torsion springs left & right

Torsion Springs – Left Wind or Right Wind? Is that All?

torsion springs left & right

Torsion springs are special types of springs that work on twisting. When these flexible springs are twisted, they store the mechanical energy. The springs start exerting a torque or force in the opposite direction of the applied force. These springs are most widely used in garage doors, hence also referred to as garage door springs. The garage door springs are often work under extreme stress conditions, and may require replacement over time. However, before you go on selecting the spring, you need to do a proper homework for selecting the right spring. What are the things needed to consider for selecting the right garage door spring? To know the answer, read the following post.

Things to Consider for Selecting the Right Garage Door Spring

There is a huge variety of heavy duty torsion springs available in the market, therefore guessing the right spring is not a good idea. You need to have a proper understanding about the spring, as well as its application environment.

  1. Spring Configuration: A torsion spring can have two configurations – single spring configuration and dual spring configuration. To know this, you need to check the stationary cone and bracket, which is a fixed point maintaining the tension of the spring. If this point is on the left or right of the torsion spring, then it is a single spring configuration that you need to select. If it is in the middle of the torsion spring, then you have to go with the dual spring configuration.
  1. Winding of the Spring: This is one of the most important factors to consider. There is a lot of confusion among people regarding right-hand winding torsion spring and left-hand winding torsion spring. On the contrary, it is very simple to determine the winding type of a garage door spring. The right hand winding springs are wound in a clockwise direction. Thus, they have their end of wire on the right side. On the other hand, a left hand winding spring is wound in an anti-clockwise direction, and has its end of wire on the left side. It is hard to tell the direction of winding from the front side. You can easily determine it from the end of the spring.
  1. Door Weight: The weight of the door also plays an important role in determining the right garage door spring. Springs of different weight bearing capacities are available in the market. Therefore, if you know the weight of the door for which the spring is to be used, it would make the job of spring selection even easier.

These were just a few factors that you need to consider in order to get the perfect garage door spring for your application. For more factors and additional information on the topic, you can consult expert torsion spring manufacturers like St. Mary’s Spring Company, who has a vast experience in manufacturing right and left wind torsion springs of different specifications.