When closing, my garage door's top panel buckles when half way down. How do I fix this?

B B Garage door EXPERT June 23, 2009

Thank you for the pictures, they help alot.

First don't run it until you fix the problems.

You actually have 2 problems, 1 with the door and 1 with the opener. First you need a reinforcing strut on the top panel. It needs to be at the top of the door. Usually there is a sticker stating this on the top panel. You can go to your local door dealer to get this. It should be 20-25 dollars or so. Make sure and get the right fasteners to attach it. They make self tappers that work well for this. Second the opener should be lower. If it is too high then the draw bar arm that pushes the door is at too much of a down angle and instead of pushing forward it pushes more down. Thus the problem with the opener moving and the door not. The front of the opener should only bearly clear the door when it is at its peak going around the curved part of the track. Open the door by hand and when it is at its peak measure it and make sure the bottom of the rail clears by 1". At the back where the motor is the opener should actually hang down below the door. And yes the opener track will have a slope, this is normal and in the instructions probably. With the door all the way up and supported the rail should only be above the door 1 1/2 inches. This allows the opener to get optimal performance and safely operate the door. We recommend a surge protector on every opener like a computer. Make sure and do a 2x4 safety reversal test after adjustments. BB