Hangers keep bending - Springs Breaking


  #1  
Old 05-16-07, 03:37 PM
S
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Unhappy Hangers keep bending - Springs Breaking

Help! I can't figure this out.
Last month I broke a spring and the hangers where it was connected to bent. So I replaced it with another one (I think 120lb spring) and bent the hangers back into place. All was good until a couple days ago. The other spring broke and bent and cracked the metal hangers. I looked gruesome. Anyway, I bought another spring and replaced the main hanger with a 14g one. I also adjusted the hangers and made sure that the rails were equidistant from the wall. I then closed the door and BANG! Again, but the spring did not break this time. The hanger I just replaced pulled towards the door and bent. What am I doing???

Single door with window at top (plastic?)
Garage door opener (screw)
 
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Old 05-16-07, 06:37 PM
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The reason why the hanger bent is because the tension of the spring was stronger that the steel. You should replace the hanger again with a heavier gauge or double it up. the closer to the mounting hole of the track you mount the eye hook the more resistance the steel has to bending to the tension of the spring. I normally mount the eye hook about 7 inches above the track.

When angled steel bends and then straightened, it is weakened at the point that it bent. a bent angle should be replaced not straightened.

How much of a drop do you have from the ceiling to the back of the track?
The longer the drop the heavier the angle you need.
 
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Old 05-17-07, 04:37 PM
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Thanks for the quick response.

The vertical hanger is about 3 feet long (track to ceiling) The eye hook is in the middle about 1.5 feet high. I have one angle bracket that connect to the vertical about 1.5 feet down and goes out only 6 inches at the top. I hope all that makes sense.
From what you are saying I need to strengthen the whole thing up. That's fine.. But my next question is why? Why has this been ok for 9 years? Is that normal?
Thanks a lot
 
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Old 05-17-07, 06:39 PM
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Lower the eye hooks. Put them 6-7 inches or holes above the track. If you haven't replace both angle that were bent at one time. You should be go to go after that. A set of cables going through the spring and fastened at both ends is not a bad idea either.
 
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Old 05-17-07, 09:37 PM
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I'd like to see a picture of what you have there, can't imagine why you'd attach the spring a foot and a half up the vertical hanger. I'm no expert but I'd think the closer to the track the stronger like Tom says.

Here's a couple poor pictures of what I built 20 years ago out of a Time Life book. I think the vertical hanger is inch or inch and a half angle iron....all I had at the time.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/Oriley/track1.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/Oriley/track2.jpg


Hope this helps,

Baldwin
 
  #6  
Old 05-18-07, 03:24 AM
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they are breaking because when the spring brakes it is slammed into the vertical drop bending it, once bent it becomes weak, It is time to replace them if they are bent
 
 

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