Strut it Up 2 - Garage Door Strut Guide & Installation ***UPDATED***

[@andrewroberts3301]

Thanks for saving me and my brand-new door from adding more struts needlessly. It has one on the top of the top panel. I'll keep the 3 from the old door if I need one in the future.

[@truckerdave8465]

Thank you so much. This helps me help my parents. We can’t afford to hire anyone and now I know how to fix it correctly.

[@sosgds]

Hello! I'm glad to hear the video was useful. I hope everything works out. Thanks for the support!

[@SteveSabbai]

No garage door company will sell you a strut because they want you to pay them to install it. I called numerous garage door companies in my city and none of them would sell me a strut. This is why homeowners use "tricks" to reinforce their garage doors.

[@sosgds]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHauZpd-pJiZopY

[@regsparkes6507]

Where were you when I needed my new door installed? :) All the issues you mentioned here that caused problems with my door, were done by the 'jackass' who posed as a "Professional Installer" who installed my 14 foot wide door. At least now, I know how to fix this. Thank you for the videos you have here on KZbin, both past and present editions.

[@sosgds]

Hello. I am glad the video was a resource for your garage door needs.

[@jlspunn]

Another great video. Very informative and honest information given. I thank you

[@sosgds]

I appreciate the feedback!

[@heroknaderi]

This is very helpful information. So basically if we used a strut to fix a buckled section. Will it wear down in the long run? Still I partied watching the video 😁😁👍

[@GDOs]

great video man! in new orleans by me, all normal doors have 5-15 struts because of hurricanes lol.

[@sosgds]

And that makes sense! The garage doors in that area clearly have a need for them. So I'm sure the contractors are installing strong enough springs to balance the extra weight properly. This video is more about garage doors that begin to lose strength in the sections and how a new strut might help. Of course I see a ton of YT videos where some do-it-youselfers will use punch angle instead of proper struts. I'm just trying to help the garage door community.

[@GDOs]

yes. we have a few cheap doors tbat have that and thats just the top brace for an op, so thats when i’m fine with it, but not on the actual door.

[@spruitt626]

Very helpful video. Just what I needed. Thanks.

[@energyrep777]

Ugh! I wish I had seen this yesterday. I just had me top panel replaced because it wS bowing a had a kink in the middle. I asked for a strut when he gave me an estimate and he put an angled perforated metal piece across the top.

[@jdcalame6714]

Now every door I’ve installed I have put two struts in every section. I’ll have to film one but they look pretty sweet when I’m done and last a while although I have to order bigger springs which is sometimes a problem

[@sosgds]

And that's perfectly fine. The proper springs to a door with additional struts should do fine. This video is meant to address the fact that there is a number of videos out there that insist using punch angle.

[@jdcalame6714]

SOS Garage Door Service puuncged angle is a BIG no no. While you owner mount may be perfect it has hole that make it weak and it bends so that makes perfect sense!

[@jimpie231]

I always install a Clopay reinforcement bracket on my garage doors that use a garage door opener. I have had to repair 3 garages because of damage at the opener attachment bracket. Since I started doing this, no more problems. Thanks....Jim PS.....I have installed struts, but it was only a temporary fix.....it died on New Year’s Eve.......

[@sosgds]

Hello Jim! Unfortunately that's a very common occurrence. I guess your felt that 2020 was to much and it couldn't go another year.😂😂😂 Thank you again for the feedback.

[@jimpie231]

@@sosgds By the way, Ideal makes the same bracket as the Clopay, in raw silvery color or white. In 3 sizes.....18”, 21, or 24”. $16 to $23. Jim PS.....I ran into this problem years ago at my dad’s house in Charlotte, NC and bought the Clopay bracket at Lowes. The Ideal bracket is in the Chicago area today at Menards.

[@sosgds]

Ideal used to be in this area. But they closed their doors a few years back. We still have Clopay. I wish Menards would sell to California.

[@rogerhodges7656]

@@jimpie231 Based on my search in 2023, Menards no longer carries garage door struts.

[@jimpie231]

@@rogerhodges7656 My Menard’s carry’s the 8’ & 16’ in stock, & other sizes on order. They carry 3 different kinds in sizes 8’ 9‘ 10’ 12’ 14’ and 16 foot, some on special order and some in stock. My Menards is in Fox Lake Illinois. Thanks, Jin

[@dcrow1638]

I have a new 18 x 8 garage door installing this weekend. I’m guessing that since it came from the factory with 3 struts, they figured the added weight into the springs already?

[@sosgds]

Hello. Yes that should be included the door configuration.

[@TheWilferch]

Additional tidbit..... to assess proper torsion sprung tension.....release the motorized garage door opener....and manually lift and lower the door. If you can put the door 1/2 way open ....and it STAYS THERE.....without wanting to go up or down..... you have the proper pre-tension for the weight of the door.

[@rollinron764]

Very helpful and informative! Thank you from Oklahoma👍🏼👍🏼

[@sosgds]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LMB829]

The problem is the price that the door companies charge for 1 strut. In my area they want $80-$100 just for the strut thats not installed. When i know that those struts only cost about $10-15. I used to work in this field so 4 to 5 times the net cost is ridiculous

[@marioustxexcel6375]

Great video. Very useful

[@user-rn9gy7uj3j]

good information

[@marcosmendoza2516]

I agree 100% with you fixing it right is the best option to go .. I have been seeing your videos.. Very good information you are letting the viewers know.. I have a question and need your expert advice.. I have a insulated garage door. (15 yrs +) I've never had any trouble with it, till now. I noticed that it wasn't closing all the way and found out that some screws had falling out and some were loose on the arm bracket that is screw on to the top panel section. After inspection in it , I found that the metal liner has a small hair crack and the screw doesn't hold anymore.. What do you recommend me to do?. I like things done right to eliminate future down time if you know what i mean.. Thank you for your help!

[@sosgds]

Hello. Thank you for sharing your experience. This is a tricky situation, mainly because your door still works. But over time that crack will manifest serious wear and tear. For now I would support it with a strut or better yet an all-Brace support. This should buy you time till you get a new door.

[@marcosmendoza2516]

It has a strut but the installer installed it in the middle section of the top panel. I noticed on your video that yours is on the top of the door. Eventually I will need to replace the door, but it's in great shape except for that hair crack.. I plan to install an opener reinforcement bracket. Then install the strut on top of the bracket on the very top section of the panel to help it reinforce it more. Will my plan work? Any expert advice will help! Thank you for your time and help!

[@xSP3CTREx]

Clopay is a waste of time, waited forever, took off time to meet with the guys they walk in and say you need to reinforce the top with a strut. 'Right, isn't that what you are here for' and left 2 minutes later with maybe we'll reschedule. Best 300 ever spent!

[@joseluisg.gonzalez6307]

Good info thank you

[@Gollvieg]

Thank you very much for this very informative and useful video. Knowing what you were doing and why helped me greatly with my problem. My only question left before making a decision would be: What is the specific item call? Is it actually called a garage door strut or is there another term for it? (I actually searched this term and not really come up with the same item you used) and would this be a DIY possible job or is it only possible with expert knowledge?

[@sosgds]

Hello. Yes the part is called a 'Garage Door Strut'. You can find them at Ebay: Hi! I found this on eBay and thought you might like it! Check it out now! Clopay Garage Door Reinforcement UBar Strut Support Brace For 16’ Wide ebay.us/DFjdJr If you're just installing one strut it should be an easy DIY job. But if you need more that one door strut then I do highly recommend you hire a professional. There are certain adjustments that need to be made to the accommodate the garage door balance. Hope this helps. Stay safe Party Person!

[@chrislavigne1212]

Great video. Was wondering what would happen if i took off a strut on the very bottom of the door due to hitting my roof rack when open due to it not laying flat. Would that hurt the door stiffness

[@sosgds]

Hello Chris. It would not hurt per say, but it would weaken the bottom section which could cause an imbalance to the door when close. Is there any room to raise the strut? Do you have additional space to adjust the open travel limits?

[@cesarboone7146]

Thanks for the info my friend!

[@chunkyblue661]

I have a 16' door. My door has a slight sag in middle part of the bottom section. Would you recommend using the 16' piece or can I use an 8' section across the sagging area? Thank you for your videos!

[@mraljewari9381]

I have just watched that video, but I didn’t disliked it When i was watching you saying this door needs to be replaced I was like what is wrong with those f contractors always asking to replace the stuff without putting any effort to repairs

[@cafemolido5459]

How to un-bow the garage door? Can I remove the panel and set it on blocks and push it down on the middle to un-bow it back. (about 1-2" center). Strut is not helping.

[@sosgds]

Hello. Which section to the garage door are you having trouble with? Where was the strut applied to? What model of garage door do you own?

[@cafemolido5459]

@@sosgds RAYNOR, someone backed into it and bowed it about 1.5" in the center (the door shows the bowing when closed & against the header board). Yes, strut, even using a diff strut

[@AJ-qd5cs]

Wow, this is a whole world. I dented slightly the bottom panel of my garage door and trying to figure out the cheapest way to get it fixed, as I am on a lease and I am not keen on getting the full panel swapped (unless there is no other way forward). The bottom horizontal strut is slightly dented, and the (custom-made) wooden panel popped out slightly on the outside. The vendor proposed to replace the bottom strut and try to reinsert the chipped wooden panel that is sticking out on the outside of the door. Hope this will work... any thoughts are appreciated. For what is worth I found our videos very informative !

[@sosgds]

Hello. Sorry to hear this about your garage door. The trouble with wood doors is that they are hard to manage or adapt once they suffer an accident. A strut might work but my concern would be the additional weight the strut might add. I would try and apply a light gauge sturt and then test the balance. If you see that it's just too heavy then I would call a professional.

[@awsherro]

I agree that a strut would work much better. But when you local garage door "repair men" don't want to repair a door and only offer to either replace the whole door or sell me a strut at a 500% markup... I'll just go with the L-angle.

[@sosgds]

That's unfortunate. There are some garage door guys that do take advantage. I wish it wasn't that way.

[@midewo]

yeah that is what these 'experts' do in so cal... i am with you

[@Froggin87]

Even for 18' wide garage doors you think you should only need one strut at the top? Currently adding a strut to each section of my 18' door because it is bowing. But with a garage door this wide it seems like it should of had a strut on each section from the beginning

[@sosgds]

For 18 foot doors I think that would add too much weight. But it would provide long term benefits.

[@johnassal5838]

Have you looked at the rollers? A new set might help. I've got a bowing 18' _wood_ door (~45 years old but sound) that might still be on it's first or second set from the looks of them. It's pretty clear that they're all shot, on each the stem is visibly at an angle other than perpendicular to the wheel and that angle increases on each pair as you go down. Adds up to quite a sag with the lowest set of hinges bulging out. Center of the door also wants to sag lower than the driveway making one corner lift. If that sounds like your issue I'd be curious how you resolved it.

[@CarlosGarcia-ls4hn]

There seems to be a ton of information on the horizontal struts, but none on the vertical struts. I have an aluminum garage door. It is not insulated and has five panesl. Each panel has five support struts. The door is about twelve years old, and the rivets which hold the vertical support struts are beginning to fail and pop out. I want to replace some of those vertical struts (They are about 12 inches long) but can't find them anywhere. Any suggestions?

[@sosgds]

Hello Carlos. So it's possible you are describing door stiles. These are the metal pieces that vertically install along the door. Is that what you mean? A new horizontal door strut serves 2 purposes. It supports both the X and Y axis of door sections. Wouldn't need a door stile unless it's completely come off.

[@CarlosGarcia-ls4hn]

@@sosgds Yes, it is the "stiles" or "styles." They are glued to the panel, and also have rivets on the top and the bottom of the stile where they attack to the door panel. In some cases, the rivets have popped off and the stiles have also come unglued from the panels. Where the rivets have popped, I have had to use a screw with a nut to keep them in place because the remaining hole on the stile and the panel was too big from the stress. This is only where the stile is closest to the hinges. The bottom line is that the integrity of those panels has been compromised by the failure of the stile. There is no repairing them. Does anybody sell the stiles?

[@sosgds]

@@CarlosGarcia-ls4hn No, unfortunately these door stiles are installed upon manufacturing of the door. Thus once they begin to fail the best course of action is replace the garage door.

[@erins.5420]

I have apparently the world weirdest garage door panels that have hinges that don’t look like any other I’ve seen and getting a reinforcement bracket installed it would have to have the bottom part of the bracket bent to screw into the panels center bracket thing. Does it matter if the reinforcement bracket attach at the hinges? Or is it ok for me to add holes just above the hundred since I can’t bend the reinforcement bracket.

[@sosgds]

Hello! I wonder if you have an Ideal garage door, or perhaps Amarr? ... Maybe Wayne Dalton? If you have the ability to send pictures to my email I can provide you more insight. Here's my webpage where you can send those pics. dontstresscallsos.com/

[@sQriLLah]

Thanks for informative video! Just noticed I need a strut now cause now my garage door is sagging. My door is 16ft wide. Can i use 2 pieces of 8ft. or do I need a solid 16ft?

[@sosgds]

Hello! Yes you could. But I would recommend looking for a stut that offers a connecting brace. I did a video about a strut that you might work for your needs. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHauZpd-pJiZopY

[@djserafin7142]

Hello. Just bought a house. 2 car garage door and my door came with 7 reinforcememt bars. Is that overkill?

[@gailyfl7551]

It depends on where you live and what forces of nature might be pushing your door. We were in the direct path of hurricane Ian and it bent our 2 struts at a 135 degree angle. Our 16" door was installed in 1995 and the 2 struts since then and now code around us has garage doors with 2 struts per section, so 10 on a five panel door. 7 might be overkill but certainly won't hurt unless they were added and the spring not adjusted correctly for them.

[@krichards8472]

If I have a strut at the top of my 16 ft garage door where is the best place for the second one ( I am only putting two on not 3). where is the best place for the second one (Wayne Daton 9r insulated). Please

[@sosgds]

Hello. I usually like to install the 2nd strut on the second door section from the bottom.

[@krichards8472]

@@sosgds good that's' where I put it Thanks. Wayne Dalton Instructions did NOT say and I asked the delivery guy and he said to read the instructions Nice answer. I think he did not know. BUT THANK YOU

[@adammoore99]

Did I miss the difference between the 2.25 and 3inch struts?

[@sosgds]

Hello. The 3 inch strut is wider. It's also designed for extremely weather conditions in the event of a hurricane.

[@kkp4297]

10:29 why does the door section jolt and bounce like that? that jolt will crack that steel eventually

[@sosgds]

Hello. Great observation. I did end up putting another strut on that top section. That door is still holding up. Thanks for the feedback.

[@scotmotzny6344]

Can the strut go on the bottom of the top section? I need a couple more inches clearance and think I can get it if I move the strut. Thanks.

[@sosgds]

Hello. Are you saying that you want to move the top strut from the upper part of the top section to the lower part of the top section?

[@exorcist004]

@@sosgds Can the strut at the bottom part of the door moved to the middle of the door ? Not modifying the one at the top. I am looking to get couple of more inches at the bottom to avoid the strut hitting the bumper of my pickup. Thanks in advance.

[@sosgds]

@@exorcist004 You can move it, but it is more than likely that strut was meant to stabilize the bottom section. Moving might also change the balance to the door. If you need inches then moving the strut up but keeping it on the same section could get you that extra needed space.

[@exorcist004]

@@sosgds Thank you. That makes sense. Will try out what you recommended.

[@chrisfrancis8446]

Lowes needs to sell these

[@sosgds]

Hello. Amazon does have some for sell. But they are the pieced type struts.

[@jorgevillanueva79]

How many struts can you place per panel

[@sosgds]

Hello. Technically you can put of to 2 per section. But that will add way more weight to the door thus affecting the balance and the cycle life to your springs. Do you live in an area that has heavy winds?

[@DNY007]

This guy needs his own podcast. Too much talking and no show how.

[@sosgds]

Thanks for the feedback. Look for a podcast coming out in the near future!

[@johnassal5838]

Please tell me that last door of the ending montage is photoshoped!

[@sosgds]

I wish I could tell you it was Photoshop. But it's the real deal.

[@johnassal5838]

@@sosgds It's hard to believe anyone could accidentally mount a door upside down and inside out... Guess that leaves intentional stupidity. Smh.

[@lucyshenning5987]

Wayne dalton hat?

[@ljbrandt500]

unfortunately there are so few honest contractors out there...the majority will try to rip you off

[@kilobravo2373]

The dislike ratio may have to do with the lack of comparison with actual numbers(dimensions and strengths of struts) with actual explainations of the different types of struts. Because people didn't watch your video to hear you tell us to contact my local garage door professional. We watched it so we don't have to do that to get basic information on these galvanized steel channel stiffeners, from the people who work with them everyday.

[@sosgds]

Hello. I completely respect the DIY community and their desire to learn on how to repair their garage door needs. But there are number of factors that will from garage door to garage door. I understand it's not rocket science, yet even a minor misstep applying any additional weight to a garage door will throw off the balance. Thus not everyone will want to take on that risk. Therefore reaching out to a contractor might be there best solution. Thanks for the feedback.

[@jamzempire]

Where can I find garage door struts? The moron who installed my garage door did not put these in and now the door is bowing.

[@sosgds]

So sorry to hear that. Do you know the width of your garage door? What area are you located?

[@jamzempire]

@@sosgds The garage door is 8' wide, I'm located in NJ.

[@sosgds]

Perfect! Here's an EBay post on some 8' door struts. Hope it works out. www.ebay.com/i/162596153971?chn=ps&mkevt=1&mkcid=28

[@jamzempire]

SOS Garage Door Service perfect thats the one I bought! I also bought an additional support bracket because the one i have is all torn apart. Now my last question is what should i use to attach the bracket to the garage door panel? The bracket was attached by a glue im just not sure which one.

[@sosgds]

Glue is not efficient for garage doors. Are you able to send a picture of the bracket? I'm not 100% sure of which bracket you speak of. Feel free to send the picture to [e-mail]

[@steelersroadwarrior6924]

I'm going to respectfully suggest that it's because the way you talk. Repetitive and condescending! You have all the info that everyone wants but present it in the manner of a nagging wife or an parent that's tries to tell a kid all the ways they are wrong. Very informative though! Keep up the work!

[@aly8848]

I disliked your previous video. I wanted a DIY video. What's use of the video if it doesn't help me save money? Thanks for this video to explain it. In the previous video, I had no idea why you needed the garage door strut.

[@aly8848]

I am disliking this video. I wanted a DIY. If I need to call a professional, why should I watch a youtube video in the first place.

[@sosgds]

Thanks for the feedback. The great thing about strut repairs is they are not difficult to install once you know the type of garage door you have. Have you seen this video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHauZpd-pJiZopY

[@sosgds]

This video also provides a different perspective. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIDKfaitmJ6tirM

[@eddiefoy3701]

Its a garage door. Its not rocket appliance.

[@stephengould8691]

this one isn't more liked...

[@blueshadow7892]

Please just show how to do it, no nonsense!