Question:
I need to replace the extension springs in my garage door. I weighed
the door (properly, a few times) and came up with 145 pounds. Do I use
140 pound springs, or 150?
Answer:
Are they expansion type springs (as opposed to torsion, mounted above
the door)? There is some leeway but I would go for a slightly
stronger spring. As stated they can be really dangerous. The door
has to be blocked open when removing. I saw the results of an
expansion spring that went through a garage roof when it broke.
And, if the present springs don't have "safety cables" running through
them PLEEZE add them when you put in the new springs. They are very
cheap insurance against what could be a tragic accident if someone is
standing in the wrong place inside the garage place watching the door go
up or down when a spring end snaps off.
Actually it wasn't bad at all. The replacement springs at Home Depot
are much smaller in diameter than the originals, and they're physically
shorter, so I needed a little slack in the cables to balance the two
sides. It looks like it stretches farther, which isn't possible because
the geometry hasn't changed at all -- so it stretches exactly half the
height of the door. Like always. The door balances at about waist
height, which is about right.
It wasn't a difficult job, but it was a creepy job, especially after
everyone's dire warnings of violent death and dismemberment. Closing
the door the first time was a little unnerving, but it's sturdier than
it was originally and now it has safety cables.
