Repairing a torsion spring garage door

[BigBlue1]

Not sure if this is the best forum spot for this question but I didn't see anything related to sheds or shops or garages so here goes...

I have a 14x14' roll-up garage door in my pole barn. Standard type of multi-panel garage door like almost every house garage. Has torsion springs at the top attached to cables that come down to brackets on the bottom of each lower corner of the door. See the picture for an example of what I'm referring to.

On my door there is a tab at the bottom of these brackets that extends over the weather seal and aluminum trim that the weather seal slides into. I have to get the weather seal off so I can remove one of the trim pieces to straighten it and put new screws in to hold it to the bottom panel of the door. This is because recent freeze/thaw cycles and snow caused water to get between the seal and the floor and it stuck down when things froze. When I raised the door it stuck and bent. The door is insulated so I have to get the weather seal off and work from the bottom here.

So, my question:

What is the easiest way to remove tension on the bottom brackets so I can loosed them and get the seal/trim removed? I had a similar issue two years ago and managed to do it by using a ratchet strap to pull the bracket down while jacking the bottom of the door up (with bolts slightly loosened). It worked but it was less than desirable and I felt I was close to bending the bottom of the door panel with the pressure from the jack. Fixing one of these weather seals can't be that rare of a task and there MUST be something easier to do here.

Please avoid suggestions to "call a pro". I'm not spending a couple hundred bucks to have someone else come out and do this. I know torsion springs are challenging and risky and I'm not going to do something stupid but I will find a way myself.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[mcfarmall]

Get 2 rods that fit perfectly in the holes in the tensioner. The rods must fit snugly and not be tapered, like a pointy pry bar or punch. Unwind the spring 90 degrees and put the second bar in the tensioner then relax the tension letting the rod press against the door header. Both cables should now have some slack in them.

Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk.

 

[BigBlue1]

Get 2 rods that fit perfectly in the holes in the tensioner. The rods must fit snugly and not be tapered, like a pointy pry bar or punch. Unwind the spring 90 degrees and put the second bar in the tensioner then relax the tension letting the rod press against the door header. Both cables should now have some slack in them.

Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk.

I've definitely done that before when replacing springs on normal 16x7 and 9x7 garage doors. I have bars made of the correct diameter for that. But these springs on the 14x14 door are way bigger. I was hoping to find another way that didn't involve messing with them directly. If nobody else has another suggestion I will do what you mentioned (it was one of my 'last resort' options already).

Thanks,
Rob

 

[2458n]

The springs hold the doors weight. That is why they take off with so much force. Get some vice grips and lock the torsion tube down against the header so it will not turn. Lifting the door up alittle bit should allow you to take cable off of tab on bottom bracket. Make sure cable stays in place on winding drum on both sides. Bottom weather strip retainer is usually aluminum poorly attached with sheet metal screws. Liquid nail would work better but production time does not allow it to be used. [doors got to keep going down the line at factory] Your door is heavy and dangerous and the bottom bracket can be considered loaded. If you do not know all of this find a friend who has done it before.

 

[KWentling]

That's how I do it too. Vise Grips to hold the torsion rod, raise the door to get slack and snap C type welders vise grips under the rollers a panel above the bottom to hold the door up while you work. There may be holes in the track you could put a bolt through in instead of the Vise Grips to hold the door up. C-clamps could work too. I've done this a couple of times on my 12x12 door.

The springs hold the doors weight. That is why they take off with so much force. Get some vice grips and lock the torsion tube down against the header so it will not turn. Lifting the door up alittle bit should allow you to take cable off of tab on bottom bracket. Make sure cable stays in place on winding drum on both sides. Bottom weather strip retainer is usually aluminum poorly attached with sheet metal screws. Liquid nail would work better but production time does not allow it to be used. [doors got to keep going down the line at factory] Your door is heavy and dangerous and the bottom bracket can be considered loaded. If you do not know all of this find a friend who has done it before.

 

[BigBlue1]

The springs hold the doors weight. That is why they take off with so much force. Get some vice grips and lock the torsion tube down against the header so it will not turn. Lifting the door up alittle bit should allow you to take cable off of tab on bottom bracket. Make sure cable stays in place on winding drum on both sides. Bottom weather strip retainer is usually aluminum poorly attached with sheet metal screws. Liquid nail would work better but production time does not allow it to be used. [doors got to keep going down the line at factory] Your door is heavy and dangerous and the bottom bracket can be considered loaded. If you do not know all of this find a friend who has done it before.

That sounds like a good method to deal with things. I understand what you're describing and I think that will work well for me.

As for the bracket on this door, being a monster door this is a bit heavier duty than most. The bracket and the side of the panel are steel and the 5 or 6 bolts holding the bracket to the door are real bolts, not sheet metal screws. And yes, I'm fully aware of the risks related to these monster torsion springs. That's why I'm hear looking for good advice on dealing with them. I've replaced torsion springs on doors before and did plenty of research before tackling them.

And KWentling thanks for the additional tip about the C-clamp vise-grips to hold the door up.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[BigBlue1]

Get 2 rods that fit perfectly in the holes in the tensioner. The rods must fit snugly and not be tapered, like a pointy pry bar or punch. Unwind the spring 90 degrees and put the second bar in the tensioner then relax the tension letting the rod press against the door header. Both cables should now have some slack in them.

Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk.

After 2458n's post I now see that your suggestion was pretty similar. Thanks.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Pretty much same thing here, raise the door say a foot or so. then then place a jack under the center of it, lock down the torsion rod, then use the jack to raise the door just a bit to release the pressure off the cable , clamp vise grips on both sides of the track to allow the rollers from a panel above the one your working on to set down on when you take the pressure off the jack and then remove the bracket. Don’t try to use the jack to hold the door up while removing the bottom bracket and roller, the panel will try and kick out on you.

 

[not2old]

I'm not a professional door mechanic, but done quite a few of them. I would only use vise-grips to hold the springs steady when first aligning the cables. After putting on some tension, I would only use the proper sized rods to immobilize the spring. There is way too much tension to trust vise-grips to what may be your life. If the door has dual springs, you need to do each side independently. Think about how heavy it would be to lift a whole door in it's shipping carton. It doesn't get any lighter when installed. The springs do that much work and can be dangerous.

 

[Dave Pee]

Years ago, a man at work decided to work on his garage door one day.

Last I saw him, he had 2 less fingers on his right hand.