Torsion Springs
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Identifying what type of garage door springs your overhead door has come down to simply locating where the springs are. The most common of the two are torsion springs, typically placed horizontally above the garage door opening.
Torsion springs are stiff metal coils that are often manufactured from beryllium copper, titanium or carbon, and stainless steel. These materials are chosen as they have a high capacity to store energy which is important as torsion springs utilize stored energy to raise and lower doors.
How Do Torsion Springs Work
Torsion springs are mounted above the garage door opening to a metal rod – known as the shaft. Torsion springs work by collecting and storing energy caused by the coiling and uncoiling of the metal springs.
Torsion springs are able to store energy by winding and unwinding as the door opens and closes. Doing so creates power and relieves weight from the garage door opener allowing the garage door to open and close smoothly.
Although seemingly simple, understanding the extreme risk associated with torsion spring repair and replacement is extremely important. That is why it is highly recommended to hire a trained garage door specialist for all torsion spring replacements and repairs.
Extension Springs
If you don't see a long horizontal spring at the top of your garage door opening it is likely that you have extension springs. These springs are typically found perpendicular to the door and a few inches from the garage door track.
Extension springs are lightweight, long springs mounted horizontally on each side of the garage door opening and as their name suggests, work by extending as the garage door closes. This extension produces enough energy to be stored and then released to open the garage door.
Extension springs are attached to a cable and pulley system connected to the bottom of the door. As garage doors open on an extension spring system, the weight of the garage door shifts from the tracks to the springs and increases tension to control the lowering speed of the garage door.
As the door opens, the horizontal tracks bare the majority of door weight, allowing the door to stay open without extra support. Similar to Torsion Springs, Extension Springs are under extreme tension, if handled incorrectly they can cause serious injury.
How To Choose Garage Door Springs
For both extension and torsion springs, it is important to note that the spring weight must match the weight of the garage door. Ensuring your garage door springs can support the weight of your garage door will ensure that the door stays balanced, and you will maximize the lifespan of your springs if maintained properly.
The type of garage door spring needed for a replacement is typically very simple to determine. If your current garage door springs are above the opening of the garage door, you require a torsion spring system.
If your springs are set on each side of the garage door opening, you need extension springs. Now that we know what type of springs are needed let's dive deeper into other factors that determine the specific spring needed.
Garage Door Spring Color Coding System
Garage door springs all sport a different color. These colors are meant to identify different information about garage door springs. These standards by DASMA were created to help people quickly understand these properties.
To know what the color code means, you must first identify what type of garage door spring you are working with. Once identified you can then study the standards for the spring you are needing.
Torsion Spring Color Coding System
The torsion spring color coding system is significantly different from extension springs as this color coding system includes two colors per spring. One color on the torsion spring signifies the wind direction of the spring, while the other color represents the wire gauge.
Springs with red cones are right-wound springs that are installed on the left side of the garage door while springs with black cones are left-wound springs – to be installed on the right side of the garage door.
The torsion spring wire gauge color system is as follows:
Orange: .120/.192/.273/.363/.485 Inches
Metal Garden Gate Spring Closer
Light Blue: .125/.200/.283/.375/.490 Inches
Yellow: .135/.207/.289/.394/.500 Inches
White: .139/.218/.295/.406/.531 Inches
Red: .143/.225/.297/.422/.563 Inches
Gate Spring Closer Adjustable Tensioner
Brown: .148/.234/.307/.431/.625 Inches
Tan: .156/.238/.313.438 Inches
Green: .162/.244/.319/.453 Inches
Gold: .177/.250.331.462 Inches
Purple: .182/ .257/ .594 Inches
Blue: .188/.263/.344/ .469 Inches
Extension Spring Color Coding System
Extension spring color coding systems refer directly to the weight of the garage door the spring can handle. The extension spring color coding system is as follows:
White: 10/110/210 LBS
Green: 20/120/220 LBS
Yellow: 30/130/230 LBS
Blue: 40/140/240 LBS
Red: 50/150/250 LBS
Brown: 60/160/260 LBS
Orange: 70/170/270 LBS
Gold: 80/180/280 LBS
Light Blue: 90/190/290 LBS
Tan: 100/200/300 LBS
How To Choose Torsions Springs For Your Garage Door
It should be noted that measuring garage door springs can be a very dangerous and difficult task and should be performed by professionals. Attempting to weigh or repair a garage door should never be done alone unless by an experienced professional.
Garage door torsion springs are not a one size fits all solution. Determining the appropriate torsion spring for your garage door system is based on a few factors that include:
Wire Size
Inside Diameter
Overall length
Wind Direction
Weight of Garage Door
Now that we have discovered what you need to choose the right torsion spring, let's take a deeper look at how to determine these factors.
How To Measure Torsion Springs
Torsion springs require multiple measurements in order to determine what spring will best fit your garage door needs. These include the wire diameter, inside diameter, and length of the spring.
The first step in determining which torsion spring is needed is to measure your broken spring. To do so, count out 20 coils and use a measuring tape to measure the distance from the beginning of the spring to the 20th coil. From here you will take the measurement and divide it by 20. This determines the diameter of the spring.
Most torsion spring coils fall somewhere near 5 inches, it is however very important that the measurement be precise. Being off even a fraction can throw off the accuracy and cause the wrong spring to be ordered.
The inside diameter is a much easier measurement to accomplish. This measurement is often found written on the winding cone or stationary cone attached to the spring. The measurement will be a letter followed by a number such as p-200. This identified the spring as a two-inch diameter. It can also be found in traditional measurements such as 1 ½".
Now that we have the diameter, we need to identify the overall length of the torsion spring. To measure the overall length of the spring, one must first remove the spring from the garage door system.
From here take a tape measurer and measure end to end of the garage door spring. Although accurate measurements are important, this measurement is one that can be slightly off and still be okay.
However, we should note that any more than ¾ of an inch off may result in ordering a garage door spring that is not the appropriate size.
The next step in determining what size garage door torsion spring you need is to identify if your torsion spring is a left or right-hand wind. To do so look down on your torsion spring, does the coil run counterclockwise? If so you have a left-hand wind. If it is running clockwise, you will need a right-hand wind.
How To Measure Extension Springs
It should be noted that measuring garage door springs can be a very dangerous and difficult task and should be performed by professionals. Attempting to weigh or repair a garage door should never be done alone unless by an experienced professional.
Identifying the size of the extension spring needed is a much simpler task than its counterpart. All you need to identify what type/size of extension spring is needed is the length of the spring and the weight of the garage door it will be lifting.
Similar to torsion springs, extension springs must not be expanded during measurement. To measure the extension spring close your garage door and use a measuring tape to measure the extension spring end to end.
If you have a traditional garage door, it is likely a 7-foot door and will require a 25-inch spring.
The next step in identifying the size of extension spring needed is to measure the weight of your garage door. To do so you must first disconnect the power to the garage door opener. Secondly, disconnect the operator's arm from the garage door.
Next, disengage the pin from the operator. From here both extension springs will need to be uninstalled. Once the garage door is safely lowered to the ground, slide a scale under the middle of the garage door and take multiple readings to identify the proper weight.
Recording accurate weight is important in determining the size of the garage door spring needed. A 110-pound spring installed on a 150-pound garage door will stretch beyond repair and eventually snap putting the people and property around it at great risk of damage and injury.
