Roll-UP Garage Doors, Any Experience?

[alchemysa]

I currently have 4 in various places and they are ideal for their uses. But for my separate garage I used sliding doors. Roller doors are either fully open or fully closed, and that can be a pain if you are walking in and out regularly or want to crack the door to let in a bit of light without letting in a gale. The beauty of sliders is that you can open them just a few feet if you want to. So if you are going with rollers make sure you also have a couple of conveniently placed access doors as well.

 

[Dusty1]

Wow guys, all you're info is extremely helpful, especially those of you who hate you're roll-up doors. I did some reaserch after you said they rattle and aren't very safe and that's exactly right.

Dank, I'm very glad you wrote in because you have the same size doors I was looking to get and you just saved me a very costly problem.

I was looking at getting roll-up doors, but after you're comments here I will be looking for sectionals. They are better insulated, quiter, and safer for the same money or less. I can deal with a bit of headroom loss. But thanks again for all you're comments. :thumbsup:

 

[Dusty1]

Alchemysa: yeah, sliders sound nice but they won't fit my application, not enough room to overlap, but maybe on the next building!

 

[SpringHollow]

My experience on a roll up door is different than everyone elses. It is a 12' x 12' door, maybe taller. It was moved after about 15 years to our new location. It never rattles and we can open or close it however much we want but it is manual, not electric. If they were not so expensive, i would have put one on my barn. BTW, this is a commercial grade door.

Ken

 

[EddieWalker]

I've had two roll up doors. My first one was 12 feet wide by ten feet tall. I don't remember who built it. I loved it and really enjoyed the ease of opening it and how little room it took up in the ceiling when opened. I didn't feel that I needed 12 foot width in my next shop, so I went with 10x10. That door is made my Mueller's, which is a metal building supplier in my area. It was around $500, but not insulated.

Pros are that it is very easy to open, easy to install, and easy to lock closed.

When the door is open, it's all rolled up. This is the biggest selling point for me. I use my shop to build stuff in and I want all the ceiling height that I can get. Not having a door over my head is great, and for that reason alone, it's why I would always buy a roll up door.

Cons are that it is not bug proof and not totally weather proof. I don't have any wind issues, but water was getting in under the door on heavy rains. I bought a rubber thingy that glues to the concrete from Amazon.com that solved that problem. Basically, it creates a lip that blocks the water from getting under the door. I"ve used them on sectional garage doors with good luck, and highly recomend them for any door that has water issues.

The bug issue is something that I just live with. They get in from around the tracks and seal, and it's just not worth the hassle or expense to put anything up there to keep them out.

Eddie

 

[eepete]

Looking at the replies, it's starting to look like there is a wide rang of quality in roll up doors. So it's not the concept in general but the design of a brand in particular.

The roll up doors in our fire substation were commercial grade, but it was a lowest bidder job so it's unlikely there were of premium quality. I thought all roll up doors were bad, looks like I'm wrong and there are some good ones out there.

Challenge tot he OP is to find a brand that works.

Pete

 

[buckeyefarmer]

FWIW, a friend of mine that used to work at the Wayne Dalton factory thought their metal doors were CARP, or some arrangement of those letters. But that was a few yrs ago. I also read of a lot of problems with the Idrive units. I looked at getting them, but didn't because of the problems.

While not rollup, I used commercial Clopay overhead doors on my barn, insulated with metal inside and out. So far I am happy with them, except 2 need the spring to be tightened. In the winter, the spring holds fine, in the summer, the door won't stay up.

I would have prefered rollup, because of the space issues, but am happy with the overheads.

 

[futuresweets10]

Didnt see it mentioned, but DONT get doors that are labeled for "mini storage". Mini storage doors are lower grade and only made to be opened and closed a few times a month. They are A LOT cheaper, but there's a reason for that.

 

[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. They are one of only a handful that make both sectional and rolling steel doors.

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, 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?


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

Good Luck.

 

[Phil King]

I'm looking for a 12 wide by 10 tall. I need to sell the 10' by 8' that's too small for my needs.
philwking@hotmail.com