Garage Door Spring Safety Cables - CHECK!

[Cemoto]

Well, I guess I've been living out in the woods under a rock for a long while.

Most of you are probably aware of these, but if you are not - check.

Last weekend my wife called me at work to say there was a huge crash in the attached garage and she went out and found all sorts of items from a shelf scattered about and one of the door springs in pieces on the floor.

Thankfully, there was no damage to the cars. Baseball- sized hole in the blueboard/plaster though.

Anyway, we have had the same electric opener, door springs, and lightweight insulated doors for 26 years. I never knew there were such things as safety cables in case of breakage. Guess they didn't have them when the doors were installed.

I found out that it is a good idea to replace the springs every 10 years or so.

* * THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT **

Regards,

.

 

[casetractorfarmer]

I never heard or seen safety cables in my 5 years of construction

 

[Falcon67]

My bottom dollar 8x7 Clopay that I put in the other shop back in 1998 came with safety cables. Always liked that.

 

[BudgetRacing]

I never heard or seen safety cables in my 5 years of construction

I guess he didn't explain that they are for stretch springs not regular torsion (winding style) springs.

Some places put them on and cheaper places don't. Any door mechanic already has 1/8" cable and ends to make them if the door was not shipped with them but they often don't want to take the time.

 

[AndyL]

1/8" just slows them down... minimum 3/16" - I still prefer 1/4" for the extra safety factor...

Can be diy'd, 1/4" cable some Crosby cable clamps (not the Chinese ones, Crosby brand for a reason) - and a pair of substantial 5/16" lags

 

[BudgetRacing]

1/8" just slows them down... minimum 3/16" - I still prefer 1/4" for the extra safety factor...

Can be diy'd, 1/4" cable some Crosby cable clamps (not the Chinese ones, Crosby brand for a reason) - and a pair of substantial 5/16" lags

You're telling me a simple resi stretch spring will generate over 2000lbs of force when it breaks? I'd really like to see one instance or test showing that. In 13 years of doing doors I have not seen one stretch spring break a 1/8" cable.

 

[RVDan]

My bottom dollar 8x7 Clopay that I put in the other shop back in 1998 came with safety cables. Always liked that.

Yep I'm surprised there are any doors without them considering I bought the cheapest doors I could find and they even came with the safety cables

 

[imnutz]

Installers often don't want to be bothered - spend the extra $20.00 and buy a door with torsion springs - it always amazes me when I go to someones home and there in the garage is a Mercedes, nice cabinets, finished drywall, and the cheapest garage door money can buy.

 

[ndnchf]

I had the same thing happens about 3 years ago. I was downstairs in the basement when I heard a loud BANG in the garage. I was the only one home and thought "WTF was that?". I went to the garage and looked around, but didn't see anything. Later that day I went to open the garage door (manual) and it was real hard to lift. I started looking at the door and one of the springs was gone. I started looking around the garage and eventually found both pieces. It had just let go with no warning. There is a LOT of power in those springs, be careful.

 

[IONH]

One of my springs broke over the summer. I knew they were ancient and a friend had advised me about putting a safety cable through it. Anyway, the spring didn't actually break, it was the DIY hook the PO used to secure the business (non-pulley) end which broke probably due to vibration over the years. The spring fell straight down and nothing significant was damaged.

I find it surprising that if one of the coils within the spring were to break that it would actually shoot in any direction other than toward one end or the other. To swing to the side and take out a shelf of stuff is not what I expected.

Since my breakage, I put a cable through the one I had to repair. Still haven't put it through the others, I don't use the doors often as I don't park drivable cars in there. I really should put the cables through though!

 

[LEVE]

I never heard or seen safety cables in my 5 years of construction

While living in Wisconsin I was working on tension on the extension spring for the heavy wooden garage door. It was the dead of winter in an unheated garage.

As I was up fiddling with a pulley I heard a huge bang and the extended coil spring went flying by my hand and head. It startled me so much I almost fell of the ladder. The only thing that saved me was that 1/4" safety cable; am I glad the installer didn't cheap out. I'm also glad my finger or a piece of clothing wasn't near that spring when it broke.

I don't think the springs had ever been replaced, the house was about 30 years old. That winter was an especially cold one, I suspect that the metal of the spring was cold and fatiguing at a higher rate, all at the same time. After I replaced the spring, within a week one of the extension springs on the other side of the door broke. I bit the bullet and replaced all the springs on that door. A few years later I moved. I hope these springs are still helping to lift that heavy door.

 

[upndown]

My simple rule, if they don't have them.. they're getting them! If the H/O refuses i'm down the road. Same thing with sensors, if they're mounted to the ceiling, Bye Bye..Let their lawyers call someone else!! 1/8'' cable should be fine, in 35 years i've never seen a broken one! Just make sure to use long back hang lags to mount to the ceiling..Safety for just a few bucks..

 

[AndyL]

You're telling me a simple resi stretch spring will generate over 2000lbs of force when it breaks? I'd really like to see one instance or test showing that. In 13 years of doing doors I have not seen one stretch spring break a 1/8" cable.

I started in 99 myself, and yes, I've seen 3 that have blown through ⅛ safety cables... corrosion my friend, since you know they won't get changed, or checked (ever), install heavier...

 

[Gary S]

Well, I guess I've been living out in the woods under a rock for a long while.



.

I agree. Where have you been for the last 30 years? My garage door installed in the mid 70s didn't come with safety cables. I added them myself in the early 80s. Every door I've installed since then came with safety cables in the box, so I installed them. My latest doors have the torsion springs so they don't need the safety cables, but I see more broken torsion springs than I ever saw broken long springs.
Springs break, so be prepared.

 

[BrianL]

I have the safety cables on mine. But I had a spring snap last year on one of my doors. Luckily my truck was in there at the time, but it snapped the 2x4 support it was attached to in half! Definitely pick up some safety cables if you don’t have them. Home Depot, Lowes, etc sells spring kits.

 

[Cemoto]

The house was built in '86.

We never had a garage when I was a kid so I didn't know any better. Which is why I'm posting here. I lucked out, maybe some one else is not aware also and my post can save one some grief.

It wasn't a matter of price, just the laziness of the installer it seems. They are not cheap doors and the whole system has worked well for 25 years. All I've done over the years is lube the hinges.

The spring hook broke at the back mount so it propelled toward the front of the garage.

The shelf is in the corner of the garage right next to the track if you were to look out.

Regards,

 

[pmiranda]

I learned that one several years ago, too... Moved into a 20-year-old house that had those springs and didn't really think much of it until one of them popped after I closed the door one day. Had all the springs replaced on both doors the next day.
Funny side note... I was somehow convinced that it wouldn't be possible to lift the door without the springs so I moved the car Austin Powers style to the other side of the garage