Garage door does not close flush along the top

Question

My garage door is sized 6'6" x 9'. The ceiling is somewhat low, about 7' tall. The door has what I'm told are "sleds" to assist with the top of the door turning quicker so it doesn't hit the ceiling.

The door closes flush to the bottom of the floor. The top, however, is not flush against the frame. There is about a 1-1/2" gap. I removed the sleds and the garage door opener arm so that I could see if those were inhibiting its closing all the way. With these removed, it will close another 1/2" or so but there is still a gap.

The frame as far as I can tell is square. There is nothing obstructing the edges of the door that would prevent it from closing flush. The hinge for the top panel appears to have at least another few degrees before it's flat, or a 180-degree angle.

Are all doors designed this way? Is this due to my frame being somewhat short? Seems pointless to have an insulated door when cold is just going to seep in through the top.

Answer 1

The screw that holds the lift bar in place may be loose. It should be taut enough to allow the top of the door to hit tight up against the outside weather-stripping when the door closes and hits the floor to prevent drafts. If it is loose and wobbles around, tighten it enough to make it stable and not visibly loose, but not too tight that it becomes too rigid and inflexible.

Answer 2

Did you find a solution? If not, I have a couple of ideas.

1. Are you able to make the panel flush if you push on it? If not, then perhaps the tracks were installed too low and the door hits the ground before it can straighten out enough to have the top section close flush. I have the same problem, but mine is because one track was installed lower than the other side so that as one wheel is entering the curve, the wheel on the other side is still on the flat part. The door ended up tweaked.

2. Make sure that all of the door's screws (hinges, etc...) are snug.

In my case, the installer didn't care enough to remove and reinstall the incorrect side. Think about how much time we spend undoing and redoing the work of another who doesn't give a damn since it's "not his" (I had a workman say that to me once when he was careless). Anything done poorly now will affect someone negatively in the future.