Is an Extension Spring Color Chart All You Really Need?

Zure garajeko atearen malgukia hautsita dago, and a color chart looks like an easy fix. But relying only on color can lead to choosing the wrong spring, creating a serious safety hazard for your family.

An extension spring color chart is a guide that links your garage door's weight to a specific spring strength, identified by color. This system helps you find a replacement that will properly balance the door, but it's only accurate if you know your door's true weight.

I've been manufacturing springs for over 14 urteak, and I can tell you that a color chart is a tool, not a solution. I once worked with a garage door installation company that was getting constant complaints about doors not closing properly. It turned out their technicians were just matching the color of the old spring when they did replacements. They weren't weighing the doors. After years of exposure to the elements and a few new coats of paint, many of the doors were 20-30 pounds heavier than when they were new. The old springs were already failing under the strain, and replacing them with the same "color" was just repeating the problem. That's why you have to look beyond the color and start with the facts.

Why Is Your Door's Weight More Important Than the Color Code?

You found the color on your old spring, but what if it was already wrong? Simply matching that color means you could be installing an undersized spring, leading to another failure and an unsafe door.

The color code is just a label for a spring's lifting power, which must match your door's actual weight. Doors get heavier over time. Weighing your door is the only way to guarantee you select the correct spring for safe and balanced operation.

Gure lantegian, every spring we produce is calibrated to a precise force specification, which is then represented by a color. But that color is meaningless without the correct starting number: the door's weight. People often skip the weighing step because it seems like a hassle. They assume the last person did it right. But I've seen homeowners add heavy insulation panels or even decorative hardware, adding significant weight to a door. The original springs were never designed for that load. Without weighing the door, you are flying blind. Taking 15 minutes to get an accurate weight is the single most important step in ensuring the repair is done safely and correctly. It removes all guesswork and is the foundation of a properly balanced system.

The Correct Weighing Procedure

This is a safety-critical process that must be done carefully.

• Urratsa 1: Disconnect Power. The very first step is to unplug your garage door opener from the electrical outlet.
• Urratsa 2: Disengage the Door. Pull the red emergency release cord to disconnect the opener from the door.
• Urratsa 3: Weigh the Door. With the door fully closed, place a standard bathroom scale under the left side and another under the right side. You may need small blocks of wood to lift the scales up to the door's bottom seal. The combined reading of both scales is the true weight of your garage door. Hau da kolore-taularekin erabiliko duzun zenbakia.

Nola irakurtzen duzu garaje-atearen udaberriko kolore-taula?

You have your door's weight, baina taulak dozena bat kolore erakusten ditu. Choosing one that's "close enough" zure atea desorekatua utziko du, irekitzailea tentsioa eta arrabolen eta gontzetan higadura goiztiarra eraginez.

You match your door's accurate weight to the corresponding color on the chart. It's crucial to understand that the weight listed is for a pair of springs. 140 kiloko ate batek 140 kiloko bi malguki behar ditu (Horia), malguki bakoitza karga osoaren erdia altxatzeko diseinatuta baitago.

The kolore-kodea[^1] profesionalentzako identifikazioa errazteko sortu zen sistema. Koloreek 10 kiloko gehikuntzan aurrera egiten dute, oreka oso zehatza ahalbidetuz. Ezin hobeto orekatuta dagoen ate batek ia pisurik gabe sentitu behar du eskuz altxatzen duzunean. Erdi irekita gelditu eta bertan egon beharko zenuke. Erori nahi badu, zure malgukiak ahulegiak dira. Zabalik hegan egin nahi badu, zure malgukiak indartsuegiak dira. Nahiz eta 10 kiloko diferentziak desoreka bat sor dezake zure irekigailu elektrikoa behar baino askoz gehiago lan egitera behartzen duena., bere bizi-iraupena laburtuz. Horregatik ez zenuke inoiz "biribildu"." edo "behera biribildu." Use the exact weight of your door to find the exact color match.

Standard Color Chart for 7-Foot Doors

This is a typical chart used in the industry.

• The 10-Pound System: Each color represents an additional 10 pounds of lifting capacity. This standardization makes it easy to find the right part.
• Always Replace in Pairs: Extension springs work together. Batek huts egiten duenean, the other has been subjected to the same number of cycles and stresses and is likely near failure itself. Replacing only one spring will create an immediate and dangerous imbalance.

Does a Taller Door Use a Different Color Chart?

You have an 8-foot tall garage door, but you used a standard chart. Now the new springs are stretched too far when the door is open, zarata handia atera eta potentzia azkar galtzen du.

Bai, ate altuagoek malguki desberdinak eta taula desberdina behar dituzte. 7 oineko ate estandarrak 25 hazbeteko malgukia erabiltzen du. 8 oineko ate batek luzeagoa behar du, 27-hazbeteko malgukia gehiegizko bidaia-distantzia kudeatzeko, gehiegi luzatu gabe. The kolore-kodea[^1]s udaberri luze hauetarako desberdinak dira.

Hau da ikusten dudan akats ohikoenetako bat. 8 oineko ateak gehigarri bat bidaiatu behar du 12 zentimetroak. 25 hazbeteko malguki estandarra erabiltzen baduzu, diseinatutako muga baino askoz ere zabaltzen ari zara atea irekitzen duzun bakoitzean. Horrek malgukia behin betiko kaltetuko du, oso denbora laburrean altxatzeko indarra galtzea eraginez. Udaberria ere arrisku handian jartzen du bat-batean, porrot katastrofikoa. Fabrikatzaile gisa, udaberriaren luzera ezberdin hauek arrazoi zehatz honengatik ekoizten ditugu. Alanbrearen diametroa eta bobin kopurua desberdinak dira, horrek esan nahi du haien indar propietateak desberdinak direla. Ezin duzu hartu "Urdina" 7 oineko ate baterako malgukia "Urdina" 8 oineko ate baterako malgukia. You must use a chart specific to your door's height.

Udaberriaren luzera atearen altuerarekin lotzearen garrantzia

It's a simple rule: the spring's length must match the door's height.

• Bidaia Distantzia: The distance a spring has to stretch is determined by the door's height. Ate altuek bidaia gehiago esan nahi dute.
• Tarte zehatz baterako diseinatua: 25 hazbeteko malgukia segurtasunez luzatzeko diseinatuta dago 42 zentimetroak (7 oineko ate baterako). 27 hazbeteko malgukia modu seguruan luzatzeko diseinatuta dago 48 zentimetroak (8 oineko ate baterako).
• Konbinazio okerrak huts egiten du: Luzera okerra erabiltzeak porrota ekarriko du beti. Atea ez da behar bezala ireki/itxiko, edo udaberriak urtetan beharrean hilabete gutxiren buruan gastatuko dira.

Bukaera

Kolore-taula gida erabilgarria da, baina ez da nahikoa. Zure atea pisatu eta altuera baieztatu behar duzu zure garajerako luzapen-malguki egokiak eta seguruak aukeratzeko.

[^1]: Ikasi kolore-kodea malgukiaren indarrarekin eta atearen pisuarekin nola erlazionatzen den.