Technical articles and field references for overhead door techs.
IPPT — inch-pounds per turn — is the number that decides whether a torsion spring balances a door. Here's what it means, how to calculate it from spring measurements, and how to know what IPPT a door needs.
Car lift going in? High lift reclaims the ceiling by running the door up the wall before it turns back. The feasibility math, the drum choice, and the spring resize — demystified.
Headroom is the measurement that decides the whole track package — and the one that kills installs when nobody checked it. The numbers for every lift type, in one place.
Torsion springs are smoother, safer, and longer-lived — but the conversion lives or dies on one measurement. The 12-inch rule, the sizing, and when to walk away.
The cheapest spring is rarely the cheapest spring. What cycle ratings actually mean, the cost-per-year math, and when a high-cycle upgrade pays for itself.
Two springs cost more up front and are better in almost every way that matters. The math behind single-to-double conversion — and why the conversion is easier than it sounds.
The door opens fine but won't close — the opener light flashes and the door pops back up. Nine times out of ten it's the safety sensors. Here's the five-minute diagnosis.
That blinking LED is the opener telling you exactly what's wrong — in a language nobody bothered to teach you. Here's how to read LiftMaster, Chamberlain, and Genie flash codes.
That paint on the end of the spring isn't decoration — it's the wire size, per DASMA's industry standard. How to read it, and the one trap to avoid.
No calipers, no problem. Wire size, inside diameter, and length — how to measure all three torsion spring specs with nothing but a tape measure.
A quick-reference checklist covering the 15 most common overhead door problems — from broken springs to misaligned sensors — with links to the right manuals in DoorBot.
Step-by-step guide to measuring and sizing torsion springs for sectional overhead doors, including wire gauge charts and IPPT calculations.
Garage door weight decides everything about the springs — and guessing wrong is how springs fail early. Typical weights by size and material, plus how to get a real number in the field.