Advantages of 2 Springs Most garage doors will still open if only one of the two springs is broken. The garage door opener works twice as hard, but the garage door normally opens (possibly with a helping hand) at least once so that you can get your car out and make it to work.
Q) Why do I have two different sized springs on my garage door? A) Torsion Springs may be mismatched from the factory or from a previous replacement.
A heavyweight single door may need two torsion springs and double-wide doors need two torsion springs.
A double torsion spring should be used if the element requires two identical torsion springs wound in opposing directions. This type of spring sees widespread use in the medical industry, aerospace, military applications and even in household appliances.
Doors with two standard torsion springs normally have one left wind and one right wind spring. The designation “left hand” could also refer to the location of the spring on the shaft in relation to the center support bracket.
Torsion springs resist twisting or rotationally applied force. Depending on the application, a torsion spring can be designed to work in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, which will determine the direction of the wind.
The fingers should be placed on the outside of the body, and your thumb should point upwards. If the last coil of the spring points in the same direction of your fingers, then you are looking at the right handed spring. If it turns away from your fingers, then you are looking at the left handed spring.
By distributing the load across two springs instead of one, dual valve springs experience less wear over time, enhancing the durability of the engine's valve train. This reduced wear and tear is especially advantageous in high-performance applications where components are often pushed to their limits.
But because the torsion spring sits on the wall above the center of the door and runs parallel to the door, you really only need one. And, until recently, that's all you got. These days, however, it's becoming common for doors to have two torsion springs.
Breaking Down the Cost of Spring Replacement
To help you understand the costs more easily, here's a simple guide based on the number of springs your garage door uses: 1 spring: $250 – $350 (usually for single-car garage doors) 2 springs: $350 – $500 (typically for double-car garage doors)
If your garage door springs have lasted less than five years, or if you plan to live where you are for many years, you may want to try the extra long life torsion springs. By using larger springs, you can, in most cases, quadruple your spring life while only doubling the cost of the springs.
A Door That Falls Off Its Tracks – Whether your new springs are too strong, too weak or just not the right type, one possible consequence is that they could derail your door, i.e. cause it to fall off its tracks. In such an event, anybody standing in the garage or just outside could be in very serious danger.
Compared to replacing your broken spring with a single spring, installing two springs does not take much extra work. You will have to slide the second spring on from the opposite side of the shaft, and you will have to wind two springs instead of one.
Advantages of 2 Springs
Most garage doors will still open if only one of the two springs is broken. The garage door opener works twice as hard, but the garage door normally opens (possibly with a helping hand) at least once so that you can get your car out and make it to work.
A single spring is just that, one spring that supports the valve and its movement. A dual spring is made up of two springs, one inside the other. Choosing the right spring pressure is paramount to insure that the valve retracts fast enough, and that your engine doesn't suffer from valve float.
Springs in Series: When multiple spings are connected end to end they effectively create a new spring with a different spring constant.
Yes, torsion springs are designed to work in both directions. They can work either clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on their application. The legs of this type of spring can be positioned across the centerline axis to hold a mechanism in place.
Torsion springs will generally have two different colors. First, each spring will be marked with red or black. Red springs are 'right-wound springs' while black springs are 'left-wound springs'. The other color on the torsion spring is the DASMA color. The color signifies the wire size or wire gauge.
As their name suggests, double torsion springs are nothing but two torsion springs combined together to form one single spring. The most characteristic feature of double torsion springs is that they have two coils. One coil is wound in a clockwise direction, whereas the other is wound in an anti-clockwise direction.
Torsion springs should be wound four quarter turns per foot of door height, plus an extra two turns. Once you're done winding your springs, keep a winding rod resting on the garage door header and tighten the set screws on the spring with a socket wrench.
As a rule of thumb, it is generally 4 quarter turns per foot. So for a 7 ft. tall door, you will need approximately 28 quarter turns. Granted door weights do vary among other variables.