robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to scross
Re: You do not get an appreciation for how heavy a garage said by scross:As far as replacing torsion springs goes, it was a bit of a pain and time-consuming for me but I didn't find it to be particularly dangerous, as long as I put some thought into safety first...I don't think it's any more dangerous than changing a tire under less-than-ideal (that is, typical side-of-the-road) conditions. I have a friend who was working on one and the spring broke. It embeded into his forearm and the EMS/Fire Department had to cut him down and take him and spring to the hospital to have it removed in surgery. |
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scross
join:2002-09-13
Cordova, TN | said by robbin:said by scross:As far as replacing torsion springs goes, it was a bit of a pain and time-consuming for me but I didn't find it to be particularly dangerous, as long as I put some thought into safety first...I don't think it's any more dangerous than changing a tire under less-than-ideal (that is, typical side-of-the-road) conditions. I have a friend who was working on one and the spring broke. It embeded into his forearm and the EMS/Fire Department had to cut him down and take him and spring to the hospital to have it removed in surgery. Well, I never claimed that there were no safety issues involved here, only that this is probably no more dangerous that things people typically do every day. I took reasonable safety precautions - I tried to avoid positioning myself directly in front of the spring, for example, and instead stood a bit off to the side; I kept my hands away from the spring itself, while it was under tension; I wore protective gloves and eye-wear, and so on. But in light of your friend's experience, should I choose to do this work again I might drape an old blanket or something over the spring while I'm working with it, which should trap any potential shrapnel or at least slow it down. (I should note here that should a torsion spring break AND eject shrapnel - which mine has never done, that I'm aware of - then that could happen at any time and under any conditions. Anybody or anything could be in the line of fire, too.) And as already noted in this thread, your typical extension spring tends to be as dangerous as a torsion spring, if not more so. The torsion spring is at least wrapped around a steel axle which isn't going anywhere; an extension spring may or may not have a safety cable attached to it, or that cable may fail. |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | I think the big difference is that you adjust extension springs while they are slack but you adjust torsion springs while they are under load. |
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scross
join:2002-09-13
Cordova, TN
1 edit | said by robbin:I think the big difference is that you adjust extension springs while they are slack but you adjust torsion springs while they are under load.
Torsion springs aren't under any appreciable load until you get down to the last few turns. They're kind of like lug nuts - you don't really put any effort into them except when first loosening them or snugging them up. (These are also the times that a car is most likely to fall off of the jack, if you aren't careful; there is a right way and a wrong way to do this.) For torsion springs you need to make sure that your winding rods are inserted correctly. Plus there are ways of making the door/wall help you out here.
I can see why most people don't want to tackle it; I may choose to not tackle it again next time myself. But it isn't the "death waiting to happen" scenario that a lot of people make it out to be. Plus I believe I've already mentioned the DIY-friendly systems that are out there (these have been around for a while now). If I ever get around to replacing my door then I will be taking a hard look at these. |
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