Garage door installation SNAFU

[Rod in Forfar]

Last summer we built a garage. Then I bought a very nice 10 X 7' "Mahogany"(hemlock with luan raised panels) door.

Today the time had come to install it.

All went well until I wound up the spring. I wonder if I had it in backwards. It took six turns and then it had had enough and hopped up onto the spindles holding it, losing its tension and blocking access to one of the holes on the shaft into which I needed to insert bars continue trying to tighten it.

My son and I and I jacked the door up and escaped the garage, but we did not solve the mystery of the door spring.

The way I turned it the spring grew shorter, compressing. Is this right, or should I have mounted it backwards, to elongate the spring?

The burnt-fingers method has shown me through a lot of diy adventures, but it seems to have let me down here.

Thanks,

Rod

 

[chopped]

Im not quite sure but maybe this will help.
Measure Your Garage Door Torsion Springs

 

[ray66v]

When you tighten the spring, the direction depends on the wind of the spring.

The cable on the side of the door should get tight as you wind the spring, if your turning the spring the wrong way, the cable will unwind off of the drum.

It should be obvious, so now I am wondering if you had the cables on, and the drums attached to the jackshaft.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Everything was assembled, and the shaft locked with vice grips while I tightened the spring as it rotated around the shaft -- as per the instructions. But I might have had the spring on backwards, for it compressed, rather than stretching. Eventually it climbed up over the ends and shut the process down.

It's quite a heavy door, and I wonder if it shouldn't have two springs, rather than one.

 

[tlbuser]

When you tighten the spring, the direction depends on the wind of the spring.

Correct, depends on whether it's a left or right hand spring.

The cable on the side of the door should get tight as you wind the spring, if your turning the spring the wrong way, the cable will unwind off of the drum.

The cable drum should not be rotating when you are tightening the springs.

Sounds like the spring is on the wrong side of the door, or the wrong spring. Is the spring installed on the right side of center? Where you winding in a counter-clockwise direction? What brand door? Post some pics. and maybe we can see what's goofy.

 

[LD1]

I am not sure what you mean by the spring compressed??

Since it is a torsion spring, there are a given # of coils wht the spring relaxed. when you tension it, you are supposed to be going in the direction that would be trying to twist the spring tighter (add more coils) and NOT the direction that would unwind the coils.

Mine is a little different because my doors came with the ez-wind thing on the end. Basically, once it was mounted and the pully, it gave you a set distance to mount the middle spring mount. This required stretching the spring just a tad to make toom for the "more coils" when I wound it up. Once that was locked down, a drill with a 7/16" bit and about 30 seconds the spring was wound. Piece of cake.

But I agree, post some pics and maybe we can see something you are overlooking.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Considering that I mounted a right-hand spring on the left side of the door and reduced the number of coils by compressing it, I think it's clear by now that I had the unit on backwards.

It should be a simple matter to reverse the shaft and switch the end pulleys which hold the cable, except for the small matter of the coil which has climbed up tight to the gibs on the winder and intruding on one of the four holes where I need to put the bar in (and take it out safely) in order to tighten it.

I thought of pinning the other end under my loader and having at the winder in the great outdoors with the bars, but that might be asking a hungry hippo for a kiss. If anything slipped and my body didn't interfere with its trajectory, I could be picking that 18" bar out of my neighbour's roof a half-mile away.

Any suggestions which do not involve great courage/stupidity?

 

[Gator6x4]

Last summer we built a garage. Then I bought a very nice 10 X 7' "Mahogany"(hemlock with luan raised panels) door.

Today the time had come to install it.

All went well until I wound up the spring. I wonder if I had it in backwards. It took six turns and then it had had enough and hopped up onto the spindles holding it, losing its tension and blocking access to one of the holes on the shaft into which I needed to insert bars continue trying to tighten it.

My son and I and I jacked the door up and escaped the garage, but we did not solve the mystery of the door spring.

The way I turned it the spring grew shorter, compressing. Is this right, or should I have mounted it backwards, to elongate the spring?

The burnt-fingers method has shown me through a lot of diy adventures, but it seems to have let me down here.

Thanks,

Rod

I don't think I would be trying the "Burnt-Finger" method with a garage door opener torsion spring. People have been seriously injured with torsion springs. Read-Read-Read-Read and Re-Read the installation instructions. Then if even a shadow of doubt exist in your mind please contact a professional installer. TORSION SPRINGS ARE DANGEROUS.

View this site and see if it will provide any additional information to assist in the installation.

Installing and adjusting torsion springs courtesy Clopay Doors on the Natural Handyman home repair and do it yourself website

 

[ray66v]

The cable drum should not be rotating when you are tightening the springs.

They won't turn, when you wind the spring the right way, that was my point.

The OP was asking a question about which way to wind a spring(s), and I was trying to tell him how you tell.

Sorry, if I was not articulate enough for you.

 

[J_J]

If the wire is wound on the drum correctly, and installed on the rod correctly, then the spring should be turned in a way to tighten the spring and place tension on the wire .