I understand the basics of how a garage door works – the opener motor is assisted by the spring’s stored energy, otherwise the door would require a *much* larger motor to lift it.
But, some of these springs really look monstrous, and I’m wondering – how is their stored energy controlled? How do we ensure the spring releases just enough energy to assist the motor, and doesn’t just launch the door into orbit?
In: 5
When they’re installed you have to manually wind them up to get the right tension (or with other styles, you manually shorten the cable between the door and the spring). The more you wind them the more of the weight of the door they take up.
Think of them like a big sandbag on the other end of a pulley. If you put 100 pounds of sand in with a 110 pound door then the effective weight of the door is 10 pounds and no amount of releasing energy will cause the sandbag to yeet the door.
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