Garage door question

[bczoom]

Boondox,

If you have the single spring on the rod above the door, like everyone else mentioned, they are under a lot of pressure when the door is closed.

The best way I've found to adjust the spring is to do it with the door fully open. You then work from the gap between the door and the header. With the door fully open, the tension on the spring should be pretty much nothing. As the door lowers the tension gets higher.

For the opener to work correctly, the door shouldn't feel like it weighs more than about 10 pounds to lift.

Brian

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Boondox,

If you have the single spring on the rod above the door, like everyone else mentioned, they are under a lot of pressure when the door is closed.

The best way I've found to adjust the spring is to do it with the door fully open. You then work from the gap between the door and the header. With the door fully open, the tension on the spring should be pretty much nothing. As the door lowers the tension gets higher.

For the opener to work correctly, the door shouldn't feel like it weighs more than about 10 pounds to lift.

Brian )</font>

Brian and Bill -- The door has springs on both sides connecting a sheave (wheel) on the door end to the hanger on the inner end. When the door is closed, the springs are free of tension. When the door is open, the springs are stretched out. But even in the detensioned state, the coils don't quite touch each other any more. Unsprung, sounds like.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( When the door is closed, the springs are free of tension. When the door is open, the springs are stretched out. )</font>

/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifPete, can you post a picture of that? That's just the opposite of what my garage doors had. The springs were stretched out when the door was closed, so the springs helped to lift the door when you started to open it, and when it was opened all the way, no tension on the springs. So I can't quite picture how yours works. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[beenthere]

As Bird points out, I also don't think your door can work the way you described it.

And for the tension springs like you describe, they are not for doors that are so heavy you can't lift them easily by hand, IMO. For some reason, your door sounds to be 'too heavy'.

The torsion spring system wound around on a rod above the door will accomodate a larger, heavier door (and is apparently not what you have on your doors). As pointed out, they do need to be handled with care. I had one of the two rods slip out once, and the rod was a missile. But have never heard of adjusting them with the door in the 'up' position. Hear something new everyday though. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

And I'd like to repeat, be sure the safety cable runs down the center of the tension springs. If they break, they take off like a launced missile.

 

[Boondox]

Sure will. Gotta wait till I get home tonight, though.

 

[Glenn1]

I don't think this will help, but I adjusted by garage door Saturday with the ROP on by tractor. I now need to replace the bottom section. The worst part was my wife and daughter were watching. Of course the had plenty of advice afterwards.

Anyone else make this mistake?

 

[bczoom]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Anyone else make this mistake? )</font>

OOPS

Make the mistake of introducing the garage door to the ROPS or the mistake of letting wife/children watch? I try to avoid both of those...

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't think this will help, but I adjusted by garage door Saturday with the ROP on by tractor. I now need to replace the bottom section. The worst part was my wife and daughter were watching. Of course the had plenty of advice afterwards.

Anyone else make this mistake? )</font>

No...but I have raised the height of the breezeway passing over our driveway by a couple of inches! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Jagmandave]

Check to see if the fulcrum wheels at the front top of the rails (usually) are in place, where the cable bends over at the top and follows on down to where it's attached at the bottom of the door when it's closed. If those are broken or gone, it can change the looks of the spring adjustment. I've had those loose the bearing and the cable came off the pulley, which made the cables and springs look like they were loose.
I agree with the others on replacing the springs, 40+ years is plenty, and new ones are only about $10 each, BUT, be sure you get the same rated LBS. Usually there is a paint code on the spring via some stripes painted on the spring itself, sometimes they're worn off, then you need to know how much the door weighs.

 

[GaryM]

With the door opener disconnected, if you raise the door to waist height and let go, it should just hang there. Up a little higher and it should go up. A little lower and it should go down.

If it doesn't do this, you need to replace or adjust your springs.