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Generally, most residential garage doors are either seven or eight feet tall. Seven-foot doors usually use a 25-inch spring, and eight-foot doors use a 27-inch spring.
How do I know what size garage door spring I need?
Basically, you run a tape measure along the length of a spring, and take down the number of inches. Therefore, if your tape measure indicates that a torsion spring is 36 inches from one end to the other, that’s a 36-inch — or three foot — torsion spring.
What is the right spring for my garage door?
With most new garage doors there will be two torsion springs separated by a divider that’s located at the midpoint of the door. The spring to your right is a “left wound spring” and the spring to your left is the “right wound spring”. So if the spring to your left is broken you want to order a “right wound spring”.
Can garage door springs be too strong?
When garage door springs are too large, they provide more strength than the door needs. It will open with too much force, rolling up very quickly and compromising its safety. Kids or even unprepared adults could be knocked over by the sudden force when they try to open it.
How do you size a spring?
How to Measure a Compression Spring Measure the spring wire diameter, preferably to 3 decimal places for accuracy using calipers. Measure the outside diameter of the coils. Measure the length in its free condition (uncompressed). Count the number of coils. Note the winding direction of the coils.
What is the color code on garage door springs?
Garage Door Extension Spring DASMA Color Code Chart Color Pounds Kilograms Brown 60/160/260 xxx Orange 70/170/270 30/75/120 Gold 80/180/280 35/80/125 Light Blue 90/190/290 40/85/130.
How many torsion springs do I need?
As a rule of thumb, a single garage door takes one torsion spring. A double-wide garage door takes two springs. However, if you have an exceptionally heavy single door, you may need two torsion springs. It is easy to tell whether you have one or two springs.
Why does my garage door have 2 different size torsion springs?
At times the garage door may be designed to take advantage of two different size springs which ensure optimal balance. If the springs aren’t exerting enough tension, then the door is way to heavy to open, and it will slam shut each time.
Should my garage door have 2 springs?
Doors with extension springs should always have two springs. The pair work together to provide a counterweight to the door. If one of your garage door springs breaks or is in poor condition, replace both springs. In order for the springs to provide a balanced lift, both must provide equal strength and support.
How tight should garage springs be?
You would want to tighten the adjuster a full turn clockwise to add tension if the door closed easily without holding up halfway. However, you will want to loosen the adjuster three turns counterclockwise if it was too tight.
How do you measure spring tension?
The correct amount of initial tension is equal to two (2) times the load achieved at (L1) minus the load at (L2). As an example: If an extension has a load of 10 pounds when it is extended . 500 and a load of 15 pounds when it is extended to 1.000 (and additional .
How do you measure spring rate at home?
To calculate the amount of spring rate you will need on order to meet your working loads, simply divide the load you will be applying on your spring by the distance you expect your spring to travel or compress under that load.
Can I replace garage door spring myself?
So faced with a broken garage door spring, the question is, can you fix it yourself? You absolutely can replace a garage door spring, but the type of springs you have may influence your decision. If you’re uncomfortable with any part of the process, simply leave the job to a garage door professional.
Are all garage door springs the same?
That is, that garage door springs are a one-size-fits-all affair. In reality, that’s not the case. Garage door springs come in different sizes and strengths and it’s important that you have the right spring for your particular door. Otherwise, all manner of problems can and will arise.
How far should garage door springs stretch?
Length. Since extension springs have to stretch during the loading phase and contract to help the door raise, length plays a major role in door operation. Extension springs for a 7ft tall garage door are a standard 25 inches and stretch 42 inches. Springs for an 8ft tall door are usually 28 inches and stretch 48 inches.
Why does my garage door have 4 Extension springs?
When a garage door is open most of the door weight is stored in the horizontal tracks. On the 100 pound door in our example above, there is one extension spring for each side of the door. Each spring pulls 100 pounds on the pulley, but the cable on the bottom of the door lifts only 50 pounds.
How do I check my garage door springs?
How do I know if my Garage Door’s torsion spring is broken? Usually the automatic garage door opener will not open the door. When you disconnect the opener and raise the door manually, the door won’t stay in the up position. You will see the split in the spring when viewing it.
Do you need a torsion spring on a garage door?
These springs are essential for opening and closing your garage smoothly, especially if you have two. This means that you shouldn’t use your garage door opener without any springs since residential openers don’t typically have much horsepower.
Can I use a longer torsion spring on my garage door?
If your garage door springs have lasted less than five years, or if you plan to live where you are for many years, you may want to try the extra long life torsion springs. By using larger springs, you can, in most cases, quadruple your spring life while only doubling the cost of the springs.
