Safety note- Garage door spring broke

[malibu101]

Last night I was quietly sitting at the workbench in the garage working on an RC car when all of a sudden there was a LOUD "explosion" that startled me and almost made me piss myself. Then it was quiet again.
I went to a window to look outside at what happened.

I saw nothing and then walked outside around the garage to look around and there was nothing out of place.

Upon stepping back in the garage I saw stuff hanging down by the side of one of the garage doors.
The extension spring snapped right at the one eye. The door was closed so it was at full extension. WOW it was an awesome release of stored energy.

Moral of the story- PLEASE if you have extension springs be sure the safety cables are installed and secured. If the safety cable was not there I cannot imagine what could have happened.

 

[rlitman]

I'm glad to hear that the bang and momentary incontinence were your only problems, and that you don't have to be instructed by everyone on the internet to remember to put those safety cables in.

 

[38Chevy454]

The amount of energy stored in a spring can be very high. The safety cables are a very good idea if your springs do not already have them.

 

[AndyL]

What happens when they're missing? The door guy usually comes in scratches his head, Pulls half the spring outta the wall, "Well that's yer problem" (use that best jeff foxworthy southern accent when saying it).

I pulled one out of a brick chimney not so long ago... Yes, it made it right through the brick - not this new faux brick, but 40s vintage red brick installed by real masons...

 

[jstroede]

I saw an extension spring one time that broke and did almost $15k in damage to a fully restored 69 camaro show car...had the money for that, but not for a $2 cable. Doh!

John

 

[daveroy]

I saw an extension spring one time that broke and did almost $15k in damage to a fully restored 69 camaro show car...had the money for that, but not for a $2 cable. Doh!

Sometimes ignorance is expensive!

 

[malibu101]

Sometimes ignorance is expensive!

Time for the truth---
I've owned this place about 15 years. Door and springs were in when I bought it so I have no idea on how old the door and hardware is.

Right after buying the place a buddy was in the garage with me looking around. He noticed there were no cables through the springs. He said he'd seen a spring (without cables) put itself through both sides of a drywall wall and land in the rec room at a relatives house.

He said I would be an idiot to not install safety cables. I could tell he was truly serious. Otherwise I probably would not have installed them or even known that I should have them.
I put the cables in almost immediatly. I picked them up as I was buying other stuff to fix up my new space.

He is getting a call from me tonight thanking him for his great advice!!!

 

[olytdi]

Okay, I'm scared now. Where do these cables go? How do you tell if you do/don't have them installed? Where do you get them if you don't have them?

I've never even looked at my garage door spring.

 

[seagravedriver]

Okay, I'm scared now. Where do these cables go? How do you tell if you do/don't have them installed? Where do you get them if you don't have them?

I've never even looked at my garage door spring.

Same here!

 

[rlitman]

It's really simple.

The cable you do have, runs from the bottom of the door, over the pulley, and to the spring, and then the spring connects to a bracket near the end of the track.

A similar sized cable should be added that runs from the wall, near the pulley, through the center of the spring, and to the same bracket that the spring ends on. It doesn't actually attach to the spring, it just goes through it (so the spring can be stretched, and just move -over- the cable).

That safety cable keeps the spring from going anywhere when it breaks. If there's a cable going through the middle of the spring, you're good. If not, then you need one,

 

[Jagmandave]

Another thing to check so long as you're there - especially on older doors - is where the lifting cable attaches down near the bottom of the door. On mine (mid 60's era) the cable just has a swedged loop that slips over a bolt screwed into the side of the door. The action of opening and closing the door over time will wear a thin spot in the cable's loop, when it goes, it's the same as having the spring break - if the door is down.

Just take a look.

Cable kits are inexpensive, or you could do what I did when mine broke late one night and simply cut off the old loop and make a new one.

Don't forget to look at the bolt too, it it's about worn thru, the same thing could happen - ie: the spring release.....

 

[AndyL]

Now note - this is for extension springs - not torsion springs... Used to be only found on knee-knocker style doors - but they've been coming back into use on sectionals, as they're a little safer to DIY...

Extension springs typically run vertically or horizontally along the side of the track - and get pulled like a slinky... The safety cable - is a cable that runs through the middle of said spring - so if it does break - the pieces stay in their general vicinity...

Now if your springs are horizontal across the doors lintel - you've got torsion springs... No safety cables needed.

I'm a overbuild it *****, when I build safety cables, it's always 1/4" cable; but then again, I can build them myself, and - I get to hand the bill to someone else...

 

[nitrohog]

I had a similar situation about 6 months back, a 5 year old spring failed and launched into (almost through) the wall without a safety cable while the door was going up. Luckily no one was in the garage and nothing was damaged but a little plywood. Needless to say I installed safety cables on both doors by the next weekend.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

[Duck72]

Years ago when I was about 8 we had to have the garage door replaced due to an incident with my 3 year old sister driving the car through the garage door. Yeah, that did happen. Well, I remember vividly the old guy who came to install the new door. He was telling my dad about the spring tension and how dangerous they are. He said he knew a guy who was trying to replace one and had it shoot through his head. Killed him dead.

Glad you are alright. I'll definitely be looking into these cables too. I never knew they existed.

 

[Tech Guy]

So just a question. If these springs are strong enough to go through a wall or brick, are they not strong enough under stress to take the safety cable with it ?

 

[olytdi]

Now note - this is for extension springs - not torsion springs...

Extension springs typically run vertically or horizontally along the side of the track - and get pulled like a slinky... The safety cable - is a cable that runs through the middle of said spring - so if it does break - the pieces stay in their general vicinity...

Now if your springs are horizontal across the doors lintel - you've got torsion springs... No safety cables needed.

Okay, that makes sense. Thanks. My spring is mounted on the lintel horizontally and rotates on an axle. That axle terminates in a pully on which the cable wraps or unwraps. I presume by this and your description, that it is a torsion type. The spring does not elongate or bend, just coils tighter or looser.

 

[Kevin54]

My father-in-law took a rafter out when his broke. No safety cable through it at the time.

 

[rlitman]

Okay, that makes sense. Thanks. My spring is mounted on the lintel horizontally and rotates on an axle. That axle terminates in a pully on which the cable wraps or unwraps. I presume by this and your description, that it is a torsion type. The spring does not elongate or bend, just coils tighter or looser.

Yes, and if the spring breaks, the axle keeps it from whipping around.

So just a question. If these springs are strong enough to go through a wall or brick, are they not strong enough under stress to take the safety cable with it ?

Well, you need to remember that it starts slow (actually, it starts -stopped- until the spring breaks). At that point it is accelerated by the tension. If unconstrained, by the time it hits something, it is moving really fast, but with the cable running through the center, all it has to do, is gently coerce the spring to follow the path of the cable, as the spring collapses onto itself. It's not absorbing all that energy in a single impact.

 

[Tech Guy]

Yes, and if the spring breaks, the axle keeps it from whipping around.



Well, you need to remember that it starts slow (actually, it starts -stopped- until the spring breaks). At that point it is accelerated by the tension. If unconstrained, by the time it hits something, it is moving really fast, but with the cable running through the center, all it has to do, is gently coerce the spring to follow the path of the cable, as the spring collapses onto itself. It's not absorbing all that energy in a single impact.

Makes sense thanks. fortunately I have torsion but just had to ask. Quick story, when I changed out my old garage door, it had the side springs and the door was actually two pieces bolted together in the center to make one door. My dads neighbour figured, hey lets unbolt it he gets a new single door. He also installed my old side springs. Opens the door and the thing flew right off the tracks into the back wall. He quickly changed the springs back.

 

[evildky]

I had one break, it happened over night so I never heard it, but my GF let me know the ga door didn't work the next day I found I had half a spring hanging and a nick on the fender of my Z71, when I replaced the springs, I added the saftey cables

 

[malibu101]

Another thing to check so long as you're there - especially on older doors - is where the lifting cable attaches down near the bottom of the door. On mine (mid 60's era) the cable just has a swedged loop that slips over a bolt screwed into the side of the door. The action of opening and closing the door over time will wear a thin spot in the cable's loop, when it goes, it's the same as having the spring break - if the door is down.

Just take a look.

Don't forget to look at the bolt too, it it's about worn thru, the same thing could happen - ie: the spring release.....

Make complete sense but I don't know if I would have thought to inspect this.
Thanks!

 

[upndown]

Never met an extension spring door I liked!! Had one, the front loop on the spring broke..spring shot straight back hit the back hang..dropped down,no problem. Mr. I can fix that comes home grabs his torch..heats the spring and bends in a new loop, Closes the door feeln all good about himself till he's awakened by loud crashes and bangs. Spring broke right where he heated it this time it went shooting across his work bench bouncing stuff off his car, beat the **** out of his tool box, broke some other stuff..No safety cable!!

 

[weaponizer]

You never know how much weight the springs hold, till one breaks and you try to lift the door...

 

[MoonRise]

+99 on making sure there are safety cables on the garage door tension springs.

But note that they 'only' work to keep the 'big pieces' in place. Smaller shrapnel (pieces of the eyes/loops usually) will still bounce around a bit. But nowhere near as bad or dangerous as several pounds of steel flying through the air after being launched with 100-200+ lbs of tension force behind them!

 

[rwhite692]

I saw one take out a whole neighborhood.

 

[tncatadjuster]

If you have radial springs above the door, they will rust and bind. This binding is what causes a problem. I keep mine coated with a full spray of WD40, when I change the battery out in the smoke detector.

 

[waterboy12]

What about a roll up door(canister door as some call it). I don't have tracks, the door just rolls up on itself. I don't see a cable. Should there be one? How do I go about putting one up as appossed to a reg garage door.

 

[AndyL]

Rolling door uses torsion springs - usually inside the barrel - takes a lot of force to eject out of that thing

TNC - Pre-stretch cures that binding Shouldn't need lube to stop it...

 

[MScott]

Anyone got a picture of that safety cable and how it attaches?

 

[rwhite692]

Anyone got a picture of that safety cable and how it attaches?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=garage+door+spring+safety+cable+diagram


.....Then, click on IMAGES at the left

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'm glad oneof my old ones never broke, those springs weighed like 35 lbs apiece, old school stuff. My new Wayne Dalton doors have torsion springs.

 

[Kevin54]

What about a roll up door(canister door as some call it). I don't have tracks, the door just rolls up on itself. I don't see a cable. Should there be one? How do I go about putting one up as appossed to a reg garage door.

Only doors with the extension springs that stretch along the rails will have the safety cable. the cable goes from the wall or front of the rail to the back of the rail. That way when the spring breaks it can't go flying around due to the cable through it. When a extension spring breaks, it shoots off like a rocket due to it being stretch all the way out. Like I said above, when my FIL's broke it took out the bottom chord of a rafter. Most garage door installers will install a torsion spring over a extension spring just for the safety of the torsion spring. Very rarely will they install extension springs unless it is some odd situation where they don't have room to install it above a garage door. I'm not so sure about today, but most DIY doors from the box stores come with extension springs

 

[Kevin54]

Anyone got a picture of that safety cable and how it attaches?

 

[pumalex]

OK so if i have torsion springs i should be allright? I mean i have a shaft going in the middle of it, if it breaks it can't really go anywhere...

That was the first time i actualy see extension springs, man those thing looks dangerous. Never seen those around here.

 

[malibu101]

Today I got new springs which are correct for my weight door and they come with a new safety cables. The old springs were correct also.

As Jagmandave suggested, I inspected the cables on the door. The one was messed up a little at only one spot but since I don't know their age another $20 for the cable kit is good insurance. The bolt on the door is fine.
Thanks for the advice.

As well, I cleaned and lubed the rollers, hinges and opener. I actually do that about once a year anyway so this seemed like a good time.

Now everything is back to normal and safe with the door.

The spring failure is something I'll never forget!