<VV> Garage doors--- no Corvair

[JVHRoberts at aol.com]

1. Garage door springs are built FAR too cheaply. Hence the reason  they 
fatigue and break.
2. Install safety cables ASAP. I have them on mine, and the last time a  
spring snapped, it was fully contained. Basically, it's a piece of steel cable  
that threads through the spring and is secured at either end. Lowes and Home  
Despot both sell the kits, and they're cheap. 
 
In a message dated 10/8/2005 5:01:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
rkbyers at verizon.net writes:

I wish  only to add a word of caution concerning garage door springs, having 
become a  garage door mechanic when my Engineering degree first failed to find 
me  employment.
Depending on which kind you have, the cheaper and more common  type these 
days is the spring which pulls on either side.  this depends  on a firm 
foundation on which to anchor these spring mounts to the ceiling of  the garage.  
Please beware the severe dangers involved with these springs  letting go.  My 
advice to you is that if the spring has been there for  many years and breaks on 
one side, do yourself a favor and replace the  other.
One of the greatest difficulties is ensuring that the door does not  pull to 
one side when going up for down.  Sometimes springs break due to  binding or 
improper riding of the rollers in the track.  Keep the track  well lubricated 
with grease (synthetic, especially  if it gets cold where  you are) and the 
rollers also.  Make sure that the brackets holding the  rollers are tight: they 
loosen up more often than you might think.  make  sure the rollers on both 
sides ride the track properly.  You can see the  tracks of the rollers if you look 
carefully as the door is moved.
Lastly,  if you require info on doors, I would be glad to provide it: just 
remember  that each time you paint your door, it becomes heavier by the weight 
of the  paint.  Over 20 years or so, this is a considerable increase.  The  
springs are being asked to do more than they did when the door was  installed.
Ron B
Largo, FL