Word to the wise....

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It came down so hard/fast I was amazed there was no damage to the door. The assist spring broke

I always wait for the door to stop at the full up position before passing under it, just in case. I've only had two broken garage door springs over the years. Both times the spring broke at night while the door was closed.

John

Sheesh, I slip the cat under the door as soon as it starts to open.

Honestly, I've never heard of a garage door falling like that. I have springs on both sides but unless I activate a power fail release, I don't think it can open or close freely, even without springs.

quote:

I don't think it can open or close freely, even without springs.

The purpose of the springs is to balance the door so that 1) you can open and close the door when the electric door opener is disengaged (by pulling the release); 2) significantly reduce the load on the electric door opener.

John

I had a spring break on a garage door and the broken spring caught me right above my right eye. I still have the scar in my eyebrow. My new door has the torsion styled springs.

Damn, that thing sounds more dangerous than the wife! I remember someone on our web long ago suggested putting PCV around those springs in case they break, which I did as shown in the link below.
http://www.poca.com/index.php/...g2_imageViewsIndex=1

I have passed a cable thru the springs, secured on both ends one to the wall the other end to the steel bracket. I too have had a spring break and thank heaven it did not hit my car.

And for those with the California style tilt out garage door, check the main pivot bolt. I have seen one snap and almost take out a car as well.

It's just about certain, as mentioned, the spring broke when the door fully closed as I left that morning, the little worm gear carrier thing could not lift the door on it's own and failed. Hence the door crashing down....

lifts can also be dangerous and not only mechanical as one perhaps thinks right now..... i had my track Porsche 928 on/of my lift several times untill i used it to change tires ( from Michelins to Toyo's... ) what i didn't realised was the fact that the car on the Michelins just,just could pass the ridge ramps/lift and the Toyo's were a few millimeters lower... i did that in a hurry on a morning to go for a trackday on the circuit Spa Franchorchamps.....trailer waiting, good speed of the lift....tored my entire front off included oil cooler....so no racing that day ....

not to mention the crashed (open) doors when one lowers his car on a lift and there's something in the way.... happely i didn't.. yet..

In most situations it is against OSHA standards to use a overhead door for access to and from a building, that is why mandoors are generally right next to a overhead door.
Jeff

I knew of this possibility and split a 4 inch pvc pipe lenghwise, and covered the springs. I wrapped ty wraps to hold the two sections together, like Jan does 200. Of course, if you do that, they never break... go figure. Jeff, that is another new rule in my construction. There will be a walk through door next to any overhead door from now on...saves heat and cool too.

I pulled the drive off of a large wooden door one time, we were in a manlift boy what a suprisewhen we pulled the drive chain off and the immediately feel on the basket of the lift. Didn't take us to the ground but could not lift the door off the basket. All because the spring was broken(torsion ).