Garage doors sagged what to do. Raising garage doors: difficult problems and simple solutions. An example of a simple solution in a difficult situation

Often the gate height is narrower finished garage does not suit the owner. Perhaps the person decided to buy a new car, say, an SUV, whose height is higher than ordinary cars, or it became necessary to use the garage for other purposes, when it is necessary to drive a small truck inside, for example, a Gazelle.

But the gates for a private garage were previously created using a certain amount of metal in order to save money - the calculation of the amount of materials used was made taking into account the size of a standard steel sheet with a thickness of 2-3 mm (photo 1).

Photo 1. Standard garage Doors

Today, the height of the garage doors of other owners has ceased to suit, and many have begun to increase this size (photo 2).

Purchase of materials and choice of tools

Of course, you can invite specialists who will do it quickly and efficiently. However, not everyone has sufficient funds to pay the wage earners and buy the materials they use. Craftsmen often demand the purchase of new metal, which is much more expensive than the used one.

In turn, the owner of the garage can find the necessary rolled metal in the organization that collects scrap metal. The material selected from scrap can cost 2-3 times less than you have to pay for new rolled metal. At the same time, the strength of metal structures made of old metal is quite enough to ensure the strength of the finished product.

But it is not recommended to save on tools and equipment. Need to prepare workplaceby setting required height strong scaffolding - when performing work, a person must be in a stable position, which will exclude him from falling with a working tool and getting injured.

A hammer drill and an angle grinder must be powerful, and equipment such as drills and cut-off wheels must be of good quality, which will determine the speed of work and the safety of the worker.

For example, it is recommended to use special diamond cut-off wheels for cutting a brick wall. For welding, it is enough to use a small inverter welding machine, working from a regular 220V network and welding metal with electrodes with a diameter of 3-4 mm.

I would like to add that such a job should be undertaken by a person who has at least a little understanding of how to use specialized equipment and has little practical skills in using such tools.

Tools and equipment

• Construction scaffolding;
• Powerful angle grinder;
• Perforator or powerful drill;
• Plumb line;
• Construction level;
• Inverter welding machine;
• Welding mask (it is recommended to choose a “Chameleon” type mask);
• Welding gloves and preferably a welding suit;
• Two cutting wheels for metal;
• Cut-off wheels for concrete, one of which has a maximum diameter (photos 3 and 4);
• Drill for metal d \u003d 8.5 mm;
• Concrete drill d \u003d 8 mm;
• MP3 electrodes with a diameter of 3 mm, although you can work with 4 mm electrodes;
• A hammer;
• Bit;
• Open-end / ring spanner 13 for anchor bolts;
• Plastic film to protect the garage from dust;
• Respiratory protection respirator;
• Special goggles that protect the eyes from dust and small stones formed when making channels under the new door frame;
• Clothing that maximally protects areas of the body from dust.

Materials

• Corner with a shelf width of 40-75 mm for extending the door frame (focus on the corner from which the frame is already made);
• Corner with shelf width 30-35 mm for the door frame;
• Trimming sheet with a thickness of 2-2.5 mm.

The number of rolled metal and sheet dimensions are calculated based on the area by which the gate will increase.

Procedure for building up the gate

The scaffolding is installed firmly and stably.

The outline of the new garage door frame is outlined.

Inside the garage, a plastic film is fixed in such a way as to prevent the dust generated during operation from entering the room.

A corner is cut, prepared for building up the door frame, with a mark of each segment about its location in the structure.

The masonry of the garage walls is cut along the contour of the new door frame, first outside the garage. It is better to make a horizontal cut of the wall along the seam located between the bricks (photo 5), which will facilitate the smooth laying of the channel and the further removal of excess masonry.

Photo 5. Sawing through the masonry seam

The vertical cut is made along the outlined contour (photo 6) with the maximum deepening into the existing part of the frame for ease of installation of the new structure (photo 7).

The sufficiency of the groove depth is checked by the segment remaining when cutting a corner with a shelf width of 40-75 mm (photo 8).

After the cut is completed from the outside (photo 9), the corner pieces for the frame are installed (photo 10) with careful welding of seams at the joints of the segments (photo 11). When installing the corner pieces, it is advisable to check their location using a plumb line and a building level. After checking, the structural elements are fixed in some way, after which the seams are welded. In the case of the extension, which is shown in the photographs, the gates were installed incorrectly during the construction of the garage, which had to be compensated for by adjusting the newly created frame and doors structure, which will be especially noticeable in the photographs with the already enlarged gates. When carrying out welding work, it is recommended to have a fire extinguishing device near.

For better attachment to the existing masonry of the created structure, it is advisable to use anchor expansion bolts (photo 12).

The diameter of the bolts used is 8 mm with a length of 60 mm (photo 13). It is enough to fix the horizontal piece of the corner in four places. First, with an 8.5 mm metal drill, a hole is drilled in the corner to the brickwork, and then the hole for the anchor bolt is deepened with a concrete drill 8 mm to the desired depth. After that, the anchor bolts are inserted and the structure is attached to the wall.

After assembling and fixing the new structure from the outside, the necessary cuts of the wall are made from the inside, after which the elements of the door frame are assembled in the same order and fastened from the inside.

The next stage is the preparation of parts for building up the sashes. For this, the existing sheets are cut and the corner with a shelf width of 30-35 mm is cut into pieces of the required length.

Next, the fabric of the stacked section of each of the gate leaves is assembled. The assembled sections of the canvases are butt welded from above to the gate leaves, and for fixation they are stuck to the new section of the frame by spot welding in several places (photo 14).

After that, the excess brick is removed from the inside of the garage, gently chipping off a chisel and a hammer using tools. Before removing the extra sections of the wall, it is also necessary to fix the inner part of the expandable structure of the door frame with anchor bolts (photo 15).

When the unnecessary pieces of the wall are removed, the additional reinforcement frame structure and frame reinforcement of the incremental part of the gate leaves (photo 16). All new structural elements that increase the size of the gate are thoroughly welded, since the strength of the finished product depends on this.

The lower gate locks are adjusted in place when new elements are added to the existing frame (photo 17). Then the floor is poured to the required level, or the door frame is fully extended from below.

The upper gate locks are built up and adjusted along the upper edge of the enlarged frame (photo 18).

On the outside of the gate, the upper hinges are cut and welded higher due to the increasing size of the canvases (photo 19 and 20).

The final stage is painting the gate with a special paint (photo 21). It is recommended to use a coloring composition that performs three functions - the paint replaces the primer, converts rust if necessary and creates a paint and varnish protective layer on metal.

If a person has little skills in working with special tool on concrete and has an idea of \u200b\u200b\\ u200b \\ u200bwelding, then he will be able to build up the gate on his own, thereby saving significant funds from the family budget.

For work, you need a brick, a channel, water and the garage door itself. Nothing special, apparently. When everything is at hand, you can start doing the work.

Getting started

Consider a situation where it becomes necessary to maintain the current level of the garage, as well as raise its gate. Let's consider the step-by-step execution of the operation. First, the garage door must be removed, then the frame must be released. Next, we remove several brick rows directly above the opening and raise the gate itself. Finally, in the lower section, you can raise the dump and return the structure to its original position.

Now let's take a closer look at how to raise a garage door... Before removing them from their hinges, wash the mortar between the bricks of the row to which you will remove them, and in its place install a channel or at least a reliable corner. This operation must be performed before opening the garage door. So you can save the structure of the building from destruction, otherwise the consequences can be the most dire. Using the anchor bolts, securely fasten the selected channel or corner.

Other possible problems

Sometimes the difficulty is the height of the garage door. In this case, the problem becomes more complicated, since its elimination will require certain experience and skills in the construction field. The solution we offer is designed for brick caravans. Above you can read detailed description actions, for this it is necessary to knock out one or two rows of masonry. After that, it is required to strengthen the resulting slope, after which the frame itself rises to the required height.

Let's summarize. There are various ways to solve the problem of raising a garage door. You can choose the best option for your situation. I would like to repeat that the simplest and easiest method to increase the clearance between the garage doors and the floor is to cut them with a grinder.

Sometimes, after raising the gate by one or two bricks, the gap between them and the floor increases significantly. You can get rid of this problem different ways... One of them is concreting. You can also install a nut. In any case, make sure that the slope is directed from the garage to the street. If this is not done, water will flow into the garage during the rain, filling it with dampness. And this, as you know, is very harmful to the car and the room itself.

It is worth noting that the need to raise a garage door can have several reasons. For example, the need to raise a garage door may be required in a situation where the garage door structure is not easy to open, not only in winter, but even in summer. What can we say about winter periodwhen a layer of snow and ice prevents the gate from opening? If necessary, you can trim the structure itself. In this case, the entrance is concreted. This ensures a natural slope. But at the same time, the above method of raising the entrance gate reduces the dimensions of the structure.

Below we will consider the situation when it is required to maintain the existing level of the garage and slightly raise the gate. In this case, everything is carried out in stages. To begin with, experts advise dismantling the gate and freeing the frame. Then you need to remove several rows of bricks above the garage opening. At the same time, the dump in the lower section can also be lifted. Further, the structure of the garage door must be returned to its original position.

Before removing the garage door from its hinges, experts recommend washing the mortar between the bricks of the very row to which the gate will rise. A channel should be installed in place of this ryazh. An alternative option is to install a reliable and high-strength corner. This operation is carried out directly until the moment of raising the garage door. In addition, this approach will save the structure from possible destruction. The installation of a channel or angle must be carried out using reliable anchor bolts.

At the same time, do not forget that raising the garage door even by a couple of bricks can significantly increase the available clearance between the doors, as well as the garage floor. In this case, you can use one of several methods to fix this problem. Concreting is the most optimal. In addition, if necessary, you can carry out the installation of a special nut. Whichever option is chosen, it is worth making sure that the slope is directed from the garage to the street, and not vice versa. Otherwise, do not be surprised that water flows into the garage during rain, causing dampness. And dampness, as any motorist well knows, causes corrosion of the car body. And the dampness itself is also very harmful to the garage. Considering all of the above, we can conclude that lifting the garage door on your own is not so difficult as it seems at first glance. All stages can be done independently, that is, with your own hands.

A common problem is deformation of the leaves and sagging of the gate frame. How to raise the garage door on your own, and what reasons can cause such deformations of the doors and gate frames.

First you need to find out the cause of the problem so that you can quickly and easily fix it. The most common problems with leaves and door frames:

• subsidence of the loops - the problem can be solved on your own in half an hour;
• deformation of the garage foundation - in this case, you need to repair the foundation and restore the geometry of the structure;
• subsidence of the wall - you need to raise one side with a jack and level the base.

Let us dwell on the solution of each of these problems in more detail.

Repair and balancing of hinges

A common problem is that the gate leaves are deformed due to the sagging of one or two hinges. This issue is solved with minimal costs:

• to raise the lowered gate leaf on the hinges, place adjusting washers. The thickness of such a washer is selected based on the depth of the sagging of the garage door leaf;
• to install such a washer, you need to remove the sash from the hinges, install the washer and hang the garage door again;
• it is often difficult to find the desired height of such a washer, then an additional ball must be inserted into the loop (we select it by diameter).

These methods are suitable if the sash sags a few centimeters.

Council. Both the washer and the hinge adjustment ball must be made of a harder metal than the hinge material.

Trimming the door leaf

The solution - how to raise the gate in the garage, if the sashes began to reach the ground and it is difficult to open and close the gate - is a simple trimming of the lower part of the door leaf with a grinder.

So that there is no gap after cutting the canvas, a rubber seal or an ordinary garden hose is attached from below.

Restoration of a deformed opening

If the opening was initially set incorrectly, then lateral twisting of the sash is often observed. The main cause of deformation is the upper beam of the frame. To avoid dismantling and just align the garage door, it is enough to find the stress point in the upper beam.

If you tap the upper beam on a centimeter, then it is easy to find the place of tension, in this place the metal will begin to vibrate. The solution is simple - you need to make a cut at this point with a grinder and install a stiffening bar by welding.

How to raise a garage door - the opening must be increased in height

In this case, you need to raise the roof, or install several rows of brickwork on the foundation (this option is suitable for solving the problem in metal garages).

In a brick garage, the only solution is to raise the height of the gate by raising the roof one or two rows of brick or stone.

A simple solution - if there is no desire to raise the roof

In order for the car to pass freely in height into the low garage door, you need to make a kind of track inside the garage. To do this, you need to make ditches in the floor, the width should be equal to two sizes of the standard width of the tires.

In such a simple way, you can raise the height of the gate by 10 - 15 centimeters, but no more.

Raising the garage roof and increasing the door height

If the roof of the garage is not a monolithic reinforced concrete floor, then it is quite simple to make a welded metal frame for pitched roof, which is mounted along the perimeter on screw fixings in the walls.

Another option for raising the door height is to install a metal garage on a welded frame of the required height.

If a metal garage it is not difficult to lift, you only need a welding machine, metal corners, pipes and fittings for the welded frame, then with brick garagesin which monolithic reinforced concrete floors are installed, the problem is more complicated. After all, you need to lift a heavy monolithic floor slab.

First, it is necessary to dismantle the upper beam of the garage door, then it must be reinstalled on cement in the rows of brickwork.

The slab can be lifted using several jacks, which are installed along the edges of the floor slab on which the gate is located. We put platforms on and under the jacks so that they stand firmly on the ground and put a metal beam on the platform, which rests against the ceiling.

Now we start lifting the slab, you need to work carefully, lifting each edge of the slab at a time by 10 cm, no more. We immediately insert stubborn bricks or metal corners into the resulting opening.

So, in turn, we raise each plate to the desired height, and then we spread brickwork under the raised roof.

If the height of the garage allows you to raise the opening of the garage door without raising the roof, then you just need to dismantle the top beam of the door frame and knock out several rows of bricks to the desired height.

After that, we again install the upper beam and add the side posts, it is enough to weld the metal corner to the desired height.

Due to the design features of the sash, under a hundred pounds of weight, in the open state from its own gravity and gusts of wind, they sag and bend so that it is almost impossible to close the garage door on a hooked and deformed frame, without straightening with our own hands. We have to raise the gate, remove and align the hinges.

Major problem with garage doors

Old structures of garage doors made of five-millimeter sheet metal are capable of withstanding a huge load, while the heavy structure was hung on a frame made of a T-beam up to 20 cm wide.It had to be lifted or repaired no more than once every 20 years, and mainly due to wear of the hinges.

It is almost impossible to lift the garage door or even simply remove it from the hinges yourself, without the help of neighbors, therefore such work was always carried out by a team of at least three to four people. Modern garage doors have to be lifted and removed almost every couple of years, mainly due to thin metal or illiterate garage construction:

• The foundation of the garage under the threshold beam sagged along with the wall, respectively, it became impossible to open the doors, the lower edge simply clings to the blind area;
• The gate hinges are deformed or worn out, the leaf tilts appear;
• The dimensions of the garage doorway do not allow parking cars with high ground clearance or a high cab, for example, Gazelles or VWT4, at worst, UAZ-Patriot.

Important! In most cases, in order to level or correct a defect, you have to raise the garage door and remove it from its hinges.

In-line gate repair

In repair, two operations should be distinguished, completely different in terms of labor intensity and complexity of execution:

1. Raise one or both leaves, without dismantling the frame, racks or body on which the garage door is fixed;
2. Overhaul or replacement of the frame, in this case it is necessary to disassemble the masonry and raise or remove the welded frame structure on which the sashes are hung.

Advice! If you do not have the skill of welding, it is better to entrust any replacement of the frame or sashes to specialists.

How to raise a garage door

The simplest and most affordable procedure, if you have the skill, you can try to lift even a very heavy sash alone. For example, if the wear of the friction surface of the hinges has reached its limit, and the garage door begins to cling to the upper edge of the blind area, it is necessary to insert repair washers. At the same time, note that it will be correct to install two thin steel washers made of hardened polished steel. The total thickness of the washers should be such as to increase the height of the garage door leaf above the threshold beam. Each washer has a cutout for the width of the pivot axis of the hinge and is lubricated on one side only.

In this case, there is no need to even lift and remove the garage door, it is enough just to raise them to a height of a few millimeters in order to insert a pair of steel washers into the resulting gap in the hinges. To raise the gate leaves, it is necessary to turn them out at an angle of more than 90 °, then install a wooden or steel wedge under the lower edge of the gate, as close as possible to the axis of rotation. A few blows to the wedge will help raise the gate 2-3 mm. Then you can insert a rolling jack, raise the sash to any height and even remove it if necessary. If the hinges are completely out of order, you have to lift and digest.

In the same way, repairs are performed if, due to the deformation of the hinges or the frame of the garage doors, the sags have sagged. In this case, a jack is installed under the edge of the sash, as far as possible from the axis of rotation, and they begin to slowly raise, upsetting the place of deformation of the loop or frame with a sledgehammer. If the sash has a wicket door, it must be fixed with bolts or a tie, but not removed. Most often, in 5-6 transitions it is possible to align the gate, if not, you need to raise it to the maximum height, install the jack in a horizontal position with an emphasis on the opposite frame post and "squeeze out the geometry" of the frame until the beams and hinges are completely aligned.

Raising the garage door frame

The most difficult and time-consuming garage door repair operation is lifting the frame. The heavy steel structure is concreted into the brick sidewalls, therefore, before lifting the structure, you must make room for lifting and remove the gate leaves.

If the frame together with the doors is planned to be raised above the ground level due to the subsidence of the garage foundation, before raising the gate, you will need to knock out the upper part of the masonry into a brick or two, depending on the lift height. With a perforator or a construction hammer and chisel, they knock out the cement from under the side racks of the frame and the threshold beam.

With an ordinary crowbar, they pry the lower part of the frame and raise it to a small height, first in the center, and after installing the first wedge, they similarly try to lift it from the left and right edges. If the frame is lifted, the side wedges are hammered in. They are usually placed on the opposite side of the threshold beam. After increasing the gap to 5-6 cm, it is necessary to install a rolling jack up to 5 tons, and then raise the structure using a hydraulic mechanism.

Raise the upper frame beam in the same way. Most often, it is necessary to raise it if it is necessary to increase the height of the garage door without dismantling it. After knocking out the upper rows of bricks with a grinder, a piece is cut off from both sides vertical racks together with the upper horizontal part of the frame. The cut is made above the welding points of the loops.

The weight of the cut-off part of the frame is no more than 70 kg, so it is easy to lift it with a conventional jack installed on the threshold. Between top bar and a log or timber is inserted with a jack and carefully raised to the desired height. After that, cut pieces from a similar material are welded into the resulting gap in the frame.

Conclusion

Lifting a heavy frame must comply with safety regulations. Often, when trying to raise the frame, a heavy structure heeled and overturned on workers, so experts recommend installing spacers and blocking cable ties.