Garage door springs

[BlindViper]

So I have read a lot of these forums over the passed few days.

My garage has 2 10' wide doors, they are wood. In the passed 8 years I have replaced 4 separate springs. This new one broke again and fell and hit my kra4114 top fuel dragster. Is there some place to get better springs or are they all the same? They all seem to fail on the same coil just before the ends.

edit these are extension springs not torsion springs.

 

[Northstar9126]

You need to run a cable through the spring and attatch the cable to the horizontal track front and back to keep the spring from hitting your car or head in the future should a spring fail again.

 

[Mr_fixit]

When you do fix them, run a steel cable through the spring so if it they break they won't hit anything.

if you look close, you can see the extra cable throught the spring.

I've welded broken springs in a pinch and they lasted quite some time.

 

[BlindViper]

Starting to think the spring might not be the proper weight spring. Apparently there are different ones. But there will be a cable threw the center of all the springs now. Thanks for the TIP!

 

[Sokoloff]

It could also be an install issue. You want to make sure you get the right number of twists of pre-load on the spring, such that the spring is NEVER completely untwisted. If you allow it to become completely slack on every cycle, its life will be much shorter than if it's always under some tension and that tension amount just varies.

Also, realize that they are a wear item and will need periodic replacement. Cables is a great way to protect the insides of the garage (things and people).

 

[tdkkart]

Make sure you're getting springs for a 10' door, most you find at the big box stores will be for 7' doors, which means you're stretching them 30% too far.

 

[BlindViper]

It could also be an install issue. You want to make sure you get the right number of twists of pre-load on the spring, such that the spring is NEVER completely untwisted. If you allow it to become completely slack on every cycle, its life will be much shorter than if it's always under some tension and that tension amount just varies.

Also, realize that they are a wear item and will need periodic replacement. Cables is a great way to protect the insides of the garage (things and people).

Are you talking about a torsion spring?

 

[penie]

Give your local garage door company and get a price on putting torsion springs. They will come out and weigh your door and install them and it will be the best money you ever spent.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

The original poster stated....................

edit these are extension springs not torsion springs.

Last edited by BlindViper; Yesterday at 05:56 PM.

Today, 07:34 AM It could also be an install issue. You want to make sure you get the right number of twists of pre-load on the spring, such that the spring is NEVER completely untwisted. If you allow it to become completely slack on every cycle, its life will be much shorter than if it's always under some tension and that tension amount just varies.

Also, realize that they are a wear item and will need periodic replacement. Cables is a great way to protect the insides of the garage (things and people).

You are referring to torsion springs, You cannot preload tension springs in this manner. These are the ones that run horizontally along the outside of each of the door tracks overhead and are operated with cables and pulleys. They should have a safety cable running thru the middle of them, but should not be breaking at the rate that the original poster is experiencing.

Charles

 

[Sokoloff]

My bad. I swear I didn't see that they were extension springs (obviously... )

 

[Charles (in GA)]

My bad. I swear I didn't see that they were extension springs (obviously... )

Sorry, didn't seem to come over so harsh.

Charles