OK, I’m an idiot. I was trying to adjust my drum-type roll-up steel garage door and once I loosened the screws the spring inside unwound (quite rapidly). Now I need to figure out how to fix it. The door is down and won’t move right now. I tried putting a screwdriver through the hole in the axle but it was too hard to turn more than 1/2 a turn. I’m not even sure if that is the right thing to do anyway. Anyone who can advise how to fix myself?
Franco
This 654-sq.-ft. ADU combines vaulted ceilings, reclaimed materials, and efficient design, offering a flexible guest suite and home office above a new garage.
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Replies
OK, I'll try this. Be forewarned - these things can be very dangerous. If you feel like you're in over your head, call the door company. Probably no charge over the regular service call.
There are probably 4 holes at 90 degree angles to one another. You'll need two heavy steel rods about 14 inches long. You can't turn it with a screwdriver, you need rods that fit the hole pretty well, and you need the length for leverage. You're going to insert one rod and pull it down until you can get the second rod into the next hole. You'll walk it around, step by step. You can rest the rod against the door frame and take a break. It's not easy - there's a lot of torque on that spring.
There might be some indication of the proper tension. An exposed spring would often be painted with a quick stripe from a spray can when it's properly wound.
Be ABSOLUTELY sure that the anchor points on the lower door section are well and properly seated. Metal lugs on the end of steel cable is probably the most common. The lugs fit into a slot in a bracket on the lower door section. If one of these were to slip out with the cable under even half the final tension, it can be very, very ugly.
Again, if you feel like you're in over your head, call the pro's.
Greg
Ok, thanks to all three of you for the replies. I would call a repair company based on your advice, but you have no idea how hard it is to get anyone to do ANYTHING around here. I call one business after another and they never even bother to return phone calls. I think it might have something to do with the hurricane, they all have more business than they need. For garage doors there is only one company in the local phone book and they don't do roll-ups. I guess I'll have to be VERY CAREFUL and buy some steel rods to do it myself. Thanks again for the advice!
Frank
OH door springs are dangerous, specialy large ones. DO NOT USE A SCREW DRIVER / PUNCHES ECT. Use only 'winding bars' 3/8" x 16" rod or 1/2" x 20" depending on size spring. Clamp door with 2 c lamps vise grips, tight on track over a roller to prevent door from lifting, clamp regular vise grips to shaft after you turn shaft to make cables tight. loosen set screw on spring (s) Mark the spring with a ( welders chaulk or marker) line from collar to collar (flanges}Turn spring in direction of coil, usually toward ceiling / roof, DO NOT TURN BACKWARDS, as this will make sring climbe the collars. Turn and count the number of rotations refering to the line you made on spring. Owners manual may tell you, and should have these instructions too. Usually 7 - 8 for most residential doors, but just enough to hold door up by itself . Try and find owners manual for door or, if you don't feel comfortable , call pro. YOU CAN GET HURT REAL QUICK AND BAD.
IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE COULD DO IT!
Torsion springs are dangerous as hell. I did one a few years ago, and just two months ago I paid an overhead door co to replace a broken spring. Cost $118 for parts and labor, took the guy about an hour.
"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 have an 18 ft wooden door. BIG and HEAVY.When one of mine springs broke called a service company. IIRC about $125. That was for two guys and springs.And the two of them took about an hour. Most of it was getting the old springs off and new ones one. After seeing the time and energy that went into I am glad that I spend the money.
Frank,
' With two double doors on two garages, I have done this at least 4 times now, not including periodic adjustments. The one thing that I always find myself doing until I come to my senses is standing directly in front of the winding bars. Once I realize it I always move over to one side. If you think about what kind of damage that sring can do, you will be very very carefull.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
You got good advice. Be sure that the cable is properly seated in the windup pulley before you clamp your vise grips on the rod.
Study which way you need to turn the spring before starting. Make sure the rods are fully seated in the holes as you wind. Crank the spring until you can just insert the next rod in the hole and then let it come back and rest against the door frame while you remove the other rod. Repeat as necessary.
As said, don't ever stand in front of the rods while you are cranking!
Keep your open end wrench handy so you can quickly tighten the retaining bolts when you are done winding.
I know a guy who used a heavy rat tail file to crank his springs. About the 6th turn it broke in half and flew out and across the garage...through the wall and back of the kitchen cabinet. His wife, who was working in the kitchen, wondered what the loud bang was!!
If this is a corrugated steel roll up door, the spring is wound differently than your typical garage door torsion spring.
A light gauge rollup door needs to actually be rolled up manually with the spring not yet attached. The spring should be pinned to the shaft prior to rollup, but not attached to the end plate. Once the door is rolled up, the spring can be stretched to the end plate and bolted. You may need to put approximatelty one revolution on the spring before bolting. As the door is rolled down, the spring will be charged.
These doors are commonly found on rental storage facilities. If you don't have luck repairing it yourself, find a local storage company and ask them who repairs there doors.
Good luck!
Dan H and Scrumseeker:
I think I have the type of door that needs to be rolled up to tension the spring. I found the installation manual left by the previous owner and the instructions say to:
"RAISE THE CURTAIN TO THE TOP.
ATTACH THE U BOLTS AND THE TENSION RETAINER CLIPS.
PRE - TENSION THE DOOR BY ROTATING THE ENTIRE CURTAIN ASSEMBLY (2) TWO COMPLETE TURNS".
It sounds like this might not be too hard to do, but first I am going to have to release the tension clips and roll the door to the top, it won't move right now.
It's kind of ironic that I'm going to all this trouble to fix the door, when my ultimate goal is to either replace it with an insulated door or frame it for french doors, since this garage is now my office and I bought a shed for all my garden equipment!
Frank
With the standard track-type doors, you can't adjust a torsion spring with the door up because the door is in the way. The roll-up door doesn't have this problem, permitting adjustment with the door up (and the spring relatively relaxed).
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
This is dangerous, and it sounds like you're in over your head.
You need the right size (ie, tightly fitting) bars to fit into the holes in the shaft. If they don't fit tightly then they can twist out and release the spring with dangerous force. If you're not absolutely sure you have the right size bars and understand what you're doing, don't.
happy?
Neighbor screwed up a couple years ago with one. Lasting nerve/tendon damage where it took out the back of his right hand, and lost his pinky and part of his thumb. He 'knew' what he was doing.
There are a few ways to find a guy that will wind the spring for you.
Call a Handyman and ask if he is qualified for this work
Go to Home Depot of Lowes, and ask for the name of an installer, let them know you just need an adjustment.
Call any major manufacturer, Raynor, Amarr, Clopay, etc, and ask for the name of a qualified installer.
Who installed Your Door?
You may need a new spring....... When a spring lets go, it runs past its relaxed position, and begins to unwind the other way, which can damage the wire on the spring or even the cones.