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How to fit a gate spring so it closes, not opens

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a coil in the box and a wooden gate that already meets its latch. The job is to make opening the gate wind the spring, then add tension one step at a time with your face out of the peg's line. Fitted the wrong way up, the spring opens the gate. A loose peg can leave the hole while you wind it. This is that sequence, plus the point where you stop. Prices and star lines stay on the [Door tensioner](/hub/diy-supplies/door-tensioner) comparison. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk reviews and UK fitting sheets, not a workshop test, on 22 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a coil in the box and a wooden gate that already meets its latch. The job is to make opening the gate wind the spring, then add tension one step at a time with your face out of the peg's line.

Our top picks

Weielt Weielt 14 inch gate spring

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Weielt Weielt 14 inch gate spring
8.8/10about £12.99
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scottchen PRO scottchen PRO 14 inch gate spring

Alternative

scottchen PRO scottchen PRO 14 inch gate spring
8.6/10about £25.99
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Infinity Decor Infinity Decor 8 inch spring, black

Alternative

Infinity Decor Infinity Decor 8 inch spring, black
7.6/10about £11.95
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On this page
  1. 1.Put the brackets the right way up
  2. 2.Wind it, peg it, and stand clear
  3. 3.If the gate opens, turn the spring around
  4. 4.A surface closer is a different fit

Put the brackets the right way up

Handing is the first decision, and the sheets do not all draw it the same way. Carlisle Brass, for a right-hand gate, puts the top bracket on the post and the bottom bracket on the gate, and tells you to reverse that for a left-hand gate. Door Superstore puts the adjustment at the top: bottom peg first, tension from the top, then the second peg. If your packet disagrees, follow the sheet in the box. Fix the brackets before you add tension. The packed screws are for wood. Offer the gate to the latch with no extra wind, then open it once. If opening unwinds the spring, turn the unit around. Extra tension makes a reversed spring worse.

Wind it, peg it, and stand clear

Tension is trial and error, and the dangerous moment is the gap between the bar and the second peg. Locate the bottom, use the bar in the top, test, then leave the holding peg in before you let go. Bolts.co.uk says clockwise tightens and anticlockwise loosens. Other UK sheets do not agree, so follow the arrow in the box. If the gate crawls home, add one step. If it slams, take one step off. On the black Infinity Decor 8 inch spring, UK reviews say the pegs are too small and can fly out. If the pin walks out, stop, and do not keep winding with your face over the hole.
Weielt Weielt 14 inch gate spring

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Weielt Weielt 14 inch gate spring
8.8/10about £12.99
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If the gate opens, turn the spring around

Scottchen buyers say that fitted upside down the gate opens, and that the other way can slam. The listing says to fit the fixed stop on the wall first. A review that mentions a weld is not an instruction to weld. If the gate swings open, take the tension off, reverse the spring, and test again with almost no wind. The tension is enough when the gate latches from fully open and from a short push. There is no speed dial. Dogs, wind and slam sit on the self closing garden gate page.

A surface closer is a different fit

A Yale surface closer is not this method. The P-YSMDC sheet puts the body on the flush jamb and adds tension one hole at a time. That is a door and a frame, not a garden gate. Do not fit any coil from this set to a fire door, and do not add a second closer beside the one already there. Stop if the closer is the XFORT concealed chain and you cannot drill the door edge. A missing holding tool, or a bad hole in a fire door, is a competent person's job.

Common questions

Which bracket goes on the post?
On the Carlisle Brass sheet for a right-hand gate, the top bracket goes on the post and the bottom bracket goes on the gate. Reverse that pair for a left-hand gate. Your packet wins if it disagrees. Opening the gate should wind the coil. If it unwinds, the brackets are the wrong way around for that leaf.
What if the gate opens itself after you fit the spring?
Take the tension off and turn the spring around. UK reviews of the scottchen PRO 14 inch spring say an upside-down fit opens the gate, and that the other orientation can slam if you have already wound it hard. Put the fixed stop on the wall first, then test with almost no extra tension. More wind on a reversed spring does not correct the handing.
How do you tension it without the peg shooting out?
Put the locating peg in, use the bar only while you move to the next hole, and get the second peg in before you release the bar. Stand to the side, not over the hole. On the black 8 inch Infinity Decor spring, UK reviews say the pegs are too small and can fly out. Eye protection there is a review request, not a manufacturer line. If the peg already sits loose, stop.
Do wood screws belong in a metal gate?
The screws packed with these coils are the wood set. Door Superstore says a metal gate needs screws that actually bite. UK reviewers who moved a spring onto metal used bolts and plates. One Infinity Decor buyer used separate hook bolts. If the post is steel and the supplied screws spin, change the fixing. Do not rely on tension to hold a screw that never bit.
How do you know the tension is enough?
Open the gate fully and see whether it reaches the latch. Then open it only a short way, because that is how a gate is often left. If it fails the short opening, add one step and test both ways again. If the full opening slams, remove one step. Guides disagree on whether clockwise tightens, so use the sheet in the box. Enough means it latches from both angles without a bang.
When do you stop and not fit it at all?
Stop if the leaf is a fire door. Stop if the gate does not already latch, because a spring will not invent a latch. Stop if the only screws you have are wood screws and the gate is metal. Stop if the closer is a concealed chain and you cannot drill the edge safely, or the holding tool is missing. Another hole of tension is not the repair.

Related pages

Self closing gate spring buying guide

Fire door self closer

Door tensioner

Best gate spring closer for gates and internal doors

Self closing garden gate spring for dogs and the wind

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings for these ASINs. Updated 22.10.2026.

  1. GOV.UK fire door guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, regulation 10 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. Door and Hardware Federation, power size note (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. BSI, BS EN 1154:1997 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. RoSPA Play Safety, gates (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Carlisle Brass fitting note FITCB0217 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. TATE Fencing gate spring closer (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22.10.2026)