15/07/2026
****NEVER ATTEMPT GARAGE DOOR REPAIR ON YOUR OWN****
So I was just at a home today where there were some opener issues that were brought on by incorrect springs.
Did you know that on a standard residential door, 7 foot tall or 8 foot tall, that the spring SHOULD be wound that many full turns? 7 full turns for a 7 foot door and 8 full turns for an 8 foot door.
That is with your standard D400-96 cable drum (acts as a gear of sorts, think mountain bike). So every 12 inches, the spring does one full revolution.
Well, the winding cones on the springs have only 4 points of contact, meaning you can only wind a garage door torsion spring 1/4 turn at a time. So, how many quarter turns is that for your springs? 7x4=28. 8x4=32.
The homeowner I visited today was mentioning that the guy who installed the springs only 2 months ago told him "I'm only doing 24 on this one and 26 on that one"...........really?
What does this mean? This means a VERY HEAVY DOOR. This was actually the catalyst that burnt out the 21 yo motor. Yea, it was 21 yo, but they don't make em like they used to, am I right? Time to replace it anyhow.
Caveat: Had the correct springs been installed and adjusted properly, there is a good chance that the motor may not have needed to been replaced so abruptly...despite manufacturer recommendations.
Another thing that will happen is knotted up cables. Imagine the power goes out and you pull the cord to manually lift your garage door, you go to throw your door open, it bumps the stop bolt on the opener rail, then your cables get all knotted up! This happens because there is not enough tension on the cables. Essentially, you want the springs to be pulling on the cable the entire time the door is open. When the springs are not wound enough, then during that last 12 inches or more of the door opening, the cable get loose around the drums. Throwing the door open causes it to bounce a bit and throw a cable....now your door won't close.
MORE ISSUES with improper spring adjustments could be weak at the bottom, balanced in the middle, than HOT up top where it kinda takes off on its own and is hard to start pulling closed. This is going to burn out your opener 100%......and its all because care was not taken to select the correct strength of spring. In this instance, weaker springs (either new or USED) were installed and the tech tried to compensate by overwinding (which also reduces spring life). So you end up with a door that is very heavy to get moving until that potential energy turns into kinetic energy. Then the door sits nice and lovely in the middle, but wants to crank up super fast by itself at the top. What this does to an opener is causes extra strain when opening, then good operation, then the opener is pushing AGAINST the tension from the springs in the opposite direction.
***BONUS: HOW CAN YOU TELL HOW MANY FULL TURN WINDS ARE ON YOUR SPRINGS?***
Easy! Close your garage door and walk up to your springs. Take a look at them. Do you see any diagonal lines on them, almost at a 45 degree angle? Count those lines. A garage door torsion spring on a 7 foot door would have 7 diagonal lines (or more) and an 8 foot door would have 8 diagonal lines. So yes, you can tell.
With all this said, I gave the homeowner a nice deal on getting the opener replaced along with the proper springs installed. Now his door stays open like it should, doesn't fall, and his motor actually works.
Do a test yourself: Close the door, pull the red cable to free the opener, then manually lift the door. What does yours do? Do you need a rake or shovel to hold the door open or does it fall? Do you avoid using it manually because it will launch up to the moon?
Next time you get your springs replaced, make sure you request that the garage door technician WEIGHS YOUR DOOR before selecting springs. Yes, springs could be matched to what is existing, but if another tech put up the wrong ones, then your new springs will be incorrect as well. Also, ask for the IPPT (INCH POUNDS PER TURN) of the springs that are existing, the IPPT of the new springs, and the IPPT your garage door requires. If they are unable to explain any of this to you........idk....at this point.......I guess its up to you. I know what I would tell me mother to do....
CHECKLIST FOR SPRING REPLACEMENT:
*Weight of your garage door
*Currently installed spring IPPT
*The required IPPT for your specific garage door
*IPPT of the to-be-installed torsion springs
*Test for balance after replacement
***Should be easy-ish to lift
***Should not drop down super fast
***Should stay put at the mid point
***Should not launch itself into the opener
***Should hold itself open without needing brooms or tools
***CABLES should maintain their tension and NOT become slack at the top
***Should not be a struggle to pull closed.
There ya have it, folks. DO NOT GET TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!!! ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS!!!
OH, and this homeowner tried calling the company that installed the springs....must've been a phony number cause it was disconnected....after two months........::::::face palms:::::
One last thing! I can imagine that some competitors will not like this disclosure. If any "professionals" reply to this in challenge, beware of them. These are fundamentals (not all inclusive) of the industry....
****NEVER ATTEMPT GARAGE DOOR REPAIR ON YOUR OWN****
Local. Native. Honest. Transparent.
Safe Family Garage Repair
(239) 999-0725
George
Broken or worn torsion springs? Local, honest spring replacement with balance & safety checks. Serving Southwest Florida. Call (239) 999-0725.
