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How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

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Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#201

Post by WalterBright »

the__alchemist wrote: post #70
jtriangle wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A jack is basically suicide tbh. Jackstands are fine, provided they're used correctly. Ramps are nice, provided you don't need to take a wheel off, then you're using jackstands anyway, so, if you're buying one or the other, jackstands are a good option. Personally, if you have the space for it, a trench is the best option, I had one previously and I miss it alot. Nothing leaves the ground, car just pulls in and is re…

IMO a trench mitigates the danger effectively.

They're against the building code around here.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#202

Post by mildchalupa »

bumby wrote: post #98
linsomniac wrote: post #30

Nobody seems to mention keeping the springs lubed for longevity. What's the groups thinking on that? I keep a spray bottle of lube by the door and shoot it every few months, which is probably overkill, but it's so easy. Then just wipe off the excess and grime maybe yearly.

At least according to the article, the main failure mode is fatiguing, so I’m not sure lube would help with that, unless the corrosion is really bad. Most materials have a finite amount of cycles in them (although I’m a bit skeptical of the authors 7 year estimate…it seems low to me)

Roughly 30k cycles is typical. You can certainly design a spring to have infinite life. But it requires reducing average deflection, aka more spring with less deflection per turn.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#203

Post by mildchalupa »

neilv wrote: post #29

> This work is risky, but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs, or climbing on the roof of your house to clean your gutters. I wonder what the net impact of an article like this is: * How much money is saved by garage door owners? * How much money is lost by professionals? * How many people are injured/killed because this article made them think this was doable at acceptable risk, when they otherwise…

Life's dangerous.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#204

Post by WalterBright »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #133
arh68 wrote: post #75

> but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs "Comparable" in that it's way, way greater , sure. Unless we're talking dangerous car repairs, like using a spring compressor to disassemble a strut &c. Or using harbor freight jack stands.. When my spring broke, I thought someone crashed their car into my house. It's an incredible amount of energy. Garage door springs are up there with lathes & table saws, i…

I once bought a table saw, then watched a YouTube safety video about table saws, and then sold my table saw. I wouldn't even consider owning a lathe. I know my limits, and even the chop saw in the garage gives me the shivers.

I used a Craftsman radial arm saw for a while. One day, I rotated the head 90 degrees to do some ripping.

The saw grabbed the wood, and climbed up on it, and fired it at unbelievable speed at the wall. It punched a neat hole in the wall the exact size of the board, and the board disappeared into the next room.

I got rid of the saw after that, and bought a sweet Makita cutoff saw instead, and a table saw for ripping. I also bought one of those full face shields people use with chain saws. I like these better than the usual shields because they are a wire mesh, and screens don't fog up.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#205

Post by manfre »

linsomniac wrote: post #125
bumby wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least according to the article, the main failure mode is fatiguing, so I’m not sure lube would help with that, unless the corrosion is really bad. Most materials have a finite amount of cycles in them (although I’m a bit skeptical of the authors 7 year estimate…it seems low to me)

Doesn't the rubbing of the coils against each other contribute to fatigue?

Yes, it does.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#207

Post by userbinator »

arh68 wrote: post #75

> but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs "Comparable" in that it's way, way greater , sure. Unless we're talking dangerous car repairs, like using a spring compressor to disassemble a strut &c. Or using harbor freight jack stands.. When my spring broke, I thought someone crashed their car into my house. It's an incredible amount of energy. Garage door springs are up there with lathes & table saws, i…

Or using harbor freight jack stands..

Maybe in 2002? They seem decent these days. There are far worse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzusz_eUy8

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#208

Post by userbinator »

uticus wrote: post #96

If they are this bad to replace, should I be worried about them randomly failing? I mean, I drive right underneath them like twice a day backing in and out.

The roof of your car can likely survive the garage door falling on it.

Unless you're in a convertible.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#209

Post by MadnessASAP »

codethatwerks wrote: post #175
imoverclocked wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A rather small motor with a lot of mechanical advantage can easily open a close a garage door, and if a DC or low voltage AC motor is used, it could do so quite a few times even if the power goes out. Garage doors are actually fairly heavy. By balancing the weight with a spring, you do a lot of favors to your mechanical advantage systems. (Eg: less wear, less advantage needed, the door can open in a reasonable amou…

What about a counterweight or a piston instead (pistons are used in pull down beds which might be a similar load)

Still need to store the same amount of energy. A counter weight or piston also has more opportunities for uncontained failure. At least when a garage door spring fails it is still constrained by the shaft running through the middle.

For what it's worth, I have also replaced my own garage door spring, and I really have no desire to do that again.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#210

Post by Retric »

MadnessASAP wrote: post #209
codethatwerks wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about a counterweight or a piston instead (pistons are used in pull down beds which might be a similar load)

Still need to store the same amount of energy. A counter weight or piston also has more opportunities for uncontained failure. At least when a garage door spring fails it is still constrained by the shaft running through the middle. For what it's worth, I have also replaced my own garage door spring, and I really have no desire to do that again.

The risk isn’t just what the spring does but what happens to something caught in it. Springs can release energy a lot more quickly than a counterweight which can only accelerate a 9.8m/s/s, and therefore more risky to disable.
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