Horizontal Track Alignment and Extension Spring Distance

[mhenry79]

Hello everyone,

I have a standard sectional 7' residential door with extension springs and standard 2-piece lift tracks (not high lift). The door has always been noisy because the alignment of the angled and straight tracks makes the rollers jump a bit, or in other words the inside of the track has a bump where the curved and straight tracks join at the flag brackets. Has anyone else noticed this with their tracks? Should I replace them? This was not much of a problem for 5 years until I installed a new opener this weekend, and I had to adjust the up and down forces wide open to get it to run a full cycle. (And I'm sure that I don't have the travel set too far.) While trying to re-align the curved and straight tracks, I leveled each horizontal track from front to back, but should they be level or offset? Also, should the width between tracks at the back be the same as the width at the flag brackets? My horizontal tracks are wider at the back than at the flag brackets.

The next problem is that the new opener won't close the door more than halfway when the extension springs are installed. It will run fully up and down with no springs but I imagine that the opener will burn up after much use! At the last/rearmost mounting holes in the horizontal tracks, they are bolted to studs that drop from the rafters, and the springs are attached in the same location. With the opener disconnected the springs hold the door at about 1/4-1/3 closed, and it seems to me that the springs are too far back from the door. Does someone know a standard distance for the door to the rear attachment of an extension spring? I am using the original spring cables, so their length did not change.

Thank you,

Mike

[TJR]

I have a standard sectional 7' residential door with extension springs and standard 2-piece lift tracks (not high lift). The door has always been noisy because the alignment of the angled and straight tracks makes the rollers jump a bit, or in other words the inside of the track has a bump where the curved and straight tracks join at the flag brackets. Has anyone else noticed this with their tracks? Should I replace them?

If the tracks vertical and horizontal are straight without damage. I do not see any reason to replace them. The misalignment at the flag bracket can be massaged with a hammer on the round part to make the rollers jump less.

This was not much of a problem for 5 years until I installed a new opener this weekend, and I had to adjust the up and down forces wide open to get it to run a full cycle.

That's never good, the force setting is for your safety, the door and the opener as none of them will last.

While trying to re-align the curved and straight tracks, I leveled each horizontal track from front to back, but should they be level or offset?

I have seen them up and I have seen them down, yet the door works OK, I try to install the track as close to level as possible, if not then up a little.

Also, should the width between tracks at the back be the same as the width at the flag brackets? My horizontal tracks are wider at the back than at the flag brackets.

With the door open you should have an even or close to gap between the track and the door. Yeah, in the manual it say to square everything out with cross measurement.

The next problem is that the new opener won't close the door more than halfway when the extension springs are installed. It will run fully up and down with no springs but I imagine that the opener will burn up after much use! At the last/rearmost mounting holes in the horizontal tracks, they are bolted to studs that drop from the rafters, and the springs are attached in the same location. With the opener disconnected the springs hold the door at about 1/4-1/3 closed, and it seems to me that the springs are too far back from the door. Does someone know a standard distance for the door to the rear attachment of an extension spring? I am using the original spring cables, so their length did not change.

That's your real problem. With the right springs, cables and pulleys for your door, you will need light tension on the springs when the door is open. Extension springs will never have the same pull at the same extension. Many times we plain simple replace the extension springs with a torsion spring conversion, it just work that much better.

[mhenry79]

TJR, thank you for the quick reply! I am replacing the wooden studs with angle iron, so when I do that I will re-square the horizontal tracks (and keep them level), and hopefully in the process this will create a better alignment at the curved portions. I see what you are saying with no two springs being identical, and going to a torsion spring setup sounds like a good idea but also sounds beyond my skill level! So I ordered a Clopay extension spring EZ set kit which will let me dial in each spring's individual tension. Hope this does it, I have been parking outside and I am not using the door until I get the springs in and open/close forces correctly set!