Your spring-loaded garage door could be a lethal weapon.
If you have an "up-and-over" (and some other types) of garage door you’ll notice some substantial springs counterbalancing the weight of the door. It’s these springs that make opening and closing the door much easier.
There’s also quite a load on the springs when the door is closed and they’re in their stretched position.
We’ve heard about these springs suddenly failing – with the spring ricocheting around the garage causing substantial damage to anything in its path.
You can’t tell if a spring is about to fail … but there is a solution. A flexible steel tether-cable can be fed through the springs and secured at each end. The cable does nothing - until the spring fails. Then it contains the spring and stops damage or injury.
If you have a garage door with these springs, get a door specialist to attach tether-cables to the springs. If a spring fails replace the springs on both sides of the door.
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Would another solution to this problem be to replace the spring system with electric open and closer system?
I would truly like some advice on this as our safety comes before cost.
Ray Mackmurdie.
I replaced my springs on my tiltadoors after 20 years. The total cost was $170.00 per door for two springs two top and two bottom bolts that hold the springs.
We had both door springs fail at different times. These were electroplated with zinc. I suspect the steel failed through hydrogen embrittlement which can occur through hydrogen uptake from acid/zinc electroplating baths. Carbon steel electroplated in this way should be heat treated to remove hydrogen and failure to do this is quite likely to cause sudden spring breakage.
In my view you are safer to stick with painted steel springs.
It is possible to fix it yourself with materials you can get from most DIY stores (I got mine from Mitre10). It is not difficult but there is a lot of energy stored in the spring so you need to be DIY confident and buy reasonably heavy duty materials. Below is one method, there may be others. This is posted to try and encourage people to install safety cables if they don't want to use an installer.
For each spring you need two L shaped metal brackets (one or two holes on one length to fix to wall and one hole on the length that sticks out for the cable to go through), coach bolts to attach metal plates to the wall, steel rope/cable (I bought stainless steel which is quite expensive but it needs to be flexible) and two 'Wire Rope Grips' which must be the right size for the wire rope diameter. If you have two springs on each side of the door you can use the same brackets for both springs.
Attach plates securely to wall above and below spring(s) (must be secure otherwise you will have spring and brackets flying around if the spring breaks!). Thread wire through top bracket hole and secure using rope grip. Thread wire through the ring at the top of the spring (where the spring is attached to the door mechanism), down the centre of the spring, through the bottom ring and then through the bottom bracket leaving lots of slack. Open and close the door and adjust the length of the wire until there is just enough not to impede the door opening (too much and it will get caught in the mechanism). Secure the wire with the rope grip and cut off excess wire. Visually check that if the spring breaks the cable will stop the spring and the rings at the end of the spring (the springs often break close to the ring so the rings can fly off leaving the spring still attached). Open and close the door a few time to make sure there is no chance of the wire catching anywhere and stopping the door from opening and closing. Repeat for the other spring(s).
I've had one spring fail on my garage door, though it stayed attached at one end so didn't fly around the garage. What I did find dangerous was that I could lift open the door but (because there was still one spring in place on the other side)the door would fly shut again at high speed- a child, pet or maybe even an adult, would have been badly hurt if they got in the way of it.
The double garage tilt door at my parents house had a similar failure. It was not the spring that broke but one of the coach screws into the timber double studs pulled out and sheared the head off the other screw. Fortunately no one was in the way of the flying head. On inspection I discovered the coach screw that pulled out had been screwed into the join of two studs rather than solidly into one stud. I was also surprised at how short the coach screws were. I replaced the all screws with longer ones and found solid wood. This was an installation issue.
I have twice experienced the near lethal result of the spring snapping and have tried to find a tether able strong enough to stop the spring flying across the garage.
Can anyone tell me where to get a suitable steel tether cable?
Great idea, but who knows a reputable garage door service team? Any Auckland suggestions gratefully received.
This has happened twice the first time shaving past my face at an enth of an inch - these things are lethal I'm surprised nobody has been killed as the released tension causes them to travel at high speed. Both times the springs lodged in the garage wall.
Thanks for the solution!