Garage Door Terms Glossary

Torsion springs, garage door springs – located above the door system mounted to your header torsion springs are what counter balance your garage door weight.

Torsion Bars – Torsion bars are the tool a garage door technician uses to wind or tighten the torsion springs

Torsion system – The garage door torsion system consists of the torsion tube, torsion springs, center bearing, drums and is connected to the garage door via the aircraft cables.

Torsion Tube – this tube is what the springs and all other torsion system parts mount to

Drums – Cable drums essentially work like a gear to step down the weight of the garage door. The cables wrap around the drum as the garage door lifts up and at the other end the cables connect to either side of the garage door.

Garage Door Cables – a nice set of garage door cables are aproximately 1/8″ thick and have nice tabs at the end to hold firmly into the slot on the cable drums.

Garage Door Operator – The operator or motor as some call it is the part of your door system that pushes or pulls the garage door up or down via the J-Arm.

The J-Arm – The J-Arm is what connects the operator with the door it is the link between the two. J-Arms are shaped in the letter J and can be adjusted to conform to the particular install application.

Optical Sensors – Your optical sensors or safety eyes are located on either side of the garage door at the bottom and should be mounted approximately 1-2′ off the ground. The transmitter sends a signal to the receiver via an optic signal that if broken will cut of the operation of the motor. This is a secondary safety system and was required by law in 1996.

Bottom Brackets – bottom brackets are what connect your cables to the bottom panel of your garage door on either side… This is a danger point because all of the tension built up in the springs are hanging between the drum and these brackets… at least 75lbs each so when an ameture decides to remove these it is very dangerous especially if it was more like 150lbs… Never remove the safety lags mounting the brackets to the door unless you know exactly what you are doing.