First Impressions, Simple Statements - Page 6

Renewing garage and entry doors with neighborly good looks and in line with the modern streetscape aesthetic
By Tanja Kern

Ed started with the door closest to the house, mounting the Chamberlain hardware for the garage doors on a joist 11 inches away from the door opening. He installed the door trolley 13-½ inches from the ceiling.

The motor is hung from the ceiling with steel tape and attached to two-by-four-inch mounting boards. He used the door puller provided by Chamberlain but connected it to the door by attaching a five-and-three-eighths-inch bolt through the door hanger with a two-inch collar nut. The five-inch bolt flexes when the door motion is started or stopped to absorb shock.

The second door installation is more complicated because there is very little room for the motor and mechanism. Ed hung the second motor, rotated by 90 degrees, and centered 32 inches from the left edge of the open door. He then used the parts from two bicycle frames to support the chain, which was lengthened.

Both garage door opener motor assemblies come with travel limit switches that turn the motors on and off at the end of their movement. These switches are adjusted before the door is operated to assure that the doors do not move farther than they need to.

“Notwithstanding many of the fine adjustments in positioning of the parts during design, these doors have operated flawlessly for eight years,” Ed says. “Knock on wood!” Ed’s total out-of-pocket cost: $250.

For those like Ed who love to tinker, this may be an ideal project for you. For the rest, automation is a phone call away.

 

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