Garage door spring 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?
Reply to
Robert Barr
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Well, you're going to use 2, so it would be half that each. Consider that it is trivial to add a little weight to the door if necessary, but a litlle harder to figure out what you're going to remove to lighten them a bit.

Reply to
Sev

Nobody as clueless as you should do the job by themselves.

Reply to
AZ Nomad

By HIMSELF. Singular.

Now, do you have an intelligent / factual answer, or are you just being a useless turd?

Reply to
Robert Barr

And you'd give him the rope to hang himself.

Reply to
AZ Nomad

He does have a point, if not well stated. Those springs (not sure what kind you have) can be very dangerous to work with. Please keep that in mind. If you are not 100% certain what you are doing here, don't do it.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

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.

Reply to
Rich256

I'd get the 150 pounders. They're going to get weaker as they age, not stronger.

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.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

Very dangerous job. Consider hiring someone who does it full time.

Reply to
Art

Some jobs are worth paying for. Unless you don't mind loosing a hand or an arm... Depends I guess.

Reply to
dnoyeB

How would you lose an arm replacing a spring? There is no tension on them with the door raised. Note: he said EXTENSION springs.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

or your head.

Reply to
AZ Nomad

AAAAAAAAHHH! SHI#$%$T, MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD! AND I CAN'T SEE! OWWWWWW, MY HEAD MY HEAD!

Anyone know a good neurosurgeon? Oh WHY didn't I listen to that POS waste product internet troll? Just because he contributes nothing but belligerent OBTUSE remarks, I should have listened to the sewage THIS TIME! MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD MY HEAD!

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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.

When the original tore loose it also ripped the bracketry from the framing lumber, so that had to be reinforced and restored. That took more time than installing the springs.

The new springs come with safety cables, which is how it should have been all along.

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.

Reply to
Robert Barr

he SAID they were extension springs.

Reply to
Steve Barker

It SAYS right in his question "EXTENSION". Do you people read the fukin questions before spouting off?

Reply to
Steve Barker

What's dangerous about replacing an extension type garage door spring? Hell it only takes 5 minutes to learn how to do the torsion type safely.

Reply to
Steve Barker

how would he lose a hand or arm? Fall off the ladder? Hell you can do that painting.

Reply to
Steve Barker

So now he's losing his head? He's going to fall off the ladder onto a guillotine or something?

Reply to
Steve Barker

First one I replaced were on a very heavy solid one piece door. It had a mechanism on each side where the springs were fastened near the floor at the door and then slanted back from the floor at about a 45 degree angle.

They were about 2 inches in diameter. With the door braced open they needed to be stretched about three inches to get hooked up properly. Even with a long bar I was not able to stretch them that much. I was about ready to give up. Then got an idea. I hooked them up the best I could and closed the garage door. With the springs fully stretched I put nails between many of the rungs. Braced the door open again and now the spring was about three inches longer than before. Hooked it up where it should be, closed the door and took out the nails.

The next time they broke I replaced each big spring with two smaller ones that could be stretched by hand.

The spring on a neighbors door broke near the floor and it went through the garage roof and landed in his back yard.

The daugher of another neighbor was seriously injured when one broke while she was standing nearby.

Reply to
Rich256

MY ASS!

Reply to
Steve Barker

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