garage door springs

[Al]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
How does the cable going through work? I don't recall. Long enough to allow full extension doesnt seem to me like it would protect much. Is there a pulley in the setup somewhere?

The cable is anchored at both ends of the attachment points of the spring..one on the door and on on the fixed anchor. It is inside the spring the entire range of travel.

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'd be most concerned with the broken spring breaking and hitting the car.

If you ever saw one break you would realize the car is the very least of the problem. You would install the cables yesterday. I think they are available as a kit just for that purpose.

 

[ChiTDI]

Ace Hardware (the only place I found it) sells a specific lube for garage doors. Garage Door Lubricant and it is designed for tracks, screws and springs. Great stuff.

 

[bigmike]

I'm a strong guy and can lift quite a bit, but I couldn't hardly budge my 2-car garage door when that spring broke. It only has 1 spring. It took 2 guys to get the door up.

So, since I doubt any maintenance had been done other than lubricating, I had them replace the spring, rollers, check the cables, and install a new garage door opener. The Liftmaster replaced an ancient Wayne Dalton that reminded me of a toy-sized opener. Apparently, I was a lucky one that had a "key-chain sized" remote that they had just come out with around 1994. Both seemed highly impressed and said it's been around 9 years since they've seen a working one on a job.

I noted they both used Ryobi power tools and said they liked them as much as their Dewalts, but the Ryobis tend to stay put in the truck instead of growing legs.

I had no interest in doing that job.

 

[MNgopher]

Yep, an average double door is going to come in around 250-300 lbs, and wood doors can weigh much more than that, especially if they are wet!

A single steel door, with light or no insulation, may not seem super heavy when one spring breaks, but there is still some substantial weight there, on the order of over 125 lbs.

 

[JHZR2]

I have single wood doors with glass panes at one level. Each has one spring. They are on electric openers.

I plan to replace the springs...

 

[mechtech2]

I would lube them NOT paint them!
Paint will cause friction - those springs wind up tight.
And the friction will abrade the paint off , anyway.

They need lube for rust prevention and friction .

Some of you have had garage springs last for decades without lubing them? Good for you! But lube is far better than luck.

 

[JHZR2]

Mine look decades old.

Mine are coil springs, like what you see on a car. Not a coiled leaf spring. Seems some doors might have something more like a coiled leaf?

 

[Smokescreen]

I have never oiled my springs on any of the garages on the houses I have lived in. Never had a problem. I do oil the wheels and hinges though.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Mine look decades old.

Mine are coil springs, like what you see on a car. Not a coiled leaf spring. Seems some doors might have something more like a coiled leaf?

Are you going to install the safety cable through the spring?

 

[greenaccord02]

That safety cable looks like a bright idea. I need to do that.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
That safety cable looks like a bright idea. I need to do that.

More info
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infgar/infgar1d.html

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Al

Are you going to install the safety cable through the spring?



I need to check if they are already in there. I think Im going to replace mine for good measure, though the ones in there are likely US made quality and the ones Id get from HD are chinese junk (earlier failure).

Do US made garage springs exist?

 

[Smokescreen]

Wow, my garage door spring are nothing like that...mine are coiled up length ways above the door and work with a pulley system...interesting.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Al

Are you going to install the safety cable through the spring?

I think Im going to replace mine for good measure, though the ones in there are likely US made quality and the ones Id get from HD are chinese junk (earlier failure).

Do US made garage springs exist?

I wouldn't replace them. Just put the cable through there. Mine lasted 35 years and I replaced the whole door/springs.

 

[JHZR2]

Well Im not replacing our nice wood doors anytime soon. I was out in the garage and snapped a few (lousy) pictures with my phone.

The door that was down had two stretched springs that looked as if they were both consisten in terms of stretch, length, etc. That said, the door that was down is the one that goes up crooked when the opener works, so the springs may be pulling at different levels of force. Note how the open door spring hangs low.

The problem is that the spring on the other side of the open door, doesnt hang down nearly as much as the other side. That would say to me that the one that hangs low is worn out and the other one is doing all the work for the most part.

My springs do not have cables through them. Ill be needing to do that this weekend...

Thoughts on those springs? From touching them, they do indeed have good surface roughness due to rust.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I'd replace the springs. If one is not doing the job, especially with heavy wood doors, your garage door opener is doing more work than it should be. I learned the slow way, after replacing two sets of nylon gears in my garage door openers, that the springs really do help the garage door opener, and with sagging springs, those nylon gears in the opener are not long for this world.

Replace the springs and install new safety cables. With the extension springs like you and I have, it takes about an hour per door (it looks like you have at least two single doors, as I have). It's well worth the effort.

There should be a paint dot/stripe on one end of each spring. You need to know the color of that paint dot to get the correct replacement springs. For example, your doors are wood and mine are aluminum. You need much stronger springs than I need. If I put your springs on my garage doors, my garage door opener would be PUSHING the doors closed, and it shouldn't be that way.

 

[Vikas]

Disconnect the electric opener and try to open and close the door by hand. Make sure door can stay up and does not come crashing down if you bring it half way. If that is NOT the case, you really need to replace the springs.