Procedure to Balancing Torsion Springs


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Old 03-26-18, 06:07 PM
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Procedure to Balancing Torsion Springs

Q: What is the correct procedure to balance torsion springs AND counter-balance the weight of the door.

I'm spending waaaay too much time winding, unwinding, winding, unwinding the torsion springs on my 425lb 16' x 7' garage door. I can't keep the torque in balance between the springs.

I follow the demonstration of the procedure in various YouTube videos exactly: I tighten the set screws after I've cranked the springs to the set number of turns, then release the winding bar. But each time, the left-side of the door lifts up and jambs the bottom-right roller in its track. This happens every... single... time.

My intuition tells me I'm over-winding the springs. Fine. I completely unwind both springs then wind and tighten in 5 turn increments. Excruciating. When I approach the "set number of turns", I stop and check the weight of the door. It's still to heavy, so I add two more turns and check again. Still too heavy. So I add two more turns and... the left-side of the door lifts up and jambs the bottom-right roller in its track.

Interestingly, releasing a few turns from each spring does nothing to lower the left side of the door. I have to completely release all tension on both springs, then step on a left-side door rib to get the door to bottom out. And then begin winding again...

What am I doing wrong?
 
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Old 03-27-18, 03:20 AM
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First off torsion springs are dangerous and should be left to a professional. There a lot of factors that go into it besides weight. Did you replace the springs from an existing pair? If so what size are they? What size is the new set? what kind of drums do you have? how long are your cables. Did you put a chalk line on the springs to keep track of how many turns? How tall is your door?
 
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Old 03-27-18, 10:46 AM
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Sounds like you know the dangers of these springs, did you see this video?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99-mbUX8mJw


Suggestions from the comment section:

1) Put a vice grip on the opposite side first so the door can't go up.

2) Put the vice grip on the bar BEFORE you loosen the drum.


I've always thought vise grips should be outlawed until I worked on a friend's door, sure come in handy.
 
 

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