Repairing a torsion spring garage door

[BigBlue1]

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.

Hopefully he still had his middle finger. That's the important one.

 

[hawkeye08]

less tension on spring when door raised. Perhaps putting the door up, bracing it properly and working on your seal, stand on a ladder if needed. Much easier than messing with spring.

 

[bigdeano]

I'd raise the door to a comfy working height, put a metal rod of the proper size in the adjusting hole so the torsion rod can't turn, then lift the door a little with the tractor forks to take the tension off the cables.

 

[BigBlue1]

less tension on spring when door raised. Perhaps putting the door up, bracing it properly and working on your seal, stand on a ladder if needed. Much easier than messing with spring.

Well, the door is 14' tall, so when it is up it is WAY up there. Only ladders I have that get me that high are extension and there isn't much to lean against that would still get me reasonable access to the seal. I'll take my chances with the 'hold torsion spring and lift door' idea...

Rob

 

[s219]

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 think some interpreted this as involving loosening the set screws and unwinding the spring from the jack shaft, but I believe what macfarmall was suggesting was to simply turn the jack shaft using the two rods (ie, do not loosen the springs). This is by far the easiest way to slacken the cables. Jackshaft door openers work on the same principle of turning the jackshaft.

 

[s219]

Also, I would advise against jacking the garage door at any single points in the middle. These doors need even support at both sides. They are not good at supporting their entire weight against point supports in the middle.

 

[BigBlue1]

Also, I would advise against jacking the garage door at any single points in the middle. These doors need even support at both sides. They are not good at supporting their entire weight against point supports in the middle.

This I found when using a jack for the first time replacement of the seal/trim. I could tell the bottom panel was close to bending in the spot where the jack was lifting. When I do it next time I will be using the forks on my CUT and a board laid across them to spread the load out across a large area.

And yes, I understood the prior recommendation to mean simply turning the whole spring/jackshaft via the rods/holes, not un-tensioning the spring. Thanks though.

Rob

 

[orezok]

If you do decide to un-tension the springs, be sure to count the number of turns so that you get the right tension upon re-tightening.

 

[Jeepnford]

If you've ever seen a torsion spring break you will understand why you don't walk under a door while it's in motion. I imagine an extension spring would be about the same.

 

[2458n]

If you've ever seen a torsion spring break you will understand why you don't walk under a door while it's in motion. I imagine an extension spring would be about the same.

You can tell if you had a good door installer buy looking at your extension spring. A good thing to see is a cable running inside the spring with it ending lagged off to the header and tied off to the back bracket. When the spring breaks it will travel on the wire/cable and not go flying around hitting you or your new car.