Anyone ever resprung their own garage door?

bigred177

bigred177

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bigred
I have a garage door that lost one of its torsion springs the other day. I looked online and the process seems pretty straight forward but I wanted to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

Is it as straight forward as it seems or is it deceivingly difficult?

Is this one of those issues it's cheaper and easier to call a garage door guy for? One company quoted me $250 to change both springs.
 
Dont hurt yourself. Those things take out an eye in a hurry if you dont know what you are doing.
 
bigred177 said:
I have a garage door that lost one of its torsion springs the other day. I looked online and the process seems pretty straight forward but I wanted to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

Is it as straight forward as it seems or is it deceivingly difficult?

Is this one of those issues it's cheaper and easier to call a garage door guy for? One company quoted me $250 to change both springs.
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I've done plenty. Main thing is to get two 2' long pieces of steel rod, usually 3/8" for residential (Home Depot). Larger doors might use 1/2" so check. This is the only tool other than a couple of wrenches you'll need. If you watched the process on youtube or something then you know what to do with them. You can change one side without messing with the other. Take the broken spring off and bring that to the garage door parts store. The springs are side dependent (twist direction) and sized differently so it makes it easy if you have it with you. Disconnect the garage door opener with the pull down handle. When you install it adjust the tension so the door is in neutral balance. Test by raising it by hand, it should stay where you put it. If it wants to go up on its own, you have too much tension. If it goes down, too little. When you are done spray the springs with some lubricant to keep them quiet. Then reattach the opener. Takes about 45 min. the first time. Maybe 20-25 after you've done it.
 
weilke said:
Dont hurt yourself. Those things take out an eye in a hurry if you dont know what you are doing.
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That. There is a lot of stored energy in the wound spring and it can slap you hard if it gets away from you. Otherwise it's pretty simple.

John
 
It's not hard, as others have said. But you do put a lot of energy into those springs, and if it gets loose with one of the bars you are using to wind it up still in place - not a good thing. You could get really hurt. Bad.

Be careful. Make sure when you insert the bars they are all the way in before you relax with the other bar.
 
I do everything myself that I can. I rebuild car engines, I mow my own lawn, I do owner assisted annuals, etc. etc. I do not change garage door springs. Just a little too much potential energy in these things for my comfort zone.
 
Not done the kind with the torsion springs before, but I have done it with the extension springs.

Safety first = all those springs are powerful when under full tension.

It seems like a lot of times when the springs break, the tracks can get twisted, too, so be prepared to realign tracks if necessary.

I try to rebalance, or check the balance, about once a year (sometimes I forget), That keeps your door operator from having to work too hard, and I think it keeps it more quiet, too.

PS - Lance makes a good point about the whole thing. A pro can come in and get it done, and done right, in a pretty short amount of time.


edit: replacing springs seems to work better when done in pairs. They will stretch with use (well, duh, but they tend to lose some of their tension), so if you have to change one side it's probably best to change both.
 
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I hear you guys about being careful. Just take it slow, get yourself positioned comfortably on a ladder so your face isn't in the way. You can do it.

I look at it like this. $250 vs. $25 for a new spring. Lots of money for avgas in an hours work.

More and more this is how I look at the world.
 
Alexb2000 said:
I hear you guys about being careful. Just take it slow, get yourself positioned comfortably on a ladder so your face isn't in the way. You can do it.

I look at it like this. $250 vs. $25 for a new spring. Lots of money for avgas in an hours work.

More and more this is how I look at the world.
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This is my view too. But there are some jobs better left to the pros so I just wanted to make sure. $225 would look pretty small sitting next to a $10k hospital bill.
 
bigred177 said:
This is my view too. But there are some jobs better left to the pros so I just wanted to make sure. $225 would look pretty small sitting next to a $10k hospital bill.
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But... don't chicks dig scars? Looking like Tom Berenger in Platoon would do it.
 
I did it once. I scared myself pretty good. I did it, it got done...but while doing it you realise how much power is right there and if something snaps its gonna hurt...bad.

If I had to do another I'd pay someone I think.
 
I will agree with others that this is one of those jobs that is easy to do, and has the potential (energy) to really wreak havoc on your person or home. But, there should be enough pros around that you can drive the price down with a few phone calls. The pro that did it for my place was in and out in less than 30 minutes, and I talked them into a discount because they originally installed the door a decade plus ago but stickered a calling card to the door.
 
Take the necessary precautions and do it yourself. Or, just call Henning, he's done thousands without the use of steel bars :rolleyes:
 
We had a large rollup door in the shop where I used to work that popped one of its springs one year. It took the 'professionals' 4-5 return trips to get the door to raise and lower correctly after replacing the spring, and it looked like a royal PITA to deal with that much tension.

I would try to have at least one other set of capable hands available for a project like that.
 
Try only if you feel confident you understand what you are doing, but it is not all that tough.

Biggest advice: make SURE you have the right size rods for use as tensioning levers; I tried once using a long 3/8" extension which fit loosely, thinking, "How much trouble can it be?" Like to a scared myself to death.

With the right diameter rod, it should fit very snugly in the hole; get two of them, so you always have one in place to rest with tension against the door / wall (depending upon location of the springs in relation to the top of the door). This is a great safety trick. I bought a 36" rod at Lowe's, cut in two to make two 18" levers, about perfect.

Place a bathroom scale under the door so you can easily track how much more you need to tighten (set springs to have the door just a few pounds, makes it easy to raise and lower, will stay up, and absolutely required for electric door openers to safely operate).

And as noted - WEAR GOOD SAFETY GLASSES!

---

EDIT:

While you are up there, check and make sure that the brackets which hold the spring mounts to the wall are in good repair and securely fastened to solid backing surface; these can fail over time, and it is Not a Good Thing when that happens.
 
Cheaper and easier to clall the garage door guy when you compart it to the surgery and enucleation (eye removal) bill.

Hey no kiddin, you're proposing to do this without and instructions and no instruction on the task, this sounds like "red Green". I mean, how hard can it be?
 
I had it done. He knew what he was doing and was done very quickly (maybe 30 minutes). It was a while ago, but I remember it being fairly inexpensive and I never regretted not doing it myself. Seriously, $250 doesn't go very far in aviation and an injury can ground you.
 
Good points, all.

I withdraw my "do it yourself" advise.
 
Any time "ladder" appears in the job description, I know it's a job for someone else. Nobody over 27 should ever climb up one of those things.g

Alexb2000 said:
I hear you guys about being careful. Just take it slow, get yourself positioned comfortably on a ladder so your face isn't in the way. You can do it.

I look at it like this. $250 vs. $25 for a new spring. Lots of money for avgas in an hours work.

More and more this is how I look at the world.
Click to expand...
 
wabower said:
Any time "ladder" appears in the job description, I know it's a job for someone else. Nobody over 27 should ever climb up one of those things.g
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Meh. How often to you fall off a ladder. Really? I haven't done it for at least a month.
 
Personally, I'd take a pass on this one, and have a pro do it. But, that's just me. You have to asses your own skill level, and appetite for risk.

If you do decide to do it, as others have said wear ANSI rated safety glasses, and hard hat. Seriously.
 
Are you guys serious? Watch the process on YouTube, it isn't rocket science. The springs are contained, they are not going to fly across the garage. Keep your hands on the winding rods, make sure they're engaged fully, no biggie.

This is a group of capable, well educated, self supporting, multi-talented, people that embrace challenges. Otherwise we'd be flying commercial, right?

I think I'll check in on the sewing forum, I think someone over there is re-roofing a two story house.:)
 
Alexb2000 said:
Are you guys serious? Watch the process on YouTube, it isn't rocket science. The springs are contained, they are not going to fly across the garage. Keep your hands on the winding rods, make sure they're engaged fully, no biggie.
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Youtube doesn't have any clips about the aftermath of 'garage-door springs gone wild'. So it must be safe, right :wink2: .
 
Alexb2000 said:
Are you guys serious? Watch the process on YouTube, it isn't rocket science. The springs are contained, they are not going to fly across the garage. Keep your hands on the winding rods, make sure they're engaged fully, no biggie.

This is a group of capable, well educated, self supporting, multi-talented, people that embrace challenges. Otherwise we'd be flying commercial, right?

I think I'll check in on the sewing forum, I think someone over there is re-roofing a two story house.:)
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:rofl:

To use a flying analogy, be aware of the energy potential, keep it moving in the right direction, always have an out. It's not that tough IF you have the right tools and take it slow. The only caveat I would add is be sure you have approximately the same tension on each side, ( count your input) so the door goes up smoothly.
 
So one day I'm out at my hangar re-tensioning the springs on a 18x14 commercial vehicle door. My neighbor asks me to look at something he's doing on his airplane. I start looking at this thing that he built himself with no prior experience, from a set of manuals, in his garage, using tools from home depot, and parts from many sources including Ace hardware. he tells me it didn't cost much to build because he used an old engine and prop from Dallas Air Salvage. He's pretty proud of it considering he has never worked with composites in his life and yet he can do all kinds of aerobatics, because it should be able to take 9 Gs.

We end the coversation with him telling me to be careful, those springs are dangerous!:)
 
Alexb2000 said:
Are you guys serious? Watch the process on YouTube, it isn't rocket science. The springs are contained, they are not going to fly across the garage. Keep your hands on the winding rods, make sure they're engaged fully, no biggie.

This is a group of capable, well educated, self supporting, multi-talented, people that embrace challenges. Otherwise we'd be flying commercial, right?

I think I'll check in on the sewing forum, I think someone over there is re-roofing a two story house.:)
Click to expand...

Let me put it this way -- the airplane that I have the most time in, I personally installed and torqued the bolts that hold the wings on, not to mention riveted half of the skins on those wings. I also installed and torqued the bolts that hold the engine mount onto the firewall. I also safety-wired the bolts that attach the prop to the engine...

...and I wouldn't want to re-spring my own garage door after seeing a couple of 'professionals' tackle the job. :D
 
I had to make the decision a year or so ago too. Asked my father if he ever did it. "Just once," says he, "the wrench slipped, the spring unwound and threw the wrench through the back wall of the garage."

So I had a pro come and do it. I asked him if he ever got hurt on the job. "No, but I know it can be dangerous. One guy that called me and escorted me to the garage said he started to do it himself. When I stepped in the garage there were tools and blood all over the place."

dtuuri
 
Top five deadliest things in the home:

5. Wet bathroom floors

4. Bare electrical wires

3. Escaped pet cobra

2. Murderous home invader with a 12 gauge that thinks you look like his mom

1. Garage door springs:yikes:
 
Alexb2000 said:
Top five deadliest things in the home:

5. Wet bathroom floors

4. Bare electrical wires

3. Escaped pet cobra

2. Murderous home invader with a 12 gauge that thinks you look like his mom

1. Garage door springs:yikes:
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+1....pay the pro's...I've seen those thing's snap.
 
I'd do it but I'd be wearing my motorcycle helmet and jacket. Similar setup as the time I battled a hornets nest on my deck with a butane torch and a can of carb cleaner. Those bastards never saw that coming. Of course, I started my deck on fire.
 
jesse said:
I'd do it but I'd be wearing my motorcycle helmet and jacket. Similar setup as the time I battled a hornets nest on my deck with a butane torch and a can of carb cleaner. Those bastards never saw that coming. Of course, I started my deck on fire.
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Jesse, sometimes you're a piece of work!! :D:rofl:
 
EppyGA said:
Jesse, sometimes you're a piece of work!! :D:rofl:
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185372_1926805251244_3518530_n.jpg
 
bigred177 said:
I have a garage door that lost one of its torsion springs the other day. I looked online and the process seems pretty straight forward but I wanted to hear from anyone who has actually done it.

Is it as straight forward as it seems or is it deceivingly difficult?

Is this one of those issues it's cheaper and easier to call a garage door guy for? One company quoted me $250 to change both springs.
Click to expand...

Those things have killed and seriously hurt people... But...

With proper precautions you can do the repair.

1- NEVER,,, and I mean NEVER stand directly in line with the spring winding hub.. Centrifugal force will throw the rod out pretty much straight.

2- Use a tall enough ladder,, stretching off of a short one will lead to "issues'.

3- As a general rule make one twist for each foot of door height.. ie, 7 foot door gets 7 full turns., etc.

4- the square headed bolts that tighten against the torsion rod need to be snugged up good.... Leave the rod in till you are sure they are tight and only then, slowly remove the rod...

I have done hundreds and no injuries.. yet.:redface:

Go slow... be careful and you can do it... IMHO.
 
N801BH said:
Those things have killed and seriously hurt people... But...

With proper precautions you can do the repair.

1- NEVER,,, and I mean NEVER stand directly in line with the spring winding hub.. Centrifugal force will throw the rod out pretty much straight.

2- Use a tall enough ladder,, stretching off of a short one will lead to "issues'.

3- As a general rule make one twist for each foot of door height.. ie, 7 foot door gets 7 full turns., etc.

4- the square headed bolts that tighten against the torsion rod need to be snugged up good.... Leave the rod in till you are sure they are tight and only then, slowly remove the rod...

I have done hundreds and no injuries.. yet.:redface:

Go slow... be careful and you can do it... IMHO.
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But do you use a motorcycle helmet and leathers? :D
 
EppyGA said:
But do you use a motorcycle helmet and leathers? :D
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:rofl::lol::rofl::lol:....

No... But I would like to know who took the pic of Jesse and didn't laugh so hard to to be able to click the shutter...


And........ Mari is right .. even the cat looks like it is a normal day in the Jesse household.:yesnod::wink2:..

For bonus points. maybe Jesse can post some pics of the deck on fire.:dunno:
 
jesse said:
I'd do it but I'd be wearing my motorcycle helmet and jacket. Similar setup as the time I battled a hornets nest on my deck with a butane torch and a can of carb cleaner. Those bastards never saw that coming. Of course, I started my deck on fire.
Click to expand...

I like the way you operate!! :rofl:
 
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