Do not try to remove the extension spring that is not broken when the garage door is closed.
How far to stretch garage door extension springs.
This tension makes it easier to lift the garage door from its closed position.
A garage door that is not attached to the springs can fall and cause injury.
Since extension springs are determined by how much weight they each lift and the pulley system cuts this in half you need to replace your old springs with 200 pound extension springs.
For an 8 foot high door the spring would be 28 inches long with a 48 inch stretch.
For a complete list of garage door extension springs for 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 and 14 tall doors click here determine the door weight and door height.
This extension spring is used on a seven foot garage door.
For extension springs this is in the up position.
If you use an extension spring with a different first number you need to adjust your cable length to achieve the necessary 10 percent of stretch when your door is open.
See below to make sure the door is secured before you work on it.
3 springs are only sold in pairs.
As you might expect longer springs tend to be used on taller garage doors.
Measure door the height.
Side mounted springs are long heavy springs mounted on each side of the upper garage door track.
The pull weight of an extension spring is determined by the color code found on the end of the spring.
The springs extend along the shaft and work by twisting as the garage door closes by means of cables attached to each side of the lowest garage door panel.
Once you know the total weight of your garage door using a bathroom scale for doors under 300 pounds you can use the chart below to see the color extension spring you need.
It has a 25 inch relaxed or compressed length and a 42 inch stretched length which is how far the spring should be stretched when the garage door is closed.