Torsion springs

[fourspeed]

I have a two car garage with a wooden overhead door. It uses two torsion springs. They should match but don't. One springs lifts the door more than the other and it doesn't sit flat on the garage floor.

I want to replace the springs with a matching pair. Ace Hardware has the springs and winding rods. The winding rods are only about a foot long. That didn't seem like much leverage to me.

Is this something I should attempt, or should I call a contractor to switch them out? I'm reasonably handy, but don't want a winding rod implanted in my skull.

 

[NHCharger]

Your playing with fire with that. Torsion springs must be matched to the wieght of the door. I went through that this spring. I had to change the torsion spring 3 times for the correct one. The first one was too small so it wouldn't pull the door all the way up, the second one was so big that when I released the vise grips that was holding the torsion rod the door flew up and almost knocked me off the ladder.
Get an estimate from a pro who installs garage doors for a living.

 

[nova65ss]

The shaft that the springs are mounted on is one solid piece pulling on both sides with the same amount of force, so even if one spring is stronger the door should still sit evenly. One of your cables might be frayed causing it to be longer than the other or maybe your drum has slipped on one side. How old are the springs/ door? I would check this srtuff before replacing the springs, might not need to.

Alot of wood doors especially the 18' wide doors get a smiley face or tend to sag in the middle which causes them to get gaps on both sides of the door. The doors are pretty dangerous so I would always suggest calling someone unless you've worked with them before.

What part of Wisconsin do you live, I have a friend in the Madison area that does this for a living.

Jimmy

 

[fourspeed]

The shaft that the springs are mounted on is one solid piece pulling on both sides with the same amount of force, so even if one spring is stronger the door should still sit evenly. One of your cables might be frayed causing it to be longer than the other or maybe your drum has slipped on one side. How old are the springs/ door? I would check this srtuff before replacing the springs, might not need to.

Ok, now I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that!

I assumed, since the problem occured when the spring was replaced, that the problem was with the mismatched springs. It looks like you have to screw around with the shaft, pulleys, etc. when changing springs. I tried to loosen the setscrews on the pulley (on the side that's not reaching the floor), but it looks like there is a key in there. I need to investigate further to see what's going on and how to adjust the cables to match side-to-side.

Yes, I know there's spring tension involved. Before loosening the setscrews, I put the door all the way up and held it up with a tie-down strap. Then I rotated the shaft with a pipe wrench to see how much tension was there. It's not much with the door up.

 

[nova65ss]

If you have a key in the shaft it is probably solid not hollow correct? Do you have a splice/ coupler somewhere near the center? It may have slipped. Be Careful!!

 

[fourspeed]

The shaft is solid. It appears there is a center hub that's keyed to the shaft. It seems like there is a ratchet between the pulley and the center hub. Not sure what's going on there, but tomorrow afternoon I'll get up there and take a closer look.

 

[BuickFarmer]

I bought a used 7X16 Overhead Door brand panel garage door. I have finally got it installed all except the torsion spring. Note I said spring...as in one...not two as I typically see discussed here and on other sites. The door has only one spring and I can find no evidence that it ever had two. Is this common for the Overhead Door brand or did the previous installer cut a corner. I understand that if the one spring breaks, the door would fall. This door is on a 12 x18 shop building and will be opened/closed perhaps once or twice a month. There is not enough clearance for a door opener.
So my question is should I go ahead and install and trust the single spring or replace it with two new ones. What is the typical cost of new ones to fit a 7'x16' door.
Additionally is there anything special to installing it as a single. I have read several how to's re the installation of springs and feel confident that I can do it, just not looking forward to it.
Here by the way is one of the best sites I found for this instruction.

http://garagedoor.org/residential/torsion-spring-replacement.cgi

 

[nova65ss]

Alot of companies will only use one spring on a non insulated 16 x 7. Not really the best way but it works. The spring will only break win the door is in the down position so there is no need to worry about it falling. I would however be concerned with winding any spring more than 7-10 years of age.

 

[kbs2244]

I had almost the same problem. An older wood door that had been painted inside and out. Had soaked up it's share of water over the years. I didn't worry about it untill I learned that door openers use plastic gears now, not the metal I was used to. That ment replacing the opener sooner then I wanted if I didn't ease the load on the opener.
I had heard all the scare stories too. But I had seen the guys doing the installs at some of the subdivisions around here too. They sure wern't in the top 10 percent of their class. So I fugered if they can do it, I can learn how.
I went to
http://garagedoor.org/residential/to...eplacement.cgi
(as mentioned before) , downloaded their instructions, and read them about a dozen times.
It worked like a charm. Door is balanced, stays where it is placed, and has no load to speak of on the opener.
Do study untill you understand everything.
Do have a good strong step ladder.
Do not work alone.
Be prepared to be suprised how much force the springs have.
Be prepared to have to go back and forth, from side to side. to get the right to left balance right.
Do not be surprised if you need to tighen up one side more than the other.
And, last but not least, be prepared to shoot down another of those "don't try this at home" myths.

 

[cc_rider]

Yep. What he said. The important thing about torsion springs is having TWO steel bars that fit into the 'winding holes' in the hubs. With one bar always in a hole the spring can't run away from you. Go slow and carefully.

c.

 

[Old Moparz]

I installed both of my 16'x8' doors with the torsion springs, & the short winding rod was definitely long enough to to the job. If you just take your time & use caution, it's not difficult to do.

I was just thinking that maybe one spring is wound tighter than the other on your door & there is no need to replace anything. I'd check that too before spending money on replacement parts.

 

[nova65ss]

It really doesn't matter much if one is a little tighter than the other they are both clamped to the same shaft.

 

[Old Moparz]

It really doesn't matter much if one is a little tighter than the other they are both clamped to the same shaft.

Good point, I wasn't thinking.

 

[BuickFarmer]

Alot of companies will only use one spring on a non insulated 16 x 7. Not really the best way but it works. The spring will only break win the door is in the down position so there is no need to worry about it falling. I would however be concerned with winding any spring more than 7-10 years of age.

Thanks for the info Nova. Any idea of how many 1/4 turns to put on it.

 

[nova65ss]

It takes 4- 1/4 turns per foot of lift or 28 1/4 turns for a 7' high door. It is usually necessary to put a couple of extra to keep it up and from easing back down.


Jimmy

 

[Junkman]

It takes 4- 1/4 turns per foot of lift or 28 1/4 turns for a 7' high door. It is usually necessary to put a couple of extra to keep it up and from easing back down.


Jimmy

Wouldn't this vary with the diameter of the spring used? I just had a door changed this past week, and the installer changed out the original spring for a larger diameter for the additional panel that was added. I will start another thread on this.......

 

[nova65ss]

Wouldn't this vary with the diameter of the spring used? I just had a door changed this past week, and the installer changed out the original spring for a larger diameter for the additional panel that was added. I will start another thread on this.......

Yes there are quite a few different things that can affect the amount of turns on a spring. Drum size, spring diameter, amount of high lift, etc. The specs I was referring to are for the door he mentioned which was a standard lift 7 high door.

Jimmy