Garage Door Torsion Springs & Prices

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Detailed Instructions for Replacing Garage Door Springs!

Contents

Introduction to Garage Door Torsion Springs

Determining Which Springs You Need

Spring Information

Ordering Information

Find My Spring Database&trade and Price Lists

Introduction to Garage Door Torsion Springs

Determining Which Springs You Need

There are four ways to determine the torsion springs you need:

1. Measure them. You will find the information at "How to Measure Torsion Springs" helpful. Do this only if you are confident in your ability to measure and if you are sure the door was balanced with the old springs. I would guess from my own 27 years in the business that at least 10% of the doors have the wrong springs on them. They are at least 20 pounds out of balance, resulting in premature wear on the torsion springs and opener. They also frequently damage the door and create unnecessary service calls. The balance on another 10-20% of the doors could be improved to minimize unnecessary wear and to maximize spring life.
   
   
   

2. Weigh the door. We recommend weighing the door to confirm the torsion spring dimensions. Provide also the door height and track radius.

   To weigh the door place a bathroom scale under the center of the door if it is a single-car door. A short piece of 1 X 6 or 2 X 6 will help protect the door and provide more accuracy by evenly distributing the weight on the scale. Do not use digital scales. We have gotten some really weird readings from these.

   

   On a double-car door it would be safer and more accurate to use two scales, one under the row of hinges to the left of the center row of hinges and one under the row of hinges to the right of the center hinges. A single scale could be damaged by a heavy wood door, and a steel door could be damaged by supporting all the weight at one point in the middle of the door. If only one scale is available you can substitute a brick or a block of wood for one of the scales and double the weight registered on the scale. I would not recommend this procedure on doors weighing over 300 pounds.

   

   The following link should help. After weighing the door with one spring still wound, you can check the total weight by pushing up on the winding bar until the cables start to loosen from the cable drums. Check the weight on the scale, or add the weights if two scales are used.

   Whenever I change springs on a door that I can't identify I usually weigh the door with one torsion spring still wound and then measure the spring that is not broken. I use a chart similar to the "Find My Spring" chart to calculate the lift and then I add that to the weight of the door with the one spring still wound. Assuming the spring may have lost a little tension I usually subtract 5 pounds from the weight of the door.

   For example, suppose you weigh your door with one spring still wound and find that it weighs 105 pounds. You measure the unbroken spring and find in the "Find My Spring" chart that it lifts 100 pounds for the height and radius of tracks you have. Your combined, calculated weight is 205 pounds. Subtract the 5 pounds of lift your older torsion spring may have lost over the years which would have increased your door weight 5 pounds, and your door weight is calculated to be 200 pounds. The formula is thus, Total lift needed = (Door wt. - 5 lbs.) + lift of wound spring.

   A more accurate measurement, of course, would be to weigh the door without any tension on the springs.

3. Provide the manufacturer and model number. Provide also the door width, height and track radius. Look for this information on the ends of the sections. It is usually easier to find by opening the door. Sometimes it can be found on the face of the sections, or on the tracks, lock, struts, or hinges.

   

4. E-mail us pictures. We will measure the springs for you. A high quality picture like the one below should suffice. Let us know if the unbroken spring is wound or unwound. Pictures of the tracks, door and anything with writing on it would also help us identify the model and confirm that your door has the correct torsion springs. The first part of our address is "mail" separated by the "at" symbol and then followed by "garagedoor.org." We don't spell it out to avoid spam.

   

Door Width, Height and Type. Measure the width and height of your door. Most garage doors are 8', 9' or 16' wide and 7' high. Many are 8' high, and many others are 6'6" or 7'6" high, and anywhere in between. Most doors are either wood or steel. If you're not sure, use a magnet. Knowing the size and type of door you have will help us catch obvious errors in original installation, or in your weighing of the door or measuring of the springs.

Track Radius. You will also need to determine your track radius. There are three ways to do this. One is use a level to measure from the junction of the vertical and horizontal tracks to the bottom of the straight portion of the horizontal track as pictured below.

A second way is to measure from the floor to the bottom of the straight portion of the horizontal track. On 7-foot high garage doors the measurement will be about 7'4" for a 12" radius track or 7'7" for a 15" radius track. On 8-foot high garage doors the measurement will be 8'4" for a 12" radius track and 8'7" for a 15" radius track. Floor variations or unlevel horizontal tracks may vary these dimensions an inch or more.

The third way to determine your track radius is to visually check your tracks against the picture at the end of the introduction above. On 15" radius tracks the horizontal track angle connects to the top of the vertical flag bracket angle. On 12" radius tracks the horizontal angle connects to the vertical flag bracket 3" below the top of the flag bracket.

The more information you gather, the more likely you are to choose the correct torsion springs, and the better we can help you get the springs you need.

Spring Information

Ordering Information

Find My Spring Database&trade and Price Lists

List Torsion Springs by Lift

List Torsion Springs by Wire Size