
Rarely do projects like this go as smoothly as this one. I'm in the middle of changing my own old door panels with new ones and have a lot of questions and issues. I've learned more about garage door installation than I ever wanted to know but not enough to finish the project. It would have been helpful to know why the roller brackets are different sizes (as was pointed out by the homeowner) and which tube the roller goes into if there are two, and if the installer explained the difference between the two types of top brackets that he had to swap out. My rudimentary understanding is that the new replacement bracket was for a standard track and the original bracket that he ended up using was for a low overhead track.
Always install the new rail, it comes with the door
The two different types of roller brackets allow the top panel to snug into place where it belongs when closed while roller brackets on the lower panels guide the rollers into the more gradual incline track below which places less stress on the motor. I'm glad he included that part.
Old wooden garage door brought back a memory of my old door crashing down on top of my 63 Corvette Split window, car was fine oddly but the door never gave a hint it was so rotten!
Why didn't they show the door running from the inside? with the cables scraping all the way down because he didn't use the proper bottom brackets.
Please consult someone who knows what they are doing. This video is very flawed.
Best ever 😊 thank you
Love this old house, Love Nathan, especially Tommy
my grandfather loved the show and i see why he did
Been watching This Old House ever since I was a youngster back in the 80's.
I was thinking about the possibility of restoring the old door. Many people might have doors that are not ruined so much as to warrant replacing.
if you look closer, that old door already had many repair braces so was on its last legs. Based on the type of hardware I would say that original door was pre 1960.
Torsion springs are so much better than those extension springs. Safer, more reliable and last longer.
I have a double width garage door with standard opening. It was not practicle to do what you recommended.
This garage is a low ceiling height - hence the 2 track system. Most likely there is no room above the door for torsion springs.
Too bad garage doors have almost tripled in price in the last year. A $3300 door today cost $1200 in the beginning of 2021.
Wow
Don't vote Democrat...
Seems like most everything is up 50-100%. But somehow inflation is only 5-7%.
@@ddier333 As a famous president said at the start of all this, "There's no inflation, dummy"
If you are going to replace the opener mechanism, and the garage is part of the house structure, go for a rubber belt drive. It is soo much quieter. The door being balanced means that tthe belt and drive should last some 25 years before needing replacement. Some new features allow you with bluetooth, to determine if the door is open or closed. Great for bedtime confirmations.
Chain moving doesn't make any noise, if it did then something is wrong. Belt drives are just a sales tool to up the price. You only hear the motor, if you want a quieter opener then get a DC motor model. And most chamberlain models come with WiFi, not Bluetooth
This "Old" House just installed a new door, without discussing the option of restoring what appeared to be a superior crafted original door. I see this a lot and the replacement turns out to be cheap crap. I have 4 wooden doors from 1950, Northern Ohio, Southern exposure. Every option I researched was cheap and out of character. So I restored for a fraction of the price and quality is 10x
Then don’t follow.
We have winter in Montreal, with 20 below zero during mid-jan to mid-feb. Our door is under the house (duplex building). The double wide door is thermally rated as r19, aluminium clad exterior and lifetime warantee. It was not inexpensive. In winter, we can enter the garage with shirt sleeves rolled up. (about 10-15C or 50F to 65F). In Fall or Spring, the garage self maintains around room temperature.
Are your garages to the side of the house (eg attached) or part of the house. If the former, you did well, if the latter, i would go with the new R18/R19 insulated door. Just the AC and Heating savings and home comfort make a difference.
@@lsatenstein good point. Detached garage
Lol, This is not a quality old wood door. It was very cheap model when it was sold. That is not wood raised paneling It's just Masonite, R value of zero
I know this Old House has a no shake when you first meet the person because they think it might look better but I think a shake hand will be better and shows respect. I'm just saying that as my personal opinion but I love this whole house and I believe I seen all of your episodes.
I noticed there are no horizontal reinforcing bars for wind. You didn't mention if the door complies with the local wind code for garage doors.
Very few 9x7 doors need struts for wind bracing. Especially a steel backed insulated door, it is very strong from the factory.
Obviously the wider, or taller your door is the more wind it will catch. Typical for a 16x7 to have 1-3 struts based on what model it is
@@evanisley3237 Our double wide garage door has a stiffening bar at the floor level. In that bar is a balloned rubber insulation strip. That strip blocks water and snow.
And every top section has a sticker stating it must have reinforcement across the top before attaching an opener. I guess he missed it
It is highly recommended to use a support strut at the top of every door, that uses a garage door opener, regardless of door width.
I've seen hundreds of 3layer steel doors, cracked at the top-center, because they did not have a strut installed.
The cheap, bearingless rollers that came with the door, in the video, will cause it to suffer the same fate. Because of the friction in the tracks, the operator will make the top section flex, every time the door goes up or down.
If you flex a piece of metal, back and forth, it will crack.
Yes that is absolutely correct. I would usually put a piece of 1" angle across the top of a 9' door and a short piece down in center style to attach operator to so they are tied in together.
But this is exactly what happens when a homeowner gets just panels to replace a door when they really should have replaced the whole 9 yards. Track, springs, and all should be matched to the new door.
A standard 9/16 deep socket works on square nuts, also measure top to bottom as well, seeing as 2 panels are smaller the door is probably 6”6 tall, new doors should come with new tracks, no sense in reusing tracks from the 70s
How do you address the gap at the bottom? You have to shim it to be level, so now the bottom corner just won't contact the ground?
When the door is goes down there is probably enough play in the rollers that the bottom panel will make full contact. I think the reason for the shim was to make sure the panels were installed parallel with each other but the lag screws should hold it together just fine once everything is said and done
With extension style springs, shimming the door was useless since they reused the track. Each sides independent and odds are it’ll settle into the ground and seal (just a little crooked)
With torsion style springs each side is the exact same and door will stay exactly level. you’d fix the gap with a bigger seal or foam inside the seal
@@nick4leader wouldn't the panels be parallel without the shim? Since you're resting on onto the other, it seems like they would all be level with eachother.
@@ilovelamp22with each other, probably. But if the old rails are straight and the panels are assembled even with the floor then as the door could bind because it isn't in the track correctly
@@brandonhartman5950 At my home, I made a form to hold cement, and added a 2mm (1/4 inch layer of cement along the floor, to insure "door and floor" were both perfectly parallel to each other.
They didn't add a handle to the outside of the lowest door panel, which is necessary if the power if off or the automatic garage door opener is not working.
You shouldn't be able to open the door from the outside anyway. The handle is from before there was a motor.
Humansoup is correct.
Most professionals do not install any handles to the outside of the door. Garage Door Openers have made them, mostly, obsolete.
If the power goes out, one must be inside the garage to disconnect the garage door opener. So a small lift plate inside is all that is needed
@@billyjack8906 The only time I saw a handle was when there was no access from inside the house. In that case there was a cable run from the release through the door and secured with a lock. In case of an opener failure you could unlock the cable, release the opener, and lift the door.
@@phonedave That is an emergency key release. We (almost) only install them when the garage door opener is the only access to the garage.
Lock-bars and lift handles are often installed when there simply is no operator.
great job!
Can you come to my house and do that? Great video!
@This Old House Do you have a video about converting a garage that was converted into a living space back into a garage? Basically we have a wall were the garage door used to be and we want to revert it back into a garage.
You forgot the top strut that’s a must
They failed to show how to tension the springs properly. Among other things
I wish the video went into more details.
Excellent!
@@Kevin-mp5of 🦞🦞🦞lobstahhh
good video
7:28. If a woman tells you this at an end of a date, she is not calling you back for another date.
If it were Tommy, she'd invite him to stay the night.
Witte, LOL!!!
Great job 👍
You were smart to re use the Chamberlain opener.
And remember this. There is no other more important safety rule than to wear THESE... safety glasses... - Norm Abram
nice
Nathan is a Dewalt guy? Tommy needs to make a few calls for him. #festool. 😂
‘No handles’? Let’s hope they don’t loose power and need to lift the door open or closed . And spring tension?
great video i enjoyed it looks easy.
I've never seen such a hack job in all 20+ years of hanging doors.
Lmao counterman, I get it now
I just laughed the entire video! What an absolute bum and disgrace to true door guys
So many items left out that affect the install. I only wish it was this easy. This is a disaster of safety in the making. He did not even run the wire thru the spring. If that wire breaks in mid raise it could kill someone if it snaps around. The doors should have a weight on them. Did they even consider adjusting the spring tension to the new door weight? This is embarassing for TOH to put out such a poor video.
Why not show how he handled the shim?
I’m nervous.
Hey Nathan great video, idon't get the name of your tool coverd/taped, I am a black and yellow tool guy too.
The J-arm (6:27) that connects to the door should be upright, not like they installed it here (6:38). At that angle, it'll be super easy for anyone (including thieves) to get in your garage and with the big windows, they can see just how weak your security is.
The J should be upright so that anyone outside pulling up would just be pushing the bracket upward against the chain track. At this angle, pulling up on the door would result in the J-arm pushing the chain backward and allowing easy access to the garage.
For those who can't follow, when the door is closed, the arm should be parallel to the door.
If you did that, you could never open the door by hand. You have to have it angled back at least slightly. I agree they installed it in the wrong place with the wrong fixture but there is no way you could force the door open with that opener, forcing it couldn't turn the gears inside of that opener
@@NateNelzen For security, you don't want it openable by hand. Unless you have some special circumstance where there are no other doors into your garage and you HAVE to be able to get in if the power goes out, then there's no reason to leave the garage vulnerable.
@humansoup I get what you're saying, but trust me, there is no way someone can force a door open while it is connected. You want the customer to be able to use the door manually if needed without any extra steps then just pulling the emergency release and lifting. What the person in this video did wrong was attaching the arm very low, you should always attach the j-arm as much as you can in line line with the top rollers so the arm doesn't start pulling the section out before it can go up. And being so long the arm will force the top of the top section up causing it to bind. It will work for a while but these things will soon lead to problems and a lot of premature wear and tear
@@NateNelzen He attached the arm at the highest point on the ORB. Where else could he attach it? He's using low headroom top bracket, so the top rollers are going to be higher than the j-arm attachment point. Also, because they're using low headroom tracks, the top section barely moves up before going back.
Where would you get that finishing rubber piece he adds at the end to help with weather sealing?
Home depot or the like. It's just garage door weather stripping.
what's a trick for getting the stucco pattern after you repair a ding with bondo?
Splatter on stucco then knock down. Use wadded up paper or foil for pattern.
Aluminum doors are the way to go
why not use torsion springs? extension springs are practically obsolete and they will have to replace them sooner or later
Especially reusing the old pulleys off of a 50 year old wood door…
@@brandonhartman5950 right??
Torsion springs aren't particularly DIY friendly. Someone uneducated about how they work can injure themselves badly if they're not careful.
They’re superior, but they’re kind of a mystery. It’s weird that you can’t just go to the big box stores and buy them.
I wonder how Nate got into Joinery
Nathan....Need to replace my garage door. You free anytime soon?
I’ve been in the garage door industry for 29 years. This door was incorrectly installed in many different ways. I’ve seen the comments about the springs. The track should have been changed also. The top brackets were incorrect because they were for the track that would have came standard with the door. It should have been ordered with the correct low headroom track so it could have been changed also. The cables were incorrectly installed. The way that they were installed will make the cables fray very quickly. I’m very disappointed in Ask This Old House for putting out this type of work and have lost confidence in the things that they tell people to do. You should have had a professional do this work not someone that does not know what they are doing.
I’ve been a tech for 21 years now, and this install is quite poor. We would never reuse the tracks on a door of this vintage. I agree this door should have been ordered with the correct low headroom hardware. The bottom brackets should have been outside pickup. The operator drawbar is way too long. This job is far more complex then most people realize. Maybe next time, have an experienced tech from the industry to show this. This video should be removed.
Agreed. This video should be taken down immediately. Those cables will come off or fray and break quickly. What if it came down on top of a kid or something? This is dangerous. Very disappointed in them for putting this video out there
you forgot to also mention how they decided to not wear safety glasses when using a nail gun !
@@diverdave4056 He was wearing safety squints! All good!
Leveling the bottom section is for torsion and new track. No strut on the glass top section. Used the old shives, just too much to list.
Melanie - "Sounds good."
In my area, that would be a $1,000 installation job.
here in quebec i charge 350$ for labor
These springs are different, what gives?
Step one: buy the garage door.. After that I’m baffled.
The first thing you should do is check your sections for damage. Lol
What about doors with torsion springs?
thats 99% of what i sell, they are just better than extension springs
Torsion Springs are a bit more dangerous to install, especially for the weekend warrior who tries to improvise.
There are videos that detail the changing of torsion springs, but, as it is difficult.to acquire the proper spring, without knowing the correct wire gage, coil diameter, and Spring length, it's typically best left to a professional.
This is comedy watching them take down this door lol 😂 being a garage door tech and all it’s hilarious
go on...
Obviously you aren’t going to order a new door and leave the old tracks and springs. You will order everything new and not just replace the door. If the door is bad chances are everything else is going to be as well. Also ypu aren’t going to reuse the same top bracket that would have came with the new hardware if ordered correctly which it’s a low headroom door. Also you wouldn’t use a wrench to take the square head screws off either just take your sawzall and cut em. Saves time for sure. I could keep going
It’s cringe to watch from a tech point of view lol
@@FFowler10 Why would you pay to replace all of those parts that are still good?
@@jej3451 when you buy a door it comes with the whole package new springs, hardware, track and sections why wouldn’t you replace everything? Trust me if you want your garage door done get a professional. Not many people in my area even use an extension spring anymore they are almost always torsion in todays world.
Wow my garage door is gonna fall due to wood dry rot and it's no longer secure to the stud only thing that's keeping it standing up is the other side of the door and the ground
The garage door spring is very dangerous
My god this is a dangerous video. 99 percent of garage door safety is how the springs work, so of course let's totally gloss over that part and just show people using an impact a bunch of times. Yes this was a light door but loads of people have 18' doors with overhead springs and red screws that will go off like shotguns if mishandled, not a single mention of that.
They believe in natural selection apparently 🙈😂 I think any adult understands that a spring under tension is dangerous. If not, they’ll learn it, either in an unharmed or harmed way 😜
Not to mention that neither were wearing safety glasses.
He didn’t show where or how to release the hook
"If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary." --Jim Rohn
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That's right! LIsten to this guy and lose all your money today!
Who posts this crap on a TOH video?
@@Benny309 Same here, Making a total of 4,250usd from my investment, all thanks to Mrs. Amanda Hernandez
I Know Mrs. Amanda I invest with her too, i make about a 7,000USD every month.
Was this lady's house in the town of Stepford?
Stepford = Darien Ct. They are probably in Mass-a-2 shits.
STABILA - MADE IN GERMANY
Why do they seem so dead inside
Not how to install a new door and replace the tracks new doors come with tracks if the door is thicker a wood door track won't work.
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
She asked why the hinges were different but didn't get an answer
Welcome to TOH
Do not pay attention to this video. It is very wrong. TOH should remove it immediately before somebody hurts themselves or somebody else. The opener is installed wrong it will damage the top of the door, The cables are installed in a way that they will fail, hopefully not while the door is open and cause the door to come down like a 130lbs guillotine. Hopefully not on somebody or their car.
As a pro installer this guy makes it look harder not easier. He obviously doesn't do this for a living. What a hack. It's ok if i criticize him I'm a professional installer
nothing like throwing away the character of a house for " new" Many of the doors were marine grade plywood, ours is in excellence condition after 75 years .
Certain jobs I'd leave to those who do it everyday and a garage door replacement is one of them.
I get this was an abbreviated video. There can be different ways to install a garage door and still be correct and function properly, but there are wrong ways to install as well. This video shows many wrong installation techniques. TOH really?
That’s a low head room it’s not going to work with those bottom brackets and top brackets lmao this is wrong! You can’t put the cable on the inside of the door and have the pulleys on the outside of the track.
Seriously, loads wrong with what was shown in this video, but that detail drives me crazy
@@iankendrick7 the whole thing is a piss poor installation
Please pull this video down TOH. As a door professional with over 40 years experience- there is not one thing done properly on the installation. About the only thing they got right was getting the correct size.
Heck he even used the old pulleys off the old door and re-used a piece of 2x8 to mount the spring.
Read the comments from other pro's and DO NOT use this video as a reference to install a garage door. Call a professional.
All you need to do to replace a garage door is pick up the phone. That's how I take care of things.
I think there should have been a bigger emphasis on how dangerous those springs are. This is very much a job for professionals.
Those pulleys are in terrible shape and shouldn't have been reused!
I have owned a Garage Door company for 19 years and this is a disgrace to the entire door industry. Teaching the public how to do a complete hack job. This video should be taken down.
Its a covert job security video lol
@@codiejman533 LMAO 🤣🤣. That's for sure.
Someone is butt hurt lol
only issue i see is reusing the old track and springs this isn’t the way i’d do it but there’s a million ways to install a door this isn’t a bad method
@blazinkansas1 maybe you're a disgrace to the entire door industry?
As a professional garage door service tech/installer/salesman, there are so many things wrong in this video. From not measuring the opening height, measuring the headroom, not changing out the springs, not changing out the pulleys, using the wrong bottom fixtures. Actually, that about sums it up. But know something, you will not be that clean when done installing a garage door.
I sense the bs salesman coming out in you. Try having integrity.
Interesting - two-track system. And no springs. I guess a single width door is light enough.
Not installing new track and springs is lazy
Maybe not the track but definitely makes zero sense to not replace the springs which will eventually need to be replaced in the future.
Here’s the garage god of the world here folks. He knows it all!! He doesn’t even consider what the customer wanted. He’s a genius. Let’s all pay him lots of attention ruin.
@@johnlebzelter4208 Are you bashing the guy in the video or the doctor who posted a comment?
Those are definitely new springs, they just didn't show it. I guessing not only does the guy installing not know what he is doing, the person editing it didn't either
Woodglut plans are amazing!
Lisa Simpson!
Her and the husband should be in the video... all this looks shady... mr. Richard Dawson of the home improvements
First thing I noticed is that all the tools were of new condition. Never used? Clue NOT to hire this guy! 😱🤣🤣🤣
I also own a garage door company. Please do not follow this video. Nothing personal against the people in the video but they just didn't do it right. Call a professional.
Do all wrong you need replace all garage door parts. That is dangerous to home owners. Need to get professional garage door guy for job
If you're a homeowner and you're watching this and thinking you can do it don't this they did everything wrong in this video. I own a garage door company and been doing this 10+ years this is dangerous please just call a professional.
Same
Springs kill. Without a warning.
Lmfao aka please keep me in business. What a joke.
I did, they want $15,000 for 3 doors. Or I could buy 3 doors from Lowes for $4500 and try to do it without killing myself
Lol okay buddy , sounds legit 😂😂
This guy is not a garage door technician. First of all you didn’t change the track second of all he has the wrong bottom brackets on the door which are going to make the cable either fray and break or start cutting into the track poor lady wasted a lot of money and now has to have it fixed properly lol. Call Global Discount Door to get it done correctly! Good old Internet garbage in garbage out
3-way fail:
1) Not using ear protection with an impact
2) Not showing the spring safety details
3) Forgot the handle on the outside
Hearing protection should be used with a such a cordless impact?
1) hahaha
2) Fair enough
3) This aint the 1950's. Drive around your neighborhood and tell me how many handles you see
This is not how you install a garage door you cannot reuse the existing track on a old wood door most steel doors are 2 inches thick wood door is thinner .call a professional.