Garage door extension springs question

[BH Davis]

I have a custom built, 4-section, overhead wood garage door that is 10-1/2' wide x 7' high. The weight prior to raising this current problem was 165 lbs. so I had 160-170 lb extension springs installed and the door was nicely balanced.

Then I added 10 lbs of 3/4" polyiso insulation and 44 lbs of 1/8" Masonite over that. This took the weight of the door from 165 lbs to about 215 lbs. Needless to say the door is no long nicely balanced on the 160-170 lb extension springs.

I can of course get heavier springs but the cost goes up exponentially. Extension springs up to 180 lb capacity are under $50 a pair on Amazon. Granted not the highest quality, longest lasting springs but more than good enough for a shop environment where they won't get a lot of use (although they will of course remain mostly in the extended position). The 180 lb springs are the heaviest I can find on Amazon though and going to the general garage door market appears to bring the cost up to $150 or more for the pair of springs.

So being the frugal ****** I am I'm trying to figure out if there are any alternatives. One would be to design in a 3rd spring at the center of the door. This would be a small capacity spring to act as a booster to the existing 160 lb springs.

Another is to just try 180 lb springs from Amazon and see if that tilts the problem back over the edge to an adequately, albeit not perfectly, balanced situation. I'm looking at this because while adding the 1/8" Masonite the door didn't begin to drop on it's own until I added the last 1/2 sheet of the two 4x8 sheets used. That would be about the last 11 lbs added.

Third, and finally (unless someone has a more clever idea) is to double up on the springs on both sides. Instead of going to a single 220 lb spring set I could in effect place TWO 110 lb. springs on either side of the door. I could easily enough make a bracket that would grab the pair of ends of the springs in order to get them to act as a team (think of two oxen on a yoke). Perhaps a bit funky but may it would work?

I'll note here that I would have preferred to put a torsion bar set up on this door. However in quite a bit of online searching the only torsion bar setup I could find available was a Clopay on Amazon for $325 for a 9' door and closer to $450 for a 16' door. At 10'6" wide my door falls in between the two so might require a custom setup ??

Attached photo shows the inside of the door with the 3/4" polyiso still exposed on the top and bottom sections, and the 1/8" Masonite already applied to the middle two sections.

Thanks,
BH

 

[kaymccampbell]

I'd say go the torsion spring route. I had an extension spring let go, it whacked a few things on the way by. Had a torsion spring let go, and it made quite the noise, but otherwise nothing.

 

[BH Davis]

Yeah.......that's why there are safety cables running through the extension springs now. I have those on our house and shop garage doors.
BH

 

[senlow]

I think that the best low budget solution is to eliminate the masonite. The masonite is not necessary. All it does is add weight to the door. My overhead door has had exposed polyiso on it for over 20 years and still looks good. I did paint it white for appearance and good reflectance.

Your building is dark. Use the money that you saved by not buying springs to paint the interior white.

 

[Zeke]

I've never seen long springs like that. Double springs are used all the time on swing up doors so I don't see why you can't add springs with yokes. The main thing is to be sure there is a safety cable inside.

 

[kaymccampbell]

Yeah.......that's why there are safety cables running through the extension springs now. I have those on our house and shop garage doors.
BH

Those safety cables. One was being used by the spring like a cat-o'-nine-tails. There was a slot in the drywall where the safety cable went by.

 

[jstroede]

Where are you located? Torsion parts are easily sourced from a local garage door shop. I 100% recommend this route over extension springs.

If for some reason that isn't an option, using pairs of extension springs on each side used to be done quite often. The part you are looking for is called a yoke.

Extension Spring Yoke, For Tandem Hookup (Part # EXT-YK)

***Limited Supply*** Please call for availability. Garage Door Extension Spring Tandem Hookup Kit for one door. For use with extension springs with an outside diameter of up to 2-3/8"

ddmgaragedoors.com

John

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

Where are you located? Torsion parts are easily sourced from a local garage door shop. I 100% recommend this route over extension springs.

If for some reason that isn't an option, using pairs of extension springs on each side used to be done quite often. The part you are looking for is called a yoke.

Extension Spring Yoke, For Tandem Hookup (Part # EXT-YK)

***Limited Supply*** Please call for availability. Garage Door Extension Spring Tandem Hookup Kit for one door. For use with extension springs with an outside diameter of up to 2-3/8"

ddmgaragedoors.com

John

I remember we had this on my parents house for 30 plus years with never ever having a repair done. Not saying that is good. But it was reliable and they never broke. Lower spring loading on each spring and if they go you still have use of the door. Also a lot less dangerous I’d imagin.

Thanks @jstroede . I had forgotten about that for years till now. I am starting the rebuild of my 1960s wood door and might just try this. The combo of springs is simlar in price but more reliable over the long term.

 

[BH Davis]

Closing this out. Solved.

This door might be opened a few times a year. That is why it is insulated and the lower cost extension springs are my selected option.

I have managed to find some 210 lb extension springs at a reasonable cost so have gone that route. They will obviously have safety wires; they actually come with a set. The yoke for doubling up is a cool item though that I'll remember should another strange application come up in the future.

Thanks everyone,
BH

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

Closing this out. Solved.

This door might be opened a few times a year. That is why it is insulated and the lower cost extension springs are my selected option.

I have managed to find some 210 lb extension springs at a reasonable cost so have gone that route. They will obviously have safety wires; they actually come with a set. The yoke for doubling up is a cool item though that I'll remember should another strange application come up in the future.

Thanks everyone,
BH

Glad you found something. I’ll have a post up on here later on the yoke set up. Cause of the weight of my door it’s going to be about 400 bucks cheaper to switch to dual coil set ups. I’ll have a right up on the conversion here soon. Prob lat Jan.