broken garage door…. need quick fix
andyfew322
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
just as the title says. You won’t belive it, but you know the pullies that the thin cable runs over, on the sides. yeah, the pully SPLIT IN HALF HALF WAY THROUGH THE PULLY. wow. This garage door used to have a moter that worked, but doesn’t any more, so we raise it by hand. how should I go about fixing this? raise garage door to release tension on the cable and just throw on a matching pully?
Also, can I take off the cable/spring system, or will that make it impossible to raise the door?
Ductape can fix EVERYTHING!!!
Replies
Raise the door to release the tension and work on the cable/pulley with the door open. BE SURE TO SAFELY SECURE THE DOOR IN THE OPEN POSITION. Once you detach the cable, the door will most likely want to close on its own. I like to use a C-clamp on the track to keep the door up.
If the cable is still good, can re-use it, but they often get mangled when they slip off (or in your case, through) the pulley. Parts are readily available at the big box. If you haven't worked on a garage door before, do one side at a time so the other side can act as a reminder of how it works.
Don't remove the cables and springs. It may not be impossible, but it will be very difficult to open. Much more importantly, it will not be safe without the spring-assist.
BTW, even with a garage door opener (should you ever get yours to work again), the spring-assist is still needed.
thanks, I'll stop by HD tomarrow
Ductape can fix EVERYTHING!!!
Take a bunch of pictures before you disassemble anything, both open and closed. Be sure to get all the detail that you can.
well I fixed the pully here are some pics of the old pully.
Apprently what happened was that the ball bearing in the ceter of the pully got smashed upward onto the pully, causing the cable to run back and fourth over the pully groove, cutting it half.
hmmmm, your post perplexs me
Well done, Andy !There are an awful lot of adults who never could have figured any of that out. Not even with the help you got here.
When it rains, it snows.
Looks like the pully stopped turning, and the cable just wore a hole through it."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Good job Andy! Bet that door works better now.
Now that you have the new pulley in place, it's time for the potentially embarassing question.
Is the door lift cable worn / frayed where it dragged across that jammed pulley???
You checked during the repair and it is fine ......right?.....I thought so.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Amazingly enough the cable is fine.
For my next trick I will be replacing THIS spring. Drumroll please.
no seriously, I am replacing a spring on that same side that go steched into deformity.
hmmmm, your post perplexs me
Suggest you replace both springs for "balance".
My somewhat limited experience says that an old spring paired with a new spring will produce a door which wants to open slightly "cocked" and give you trouble.
Old spring will probably produce less lift and that side of the door will open slightly behind the side with the new spring. You get away with it for a while but ultimately the door becomes problematic.
You managed to figure out the pulley replacement - spring replacement is not much different - open door, block door open to release tension, replace springs, add safety cables -- good to go.
The trickiest part is figuring out what spring to use -- when you go to buy them, there will be several different sizes all of which have their strength quoted in pounds.
The springs need to be matched to the weight of the door to function properly. Too heavy a spring and the door will want to raise by itself, too light and it will want to fall instead of lowering smoothly.
A clever buyer will weigh the door before going to buy springs. You can weigh the door by removing the existing springs ---- getting a helper or two ----- then s-l-o-w-l-y lowering the door onto a bathroom scale. Advise you place a 2x4 or large pry bar under the door alongside of the scale - once the door is weighed the lever will make it easier to extract the scale.
Chances are the weight of the door will not match any pair of springs exactly - I have always erred to the heavy side if no exact match was available.
For example, say the door weighs 110 lbs. - I can get either 50 lb springs or 60 lb springs - I would get the 60 lb springs (2 x 60 = 120) - I would have 10 lbs "too much" lift. DO NOT mix and match left and right - this seems like a good idea since 60 + 50 = 110 = weight of door - the door will raise in a cocked manner and give you problems.
Good luck!
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
thanks for that info. helps a lot
hmmmm, your post perplexs me
I hiope your door has the cables and springs on the sides, along the horizontal part of the track. they are easy to fix. If you have the heavy torsion spring fastened to the header over the door, do not try to fix it yourself. It is dangerous. Been there, done that. Once. And I gladly paid the next time.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
yeah, they are on the sides
Ductape can fix EVERYTHING!!!
I have the torsion spring type door, and I am curious what sort of special tool the pros use to assemble/dis-assemble the spring....anyone here know?
I think this was from an earlier thread here -
http://www.truetex.com/garage.htm
Looks like big fun!!
Many thanks for the link.....
Two lengths of 1/2 or 5/8" steel rod about 18" long. It's really very easy to do, and very easy to slip and have it unwind in your face."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I had a project that required replacing an 18' door with an 9' door. I watched the guy from the garage door company change it. Like someone else said, they just use two length's of steel rod. There's a collar on the shaft with two holes in it, they stick in one rod and hang on tight. Then loosen the set bolt and let the tension on the spring press the first rod against the header. Then he put in the second rod, pulled on it a bit so the first rod could be removed. Then let the tension press the second rod against the header. He kept doing this until all the tension in the spring was released. He wound the new one up the same way, just going in reverse. It wasn't as complicated as I'd thought it would be.
As an Emergency Medicine doctor, let me chime in here. I'm a great beliver in DIY, but this is not the job for that. The best tool for the torsion spring is the telephone to call the pro.
It looks like another poster answered the question. I hope you had your curiousity satisfied but are not going to attempt it youself. I think we should all know how to pull pneumatic nails out of ourselves and dig splinters out from under fingernails and that broken noses and ribs don't really need doctors or x-rays, but LEAVE GARAGE DOOR TORSION SPRINGS ALONE.
Good advice... One slight slip and there will blood and screaming! buic
If you have to replace (or rethread) the cable, make sure it runs through the center of the spring (as it should now). This is important! If the spring were to break under tension (and they do), having the cable running through the center of the spring is what keeps the spring from going airborne and killing you. Getting killed (or even just getting your skull split open) will generally ruin an otherwise pretty good day.
getting killed would probably only dampen the day ;)
hmmmmmmmmmmmm your post perplexes me. this garage door is different. there is a 2nd puly at the end (or start) of the spring which the cable loops around and then goes back.
Ductape can fix EVERYTHING!!!
Edited 2/26/2008 10:04 pm ET by andyfew322
Pictures, young man.We know you know how to operate a camera.;o)
When it rains, it snows.
Sounds like an older door.
Yer right, pictures would help.
Andy, be sure to replace the cable clamps or crimp on sleeves while you are at it. Infact replacing the cable is also a good idea. The above mentioned safety suggestion are good advice, and I'll only add wear leather gloves while handling the old cable. Nothing worse than a steel sliver from a fryed cable.
His post perplexes me too. On my garage door the cable that helps lift the door does not go through the spring, but I did put in a "safety cable" that goes through the middle of the spring and attaches securely at either end.
The safety cable will keep the spring from getting launched if it happens to break. There's a little slack in it so it won't interfere as the spring stretches. I would highly recommend installing a safety cable.
<there is a 2nd puly at the end (or start) of the spring which the cable loops around and then goes back>
That acts like a block and tackle, so that the cable extends (and retracts) twice as fast as the spring. It lets the cable "see" twice as much linear movement as the spring, but with half the force.
Forrest - have one like that
The cable that lifts the door is not the same cable that runs through the center of the spring.
>>raise garage door to release tension on the cable and just throw on a matching pully?<<
That pretty much sums it up. Raise door, install c-clamp on both lift rails to prevent door from closing (falling), have at it.
From the other posts I gather the following:
1) current cable path = bottom edge of door to wall mounted pulley (this is the one that split) to pulley at spring to solid cable anchor point at "door" wall. Same set up as my door. Replacement pulley should not be hard to find or install.
2) there is no safety cable currently installed - there should be - safety cable runs from the door wall through the inside of the spring and then to the angle iron where the spring bracket and door roller rail is anchored. Cable needs a little slack to allow the spring to stretch / compress easily. You can usually find premade safety cables at big box stores. Just need hardware to anchor to wall and angle iron. Usually just an eye bolt into the wall and wrapped around the angle iron. Usually works best if the anchor points are a few inches higher than the "stretched spring" elevation.
Purpose of the safety cable is to retain the flying parts when the spring, bracket, pulley or lift cable breaks.
Jim
Lie Don said, make sure you block the garage door up before you work unhook the spring.
I generally use a couple of sets of vise grips on the track, right under the bottom rollers.
Wonder if the extra friction from the bad bearing is what caused the opener to quit?