Why You Should Oil Your Garage Door Tracks Annually

November 5, 2015 by secure4sure

Oiling the garage door tracks is important because it don’t let the doors to make noise, stops rusting , keeps your garage door rolling smoothly and maintain their real state .

How to Lubricate Springs on Garage Doors:

Keep your garage door rolling smoothly with regular maintenance. The sound of squeaking, squealing, grinding garage doors is annoying, but the sound is a significant sign to a homeowner that the springs maneuvering the action of the garage door require immediate attention. Providing a twice-yearly maintenance routine for garage door springs, whether torsion or extension, addresses problems due to normal wear and tear from the repeated up-and-down motion, checks for any negative affects of seasonal and inclement weather and allows early detection of a defect in the mechanism itself.

What You Need to Know:

Most of the items necessary to lubricate your garage door springs are regular household items, like cotton rags, mild detergent, and lubricating oil (such as WD-40). It’s also helpful to have the owner’s manual to your garage door, if you can locate it.

Lubricating Garage Door Springs:

Step 1:

Apply a thin line of lubricating oil across the top of the torsion springs from one end of the spring to the other. Allow the oil to coat the outside of the springs and seep down between the seams.

Step 2:

Apply a line of lubricating oil across the length of the extension springs. Allow the oil to penetrate the seams of the springs as well as the cables.

Step 3:

Open and close the garage door two to three times once the oil is applied to allow the lubricant to thoroughly coat the inner portion of the springs.

Step 4:

Continue the maintenance regimen by lubricating all hinges, seams, rollers and pivot points that comprise the moving pieces of a garage-door mechanism.

Step 5:

Clean any built-up grease, grime and debris from within the roller tracks using a cloth dipped in a solution of water and detergent. Consult the owner’s manual for instructions regarding whether oil can or cannot be applied to the tracks for your particular model of garage door.

Tips & Warnings :

Lubricate torsion and extension springs once or twice a year and all other moving parts, including hinges and rollers, an additional three times per year.

When oiling torsion or extension springs, do not attempt to fix or adjust problems found during routine maintenance, as broken or faulty springs are dangerous. Consult a professional garage-door repairman to address issues with faulty springs.

Oil used on rollers made with nylon may cause the nylon to degrade. Oil sprayed into the tracks may cause the rollers to slip. Both degrading material and roller slippage affect the effectiveness of the garage-door mechanism.

To be safe and lower risks, it is best to hire a professional garage door specialist. The specialist can determine and address the problems of your garage door and propose a feasible solution. Feel free to contact us any time for help. Call Yuval at (215) 805-9209 or visit SecureGarages.com – don’t forget our Awesome Amazon Local Deal! Garage adjustment, reconditioning + safety inspection. and for another $34 we will replace up to 8 rollers! Mention Code: Secure4Sure10 to get another 10% off your order!

How to Program a New Garage Door Opener

October 28, 2015 by secure4sure

Many people find they need to program the garage door opener on a HomeLink system that came with their car. Maybe you bought the car used and don’t have a manual, or you do have a manual but find it hard to follow. In either case, it really is not difficult to program the garage door opener. It should require no more than 5-10 minutes, as long as you follow each step carefully. Having a helper will make the process go even quicker.

If you are having trouble operating your garage door opener, read Troubleshooting the Most Common Garage Door Opener Problems for advice on diagnosing the problem. The receiver, handheld transmitter and in-car transmitter must all be in good operating condition to ensure success when you program the garage door opener.

The HomeLink system is available on a wide range of cars, and it can also be purchased as an aftermarket product. It is compatible with nearly all garage door opening systems, including Liftmaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman, Genie, Overhead Door, Allstar and Wayne Dalton. The primary requirement is that the garage door opener operates on a frequency of 288-433 MHz. You should be able to find the frequency of your unit on the back of the handheld transmitter.

To program the garage door opener, it will be necessary to raise and lower the door. So, to keep the process safe, make sure that children and pets stay away from the garage.

Once you are ready to begin, just follow these steps:

Always begin with a new battery in the handheld transmitter. If you’re not sure how old the battery is, go ahead and replace it.

Turn the key to the accessory (“ACC”) position before you begin programming the garage door opener.

For a first-time programming (or if you think the garage door opener has been previously programmed), press the two outer buttons on the transmitter for about 20 seconds, until the light starts flashing.On the transmitter, hold the button to be programmed down until it begins flashing slowly (20-30 seconds). Keep holding the button down for the next step.

Grab the handheld transmitter in your other hand and point it toward the flashing light from about 2 inches away. Press the operating button on the handheld unit. Once the light starts flashing faster, the frequency has been entered into the HomeLink transmitter. Release both buttons.

This step is easiest with a helper. You will need a ladder and, quite possibly, a flashlight. On the garage door opener receiver (i.e., the motor, located inside the garage), press the training button (also called a “smart” or “learn” button). The button may not be labeled, but it will have a small light next to it that flashes when the button is pressed. (Note, if the indicator light stays on continuously, the programming is complete and the garage door opener should function.)

If the indicator light flashes (or if it flashes briefly before becoming continuously lit), you have 30 seconds to perform the following step (which is why this goes quicker with a helper).

In the car, with the key still turned to ACC, press the button you programmed earlier on the in-car transmitter for three seconds. Remove your finger from the button, then press again for another three seconds. If the garage door hasn’t moved yet, press the button for another three seconds. Once the door moves, the garage door opener has been programmed.

How to Properly Measure your Garage Door before Installing it

October 18, 2015 by secure4sure

If you are replacing a garage door, in the process of building a brand new house or garage addition to your home, you will likely be required to know and have the measurements of your garage and garage door. Garage door measurements can be a little bit tricky to procure, because a garage door is sort of a weird shape. Garage doors move in a way that is unique to other home appliances or structural parts of your house. This makes them more difficult to figure out measurements for, especially if the measurements you need are for a garage door that is not yet in place.

A few key areas of the garage are what you need to focus on preparing accurate measurements for, when you are replacing or installing a new garage door. Knowing what these areas are, and how to locate them, is very helpful in the process of new garage door installation.

Step 1:

Measure the distance between the farthest left side of the opening of the garage door, and the farthest to the right side of the opening. You are looking for the widest area of the garage door, from side to side. Garage doors are usually framed on the inside with 2” by 6” wood. Pay attention to inconsistencies in the wood, or damaged areas of the framework.

Step 2:

From top to bottom, find the greatest height of the garage door opening. The distance between the top of the door and the ground is what you need to figure out, for easy garage door installation. Again, notice inconsistencies like an unleveled floor.

Step 3:

Find the width of the wall area on either side of the opening of the garage door. Both the areas that border the opening of the door (left side of the wall, right side of the wall) need to be at least 3.75” wide.

Step 4:

Measure areas between the highest point of the opening of the garage door and the ceiling. Headroom requirements may differ, depending on the type of garage door you are installing. You will need to know the existing measurements before you select your new overhead door.

Step 5:

From the front of the garage to the back, measure the distance. Backroom requirements for sectional doors are the door height plus 18”. With electric opener installations, backroom requirements are the height of the door plus 4’2”.

Other things to notice and plan for are the source of electricity for door openers-it is great to already be aware of where the nearest outlet is to your garage door. Lights or stairwells or attic space that may be in existence prior to garage door installation will affect your specific requirements for type of door, measurement necessities, etc. Make sure the floor is level, and take note of pipes or air ducts that could possibly obstruct a garage door ability to maneuver correctly.

Why you Should have a Manual Open Option in your Garage

September 30, 2015 by secure4sure

Garage doors come in many shapes and sizes, but one of the first things that every garage owner must decide is whether they want a manual or automatic garage door option. There are quite a few benefits to installing an automatic garage door, but there are some negatives too. You must decide whether the benefits outweigh the downsides for you, whether you are installing a brand new garage door, or you are considering upgrading your manual garage door to an automatic one.

Those who have experienced the convenience that an automatic garage door offers will likely never go back to a manually opening door. Especially in bad weather, there’s no better feeling than a simple click of the button keeping you and your belongings dry. That being said, that same storm might bring with it power outages that could leave your garage door incapacitated and you stuck out in the cold. On the flip side, when you’re inside the garage with no power and you need to get out for work it’s important to have manual open option in your garage door.

While you may have not been in this situation before, chances are you have experienced something similar. If you are one of the many homeowners who has a garage installed on their property, you have grown accustomed to using the electronic opener and would not even think to do things manually. Now that you think about it, could you open your garage door manually if you had to?

Garage doors are heavy pieces of machinery, and we tend to rely solely on electric openers when using them. The situation mentioned above, as well as many others will require you to use manual force to open your door from time to time so where should you start?

Chances are that you have seen the rope hanging from the box that opens your garage. This rope tends to have some sort of handle at the end, and when pulled, it puts your garage in manual mode. Now do be aware that pulling this rope will disengage the trolly from the rails, and if your door is partially open, it could come crashing down. Once the rope has been pulled and the door is no longer connected, you should be able to move it up and down with ease, as most garaged doors are weighted to do so.

If you are expecting the power outage to last for a while, or simply need to use the door in manual mode for a while, you can pull the rope down and towards the back of your garage o fully disengage the doors electric functions. Once power has fully been restored to your area, you will need to do the opposite to reconnect the door to the tracks. Simply pull down the roe once again, but this time towards the front of the garage and away from the motor. This forces the springs to reconnect and kicks your garage back into automatic mode.

After all the trouble with your automatic garage door it’s good to be Staying in Manual Mode

The red rope controls the spring attachment in the trolley. If the power is going to be out for a long period of time or the opener motor is malfunctioning, then you may have to stay in manual mode. When you want to continually open the door in manual mode it’s important to pull the rope down and towards the back of the garage (or the motor) so that it doesn’t get caught on the tracks.

It’s important to get familiar with the layout of the garage door opener spring mechanism in non-emergency situations. If you’re locked out when the power is out and the garage is your main way of accessing the home, it may be possible to release the lever from the outside. Placing a shim in the weather stripping near the top of the garage and sliding a bent clothes hanger in to flip the lever will enable the door to be opened manually. Of course, this is a great security risk, so you’ll have to weigh the options on whether installing a secure shield or being able to engage your door manually from outside is more important.

How to Properly Install a Garage Opener

September 16, 2015 by secure4sure

If your garage door is opening slowly or making a lot of noise, the problem may not be your opener. So before you buy a new one, check for broken or wobbly rollers and brackets. You’ll need to call a pro. If you’re replacing the rollers, get nylon rollers. They operate quieter than steel rollers and cost only a few bucks more. Next, check the torsion spring (mounted on the header above the door opening) to see if it’s broken. When one breaks, you’ll see a gap in the coils. You’ll need a pro to replace a broken spring.

Check the door balance

Make sure the door is balanced. Close the door and pull the emergency release cord (always close the door first so it can’t come crashing down!). Lift the door about halfway up and let go. The door shouldn’t move. If it slides up or down, the torsion spring needs to be adjusted (or maybe even replaced). Adjusting the torsion spring is dangerous, so don’t attempt it yourself (you could get seriously hurt). Call a pro to adjust it.

Choose the right opener

When buying an opener, choose a 1/3 hp or 1/2 hp opener for a single garage door (1/3 hp can be hard to find at some home centers). Go with 1/2 hp for a double door and 3/4 hp for a door that has a wood or faux wood overlay (they can be heavy!). Openers have a set opening speed, so installing an opener with a higher horsepower won’t open your door any faster.

Set the opener on a ladder for easier installation

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to assemble the opener and mount the rail to the header bracket above the door. Then set the opener on a ladder where you’re going to install it. The ladder (usually an 8-footer) holds the opener in position while you measure for your lengths of angle iron. If necessary, put boards under the opener to raise it.

Buy heavy-duty angle iron

Garage door openers come with everything you need for installation. But the mounting straps that are included are often so flimsy that you can bend them with your hands. So buy slotted angle iron at a hardware store. Cut it to size with a hacksaw.Angle iron provides a stronger installation and reduces vibration, which helps extend the opener’s life span. In an unfinished garage, attach the angle iron directly to the face of a joist with 1-in. lag screws. For finished ceilings, attach angle iron along the bottom of a joist with 3-in. lag screws. Hang the opener using two more lengths of angle iron and nuts and bolts. Use lock washers or thread-locking adhesive to keep vibration from loosening the nuts.

Replace all the components

If the wires that run from your opener to the photo eyes and to the wall button are exposed, replace them, too. Those wires have probably been in your garage for 10 years or more, and they may be nicked or worn. Newer openers are extremely sensitive and won’t work if a wire is damaged. It only takes about 15 minutes to run the new wire, so it’s time well spent. If the wires are protected inside the wall, you don’t need to run new wire.

Check the door’s opening force

To check the opening force, rest your foot on the door handle near the floor and open the door using the remote control. When the door lifts against your foot, it should stop with very little pressure. If the door continues to open, adjust the force.

Fine-tune the opening and closing force

The opener’s instructions probably tell you to place a 2×4 on the floor under the center of the door, then close it. When the door contacts the wood, it should stop and then reverse. Proper closing force ensures that if something is in the door’s path, the door won’t crush it.The locations of the opening and closing force adjustment screws vary.

Use bulbs that handle vibration

Garage door openers vibrate, so you’ll need special light- bulbs that can handle it. Look for “rough service” or “garage door” on the label.

Fix a reversing door

The most common problem with garage door openers is the door reversing when it’s closing, even when there’s nothing obvious obscuring the photoelectric eyes. If your closing force is adjusted correctly, then the problem is almost always the photoelectric eyes. The eyes are very sensitive— even cobwebs can interfere with them. First make sure the eyes are still in alignment . Then make sure the eyes are clean and the path between them is clear. Finally, look for loose wires in the eyes and the opener.

How to Open your Garage Door when your Power is out

September 7, 2015 by secure4sure

When wind storms cause big power outages. This is the most difficult situation that we face during bad weather if our garage door is closed and suddenly electricity gone . All electronic or automatic garage doors have a bypass that will allow you to open it manually. This becomes necessary when there is a power failure or, for some reason, you lose your remote. The bypass disconnects the door from the powered carriage, but it stays on the track. Once you disconnect it, you can then lift it manually. When the power comes back on or you locate your lost remote, you can lock the bypass and use the door normally again.

So, there are some steps that will help you yo open the garage door when your power is out .

First step :

Place a ladder under the chain that operates the garage door. Locate a red cord hanging from a bracket on the chain. These cords are almost always red, but if there is only one cord and it’s not red, it’s probably the right one. The cord will have a plastic red knob on the end. Most often, the cord is located close to the door.

Second step :

Jerk on the cord using the knob. The cord is hooked onto a small lever. The lever may be tilted at a 15-degree angle or pointing straight down. You will feel that the lever is spring-loaded; pull the cord until the lever locks in the down position. Step down from the ladder.

Third step :

Grab the door with both hands and lift it. If the door will not budge, pull the cord harder until it locks open. If the door is too heavy for you to lift, don’t hurt yourself. Get an assistant to help you lift it.

Fourth step :

Do not let go of the door once it’s off the ground. It is free on the track and it will fall if you let go. Prop the door open using a two-by-four or have someone hold the door open for you while you drive your car in or out. When you’re finished with the door, ease it down by hand.

Fifth step :

Pull down on the cord hard to lock it in place again after the power comes back on or you find your remote. Pull on the cord and watch as the bracket slips back into the chain bracket, locking the door into the powered carriage. Try the remote. If the door won’t open, but the chain is moving, pull on the chain again until the bracket locks. Test and pull the cord again if necessary to lock it .

WARNING :

Never pull the bypass cord if the door is stuck in the open position. The door will come crashing down with enough force to damage anything that gets in its way. So, there are some tips that can help you in bad weather when suddenly power is out hope it will help you. Be safe.

How to test your Springs to make sure they are Balanced

August 31, 2015 by secure4sure

The most important things that can be done for your garage door will be periodically check the balance of your respective garage door. This will likely tell you if the door is now ‘heavy’ over time, which can little by little destroy your current opener. It will tell you when there are virtually any obvious scrubbing points inside the door. In any other case, the garage doors opener may just perform overtime and you will not know before the opener stops working!

For the purpose of this exercise it is important to make sure that your garage floor is clear of debris (boxes, cars, lawn-mowers, etc.) around the door itself, allowing you to move freely across the length of the door. We are also assuming that you have an opener attached to your garage door that opens and closes it because if you don’t the only thing that will suffer as a result of a ‘heavy’ door will be your sore back!

When I talk about the garage door being balanced, what I mean is: how well are your springs counterbalancing the weight of the garage door? If they are old and worn-out the door will be heavier than if the springs were working perfectly. The problem with an automatic opener is that it will often times still open and close the door, even though the springs are bad and the door is heavy. This can cause the opener to strain/overwork and some of the plastic parts will strip or break.

That is why it is important to check the balance once per year, so that when the springs do start to go bad- you can have a professional come out and replace them. This will increase the life of your garage door opener.

So, let’s start to make sure that you garage springs are balanced:

Pull the red-handled emergency release cord which should be hanging down 1-2 feet from the closed garage door. This cord will DISCONNECT the garage door from the opener so that we can move it by hand. This is the red cord you would use if you had no power or the opener is malfunctioning and you needed to open the garage door.
Raise and lower the door by hand a few times to see if there is any excess friction (you can usually tell). Listen for any squeaking or squawking, which could indicate that your hinges need to be lubricated (also once per year).N
Next, with the door all the way down, raise it up to until the bottom is up to about knee-high. What we are looking for is the second roller from the top to be in the radius of the track. This is the curved part of the tracks as they transfer from vertical to horizontal. Most of the door’s weight is wanting to come down with gravity, but if the springs are good they will keep the door’s weight from sliding down to the ground.
If the springs are balancing the door, it should hover about knee-high from the ground by itself. It may slide down just a little bit, but not too much. If the door is really heavy or threatens to slam down- you need new springs pronto! Otherwise if your opener is not sensitive enough to stop on its own (the opener’s only way to tell you something is wrong) it will destroy itself trying to open and close your garage door.
Finally, make sure you re-engage your garage door to the opener. If you are not sure how to do this, refer to your opener manual. You can also find a description with pictures (and video coming soon) at my website.

Typically, torsion springs can last anywhere from 5-15 years depending on their quality. Extension springs don’t usually last as long, not to mention most do not have safety cables.

How to Choose the Best Commercial Garage Door for your Business

August 20, 2015 by secure4sure

Many business owners worried about the safety of their business. That’s why, commercial garage doors are designed to be hard enough for the everyday beatings that comes with running a business. Experts believes that selecting a commercial overhead door for your business is not as simple as you think. There are many things you need to think carefully before taking steps in the market. There are many overhead door options are available for you to choose from. But, if you consider below points in your shopping then it will guarantee to give you the best performance.

The first decision will be what type of garage door is the best garage door suited for your business. This will depend on the type of business, the frequency of vehicles going in and out. Types that are worth considering are:

Roll-up Doors: These types are ideal for areas where space is a premium. Since they roll up, these garage doors do not get in the way, and work well in areas where a sectional couldn’t work due to space constraints. g. CLOPAY ROLL-UP SHEET DOOR 160c

Sectional Doors: With sectional garage doors, you get beauty along with security and energy efficiency. g. EZIROLL EZI MESH PANEL ALUMINIUM SECTIONAL

High Speed Doors: Interior high speed doors are the ideal solution for separating critical interior areas. For the exterior of your building, high performance doors are the ideal solution for lowering energy costs in high-traffic areas. These secure, high speed doors can handle a wide variety of conditions. g. RITEHITE FASTRAX

Rolling Steel Doors: These are fast acting doors that can handle around 20 cycles per day of opening and closing. A good feature of these doors is the space they save by coiling up tight above the door. This allows more space inside the facility. Rolling steel doors are great for those in the construction industry because it allows for easy access to machinery and vehicles. g. B&D SERIES 2 COMMERCIAL ROLLING DOOR

Insulated Doors: When separating the outside climate from the inside, it is important to get insulated doors. Insulated doors can be rolling or sectional. To ensure your facility stays on top of climate control, getting insulted doors is a great step. If you’re in the food industry or receive shipments of any type of perishable product, insulated doors can ensure that extreme weather conditions don’t get the best of your materials.

E.g. SYSTON SD600 INSULATED SECTIONAL OVERHEAD DOOR

Ventilation Doors: If your loading dock or other facilities need good air circulation, opting to put in sliding screen doors is a good choice. This type of commercial garage door adds airflow to your facilities while also keeping unwanted guests such as insects outside where they belong. Sliding ventilation doors are perfect for businesses located it hot or humid climates. g. GAVO SG31 DOOR

Even though, you probably haven’t thought of it, you commercial garage door says a lot about your business. Commercial garage doors are also useful to keep things like equipment, people, climate control, and other important essential elements inside your business and keep things like weather, and other threats to your business outside. Commercial garage doors also protect your assets, money and many other things, and since it’s probably best to keep those outside as well.

The stylish design and highest quality you and your business deserve. So, don’t compromise with it and do not also take any chance with your business safety. Pick the one that extend the life of your commercial garage door and avoid pricey issues that may occur without proper precautions.

How to Fix your Garage Door Sensors if the Door Keeps Opening by Itself

August 17, 2015 by secure4sure

Garage door sensors are safety devices that prevent the door from closing on people, pets or objects in the doorway. The sensors are located above the floor at each side of the door opening and generate a low-voltage beam that completes the electrical circuit when the door is activated. Garage doors may display a variety of symptoms when the sensors need attention. In most cases you can troubleshoot the system and correct the cause of problems. Before you begin, make sure the electrical cord from the opener is plugged in and the electrical circuit is active.

If your door won’t close, it is likely that something is either covering one side of the sensor unit or has caused one side or the other to move off-center. In either case, the light beam cannot travel cleanly and in a straight line from the transmitter to the receiver. Below are some basic steps through which you can fix garage door sensors on your own.

Remove any debris, dust or cobwebs from the electric-eye lenses on each sensor with a clean rag. Cycle the garage door through the opening and closing actions using the control on the garage wall or the remote unit from a vehicle. If the door does not close completely without hesitation, proceed with adjusting the sensors.

Loosen the small nuts that hold each sensor to the L-brackets with a small adjustable wrench. Loosen the nuts just enough so the sensors remain facing each other and can be moved by hand.

Adjust each sensor in small increment by hand until the green or red power-indicator lights on each are illuminated. This indicates the electric eyes are aligned and the circuit is complete. Tighten the nuts on each sensor.

Cycle the garage door open and closed as before. If it does not close completely and without hesitation, proceed to troubleshoot the electrical circuit.

Raise the garage door using the control button on the garage wall or the remote control unit from a vehicle. Inspect each sensor to make sure the green or red power-indicator lights are illuminated.

Stand a stepladder at the area of the garage door opener unit. Unplug the power cord from the outlet at the ceiling. Remove the cover at the back of the unit. Identify the connection terminals where the ends of the low-voltage senor wires attach. Reattach a loose wire to the appropriate terminal. Tighten the terminal screw with a small screwdriver. Plug in the power cord and observe the lights on the sensors. If both lights are not illuminated, proceed to the next step.

Inspect the double-strand insulated low-voltage wires from each sensor to the back of the garage door opener. Use the stepladder to inspect the wires near the upper part of a wall and at the ceiling. If no damage is noted, one or both sensors must be replaced. Proceed to the following steps if any wires are bare, burned or broken in one or more places.

Loosen the terminal screws that connect the faulty wires at the back of the overhead unit. Start at the ceiling and pull the wires out of the insulated fasteners at the ceiling, walls and along the side of the door opening to the sensor. Disconnect the ends of the wires from the terminals on the sensor.

Determine the length of a replacement wire using the faulty wire. Cut a piece of new double-strand insulated low-voltage wire to length with electrical pliers. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation off the both strands at one end. Attach the ends to the appropriate terminals on the sensor.

Start just above the sensor. Feed the opposite end of the wire through the fasteners at the side of the door, the wall and the ceiling. Strip the ends of the wires as before. Connect the wires to the appropriate terminals and tighten the screws. Plug in the power cord to the opener unit.

Contact a professional if troubleshooting or wire replacement does not correct problems with the door closing properly. Do not work on electrical or low-voltage circuits unless the power cord is unplugged or the appropriate breaker is turned off at the electrical panel.

How to Measure Your Torsion Spring When it Breaks to Replace it

August 3, 2015 by secure4sure

If you have a broken garage door torsion spring, and you are considering replacing it don’t worry we’ll guide you through.

What is the torsion spring? It is a device that lifts most of the weight of the garage door when using the electric opener. Torsion springs are wound up on a rod, and are for heavier doors, and there are typically one or two along the wall above the door. Don’t confuse the torsion spring with the extension spring, which is often used on lighter weight doors, one either side of the track.

When you are replacing one torsion spring, it’s a good idea to replace the other one as well, since the strength of the new one will almost certainly take out what’s left of the old one, and it’s much easier to do both at once than one at a time.

Measuring the old spring and ordering the correct spring to replace it. If you have one broken spring and one still working, measure the broken one, since a spring under tension will not measure correctly. If possible, try to find out the correct spring size from the manufacturer. If that isn’t possible, you will need to measure it yourself. You can find tables of standard spring sizes online, so once you measure, you can check your measurements to the table data. In order to order new springs, you will need to measure (as accurately as possible) your current spring(s).

Here is what you will need to measure, in inches:

Wire size
Inside diameter (90% of doors have a 2.0″ inside diameter)
Spring length (how long each spring is)
Spring orientation if ordering just one spring (left wound or right wound)

How to Measure for Wire Size

The only way to measure this accurately is to measure 10, 20, 30, and 40 coils and find a match on this chart. It is okay to round if you are very close. Wire size is the most important measurement. This determines the strength of the spring. It is not recommended to manipulate this to try and get a longer life or stronger spring.

How to Measure for Inside Diameter

It is very likely that, like 90% of Americans, you have a 2.00″ inside diameter. Please double check by measuring just the inside (interior) diameter of the spring. You can measure this while it’s still attached.

How to Measure for Spring Length

Spring length is the most flexible measurement, but you should do your best to be within 1-2 inches. The spring length may change slightly after years of use, weather, etc.

How to Determine Winding Orientation (left-wound or right-wound)

A general rule is that if the spring is marked with RED paint, then it is RIGHT wound. Furthermore, if the spring is on the left side when looking from within the garage, it is RIGHT wound. If you have a 2-spring system, you should replace both springs and you can skip this step.

The easiest place to find the new springs is to look for Garage Door Torsion Springs on Amazon.