residential garage door torsion spring replacement

P49Y-CY

fomocomofo
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just wanted to post up some info about a recent learning experience for me in case it might be helpful to any other svtp homeowners out there. the only thread i saw on this board was over 12 years old, here:

https://www.svtperformance.com/foru...how-much-should-i-pay-to-get-it-fixed.168293/

so, i am relaxing on my couch one evening when all of a sudden i heard a real loud bang that sounded like it could have come from inside the house. i go looking all around and outside as to what the hell it could have been, but could find nothing out of place. next morning though, i go to open my garage door and it wouldn't move with the opener, and saw the broken torsion spring above the door. both of my cobras were trapped inside. fortunately i have a truck that i keep outside, so i could still get to work, etc, and could take my time researching this problem.

never having done this before or knowing anything about it, at first i thought maybe i should just pay someone. there are plenty of horror stories of it being too dangerous for anyone but experienced technicians, and there are no prices listed anywhere and they want to come out and probably upsell you. but it really is just scare tactics. i can see how the industry does not want diy'ers to attempt it because it is their livelihood, and that is fine, and they also really have most people at their mercy because they probably need to access their cars right away. and, it probably is best for most people to pay a company to do this repair since they may not be mechanically inclined or have the time.

but the svtp thread above actually encouraged me to try to do it myself. despite the scare tactics, it really is no more dangerous than say, changing a tire on your mustang, as long as you are careful and understand how it works. there are plenty of good youtube vids out there, and one of the best websites i found that really had a lot of great info was called ddm garage doors. in fact, appreciated their free info so much that i ended up buying my springs through them.

in my case i upgraded from one spring to two that each have a longer life than what was on there, and the whole thing including the winding bars and new hardware cost me $130. (the whole repair probably could have been as cheap as about $55 if i had gone that route.)

so, if you are on this board and can wrench on your own car, i would encourage you to try to do it yourself instead of paying someone if this happens to you. cheers
 

04MysticCobra

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I had one spring bust on me over 10 years ago. I replaced all the springs on both on my garage doors which was simple but I also installed the safety wires on all the springs so if and when they bust again they will not go flying. Thankfully on the first break no damage to my cars in the garage.
 

96dreamer

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same exact thing happened to me, thought something fell in the garage but couldn't find anything. Did find out till i went to leave. Also went the diy route and it was a breeze. just hav eot use common sense and pay attention to what your doing
 

PaxtonShelby

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I say have a pro do it. My door is 16x7 and 1.5 inches thick - solid wood. It is ridiculously heavy. Anyway - my torsion spring let go one night. Holy shitburgers - it was loud. Anyway - here is the reason I say to call a pro. When the local business owner showed up, he told me that the broken spring was undersized for the weight of my door. Had I tried to do his myself I never would have known this. $200 and 1 day is all it cost me, and it has worked perfectly ever since. Plus - with the right sized spring the door is very easy to lift when the power goes out. My $.02
 

Buckwheat 1

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I'll try anything, but won't mess with those.

If you can crack open a beer then you can install a spring. So long as the door is up it is easy. Now on the other hand if the door is down and you need a spring stretcher. I want to watch.
 

lowflyn

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I was installing those springs at 16. Really isn't difficult at all but a second set of hands makes it easier with the heavier ones.
 

R.D.P.

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I started to do this myself and realized the tension I was putting on that spring and decided to let someone do it - cost all of $275 and I was happy to pay it. Probably one of the few things I have zero interest in messing with myself.
 

HillbillyHotRod

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Are we talking the same springs here? There are those that are on the side of the door which are easy to change and then the ones at the top that work as torsion springs. These can be dangerous as they have to be wound up correctly.
 

LogiWorld123

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The door spring on my door is the one thing I pay someone to do.

I did replace all the rollers myself with some higher quality ones. Can't even hear my door squeak now
 

P49Y-CY

fomocomofo
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Are we talking the same springs here? There are those that are on the side of the door which are easy to change and then the ones at the top that work as torsion springs. These can be dangerous as they have to be wound up correctly.
I think post #2 and #8 may be talking about extension-type springs, which are on each side of the door and stretch out, but yes I am referring to torsion springs (situated on a horizontal rod over the top of the door) and are wound under pressure.
 

HISSMAN

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I had a spring let go on me while I was in the garage. It was a pants changing moment. I also did the repair and upgrade.

I had the same situation two years ago. One of the springs snapped and the door fell like an elephant jumped on it. Most people don't realize how heavy a garage door is, especially a double wide door like I have. I literally needed another guy to help me lift it two feet off of the ground.
I got a quote of $400 to fix it. I ended up ordering the winding rods and springs, and went ahead and upgraded the opener and did it myself for around $300. I learned an new skill in the process and have repaired two other doors for friends and neighbors since then.

No the bad. A co-worker must have really bad luck. He was standing just under his door when a spring broke. the door came down on his toes. It screwed his big toe up royally. That was about three years ago, and he still complains about it.

-Jeff

If you can crack open a beer then you can install a spring. So long as the door is up it is easy. Now on the other hand if the door is down and you need a spring stretcher. I want to watch.


Now way you are talking about the torsion spring.

garage-door-springs-repair.jpg


I say have a pro do it. My door is 16x7 and 1.5 inches thick - solid wood. It is ridiculously heavy. Anyway - my torsion spring let go one night. Holy shitburgers - it was loud. Anyway - here is the reason I say to call a pro. When the local business owner showed up, he told me that the broken spring was undersized for the weight of my door. Had I tried to do his myself I never would have known this. $200 and 1 day is all it cost me, and it has worked perfectly ever since. Plus - with the right sized spring the door is very easy to lift when the power goes out. My $.02


Funny you say this. When I did mine I actually got an industrial scale and weighed my door at the mid point and on both ends and did an average. There really was almost no difference in weight in any of the three spots though. I then did the math and figured out which springs I needed. And yes, the original springs were grossly underrated.
 
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Skitzerman

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^I hear you on the wooden doors. They sound like a freight train, when they come crashing down. I got rid of mine and replaced them with the light steel framed aluminum doors with 2" thick insulation. Wish I would have done it years ago.
 

P49Y-CY

fomocomofo
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Also, most people don't realize that the door opener is what keeps the door down. The torsion rods are trying to bring it up. I didn't know that until I started researching before repairing.
I have a slightly different understanding on this point, Jeff -

If the springs are properly matched to the weight of the door and you disconnect the opener (at the trolley), the door will "stay put" if you let go of it at any point on the track. Stays down by itself when closed and up by itself when open.

The opener should not have to be working very hard in either direction, or it may burn out or strip gears prematurely.
 

HISSMAN

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I have a slightly different understanding on this point, Jeff -

If the springs are properly matched to the weight of the door and you disconnect the opener (at the trolley), the door will "stay put" if you let go of it at any point on the track. Stays down by itself when closed and up by itself when open.

The opener should not have to be working very hard in either direction, or it may burn out or strip gears prematurely.

Right. That is what I meant. My brain got in the way of what I was trying to say as I was typing. With the springs I have installed I can move the door up and down at ease when it is disconnected from the opener and it will stay where I put it. Going back to edit now.. LOL
 

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