Woody610nb
Banned
One of the torsion springs on my garage door broke. How difficult is it to replace the springs myself? Where can I purchase springs from?
Broken garage door spring.
- Thread starter Woody610nb
- Start date
pattenp
Well-known member
Best place I've found on the web for parts and DYI info is here...
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/
kramarj
Well-known member
I would recommend that you just call a good door company to replace them. You get the right springs for the door, not a set of springs that are off the shelf from a store. Most door companies should have springs in stock, unless you have an out of the ordinary door.
Normally we measure the springs one day and replace them the next. If the job is close we normally replace them the same day. It does cost more to have somebody do it, but normally it takes us like 15 minutes to come in and change a set of springs and we are on our way and the customer can use their door again.
If you are dead set on changing them yourself, please be careful, they can be very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
Normally we measure the springs one day and replace them the next. If the job is close we normally replace them the same day. It does cost more to have somebody do it, but normally it takes us like 15 minutes to come in and change a set of springs and we are on our way and the customer can use their door again.
If you are dead set on changing them yourself, please be careful, they can be very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
JDMopar
Well-known member
Be VERY careful doing it! You will need to wind it up by using metal bars, or 3/8 extensions from a ratchet set. If you let it slip, the spring will sling the metal bar right thru you! Look it up on You Tube before attempting! 
Money well spent on hiring it out if you're not sure.
Can you do it your self yes is it worth it . At the shop I work at it's between 200 to 250 for two new springs center bearing and new cables if needed and service the door. don't go cheap replace both spring and center bearing it save you from doing it again in 6 month when the other side goes.
rburke65
Well-known member
I think you have to weigh your mechanical experience, maturity, tools available......can you do it?.....sure......should you? Don't know......
upndown
Well-known member
Hell, it takes me 15 min to knock on the door, scratch my ***, and get a drink. I used to carry lengths of springs under a false floor in my van and a small set of torches. No going back for me, that's time and money.
OP if you value your digits let a pro do it, but only You can make that call.
OP if you value your digits let a pro do it, but only You can make that call.
fred d
Well-known member
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THIS
Have done a couple, not for the faint of heart.
If they were the dual coil springs on the side I'd say get a pair at Lowes and how for it
Torsion, different story
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Woody: can you post a few pictures of the spring you broke? i had maybe 5 break on my 2 single garage doors in 30 years and they were on the sides. if i had it to do over i would have ordered the spring above the middle of the doors like i own now with the side mounted garage openers.
the side mounted ones are not too difficult to change but i'd replace both at the same time so you get the same tension. i didn't do that and probably why i broke a few. luckily when the springs broke was after the cars left the garage so nobody got hurt. the springs and parts flew quite a ways though.
be careful
the side mounted ones are not too difficult to change but i'd replace both at the same time so you get the same tension. i didn't do that and probably why i broke a few. luckily when the springs broke was after the cars left the garage so nobody got hurt. the springs and parts flew quite a ways though.
be careful
malykaii
Well-known member
From the look of those pictures, it's a lot like the door springs (aka door operator) on trucks. If that's the case, you,can do it your self if your safe, patient, and not stupid. When I started at my current job, I watched a how to video, then did one along side a mechanic. Easy,but dangerous if your not careful.
Regarding winding, we use long bolts intended for leaf spri g center pins on trucks. Unlike the 3/8 extension, the bolt is threaded and has grip and is far less likely to jump put.
Regarding winding, we use long bolts intended for leaf spri g center pins on trucks. Unlike the 3/8 extension, the bolt is threaded and has grip and is far less likely to jump put.
buzz4041
Well-known member
I just had one break also last week. Company came out with 2 guys and fixed it and adjusted. I have insulated 8 x 16 doors so springs are a bit heavier and my bill was $165. Not worth my time to even mess with it or worry about the dangers involved.
OP
Woody610nb
Banned
Thanks for all the responses. I am very mechanical and there aren't many things I haven't done in my life. Like most of us, it is difficult to spend money to have something done that you feel you can do yourself. I seems like finding the right springs are the difficult part.
I'll weigh the options and decide how to handle the fix. Thanks again.
I'll weigh the options and decide how to handle the fix. Thanks again.
nauqneyugn
Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2013
- Messages
- 9
My girlfriend and I replaced a spring a couple months ago. Getting the right spring was easy enough using the measurement guides in YouTube. I feel like if you have a good set of winding cone rods and don't get careless, it's a very doable job.
7thDimension
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2013
- Messages
- 83
Yeah, I've done it before as well, just used a couple large bolts, works fine if you're careful.
bwringer
Well-known member
You'll shoot your eye out, kid... 
Eh, I just did mine. Wasn't that hard. Yes, it can be dangerous if you take ANY shortcuts at all. This is one of those times you do exactly what the instructions tell you and make sure you understand exactly what you're doing every seond.
And the first step of every set of instructions is to ACCURATELY WEIGH YOUR DOOR. This is actually the hard part -- most bathroom scales only go up to 300 pounds or so. Unless your door is one of the lighter ones, you might not have a way to get an accurate weight. And you'll need a couple of helpers to get the scale in place.
Do NOT use idiotic hillbilly substitutes for the winding rods, like pipe, bolts, extensions, popsicle sticks, rebar, aluminum, etc. A three foot piece of cold rolled 1/2" round is less than six bucks at Menards. Chop it in half, make DAMN sure the ends are square and deburred, and you're golden. Insert the bars into the cones and mark the depth with tape so you can be 110% sure they're inserted all the way each time.
Also, Menards was about the only place around that stocked the springs. They just happened to have the correct spring for my door. YMMV.
There's also a very slick setup available with a gearbox widget -- you use a cordless drill to wind the spring. It's much safer, but costs a bit extra.
Eh, I just did mine. Wasn't that hard. Yes, it can be dangerous if you take ANY shortcuts at all. This is one of those times you do exactly what the instructions tell you and make sure you understand exactly what you're doing every seond.
And the first step of every set of instructions is to ACCURATELY WEIGH YOUR DOOR. This is actually the hard part -- most bathroom scales only go up to 300 pounds or so. Unless your door is one of the lighter ones, you might not have a way to get an accurate weight. And you'll need a couple of helpers to get the scale in place.
Do NOT use idiotic hillbilly substitutes for the winding rods, like pipe, bolts, extensions, popsicle sticks, rebar, aluminum, etc. A three foot piece of cold rolled 1/2" round is less than six bucks at Menards. Chop it in half, make DAMN sure the ends are square and deburred, and you're golden. Insert the bars into the cones and mark the depth with tape so you can be 110% sure they're inserted all the way each time.
Also, Menards was about the only place around that stocked the springs. They just happened to have the correct spring for my door. YMMV.
There's also a very slick setup available with a gearbox widget -- you use a cordless drill to wind the spring. It's much safer, but costs a bit extra.
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This is what my Wayne Dalton door have along with an internal spring so you never see it. Break out the 18V Dewalt and a 7/16" socket, easy as cake to add/subtract spring tension.
LB-1911
ALLIANCE MEMBER
rslaback
Well-known member
I'm always surprised when this topic comes up. With all the things that we give advice about on Garage Journal torsion springs seem to be some holy grail of don'ttouchitness. The system is very basic and easy to understand the mechanics and the dangers.
It absolutely carries danger with it, but so do a lot of the things we talk about from firearms to drag racing to installing headers.
It absolutely carries danger with it, but so do a lot of the things we talk about from firearms to drag racing to installing headers.
justsam
Well-known member
I called a pro out to change mine, but really wish I hadn't., since I wound up with two different spring lengths.
When I called around for a "professional" I had advised that it was a large door, insulated 8x16. I even measured the springs, length, overall diameter, and wire diameter, which was 0.273" as I recall. Well he shows up with one correct spring, but did not have the mate. He made due with a different length spring on one side, and all works fine now. I know that rotational torque is rotational torque, but it just violates my OCD sense of symmetry, and had I done it, I would have just waited until I had both correct springs, since I did have access to other vehicles and the door being operational was not an emergency.
Time is money, I get it. Just not the way I do things.
In terms of danger, of course it is, but don't many of us also deal with automotive spring compressors and the inherent danger there?
When I called around for a "professional" I had advised that it was a large door, insulated 8x16. I even measured the springs, length, overall diameter, and wire diameter, which was 0.273" as I recall. Well he shows up with one correct spring, but did not have the mate. He made due with a different length spring on one side, and all works fine now. I know that rotational torque is rotational torque, but it just violates my OCD sense of symmetry, and had I done it, I would have just waited until I had both correct springs, since I did have access to other vehicles and the door being operational was not an emergency.
Time is money, I get it. Just not the way I do things.
In terms of danger, of course it is, but don't many of us also deal with automotive spring compressors and the inherent danger there?
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upndown
Well-known member
Cato
Well-known member
They sell them at Home Depot. I replaced all of mine. You got to use lots of common sense when replacing them. I jerry rigged a chain connected to a 2X4 that I stepped on to draw the spring out to get it hooked. Make sure you wear eye protection heavy gloves and clothes should tragedy strike. lol
I'm not normally one of those safety nannies and I usually advocate for trying things yourself but I guess garage door springs are my 3rd rail. Back when I bought my first house I had constant trouble with the garage door. It was a peice of junk and was always coming off the track, getting jammed, etc. For some reason I decided I needed to adjust the tension on the torsion spring. I did it myself because hey, how tough could it be, right? I used a pair of alignment punches that fit snugly into the holes in the tensioner to wind the thing up. Everything was going great until the tip of one of the punches snapped of. It happened when I was repositioning the other punch so the tensioner spun around on the bar and hurled the chunk of broken off punch past my ear like a bullet. It hit the block wall on the other side of the garage hard enough to make a mark in the concrete.
Call me a chicken, a mama's boy, whatever; I don't mess with garage door springs anymore.
Call me a chicken, a mama's boy, whatever; I don't mess with garage door springs anymore.
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malykaii
Well-known member
I saw mention of not using bolts. I still beg to differ. We use grade 8 truck leaf spring center bolts. About 1.5 feet long. It holds up to the extreme environment of truck leaf springs. Its threaded, so it has amazing grip in the holes on the spring. Its safe. Very safe.
BD1
Well-known member
How old and what shape is the door in ? Maybe just get a complete new door ?
hdpusher
Active member
I had the roller bracket the lift assist cable is attached to rip from a door I was working on. It struck me in the face fractured my skull, destroyed my nose and lots of stitches. I survived but only after alot of surgery and 2 steel plates in my head.
And I thought I knew what I was doing.
Now I use a pro.
And I thought I knew what I was doing.
Now I use a pro.
bfarroo
Well-known member
I replaced mine a few years ago and another thing to take into account is that longer/wider springs are rated for more cycles typically, you can get multiple length springs for the same door typically depending on what you want to spend. It wasn't much more for the longer springs when I did mine and they were rated at 3 times the cycles as the original one. I didn't want to have to change them again.
Family Handyman Magazine had a good article about how to do it. I replaced mine beforehand, but it has some good tips
http://www.familyhandyman.com/doors...dvanced-garage-overhead-door-repairs/view-all
http://www.familyhandyman.com/doors...dvanced-garage-overhead-door-repairs/view-all
6768rogues
Banned
I do almost everything myself and I had the door company who installed the doors in 1993 change the springs. Change them both, because they are good for about 10,000 cycles and the other one will break soon.
Keep them lubed. If they rust and coils stick together, they break faster.
Keep them lubed. If they rust and coils stick together, they break faster.
You can use two bathroom scales and add the weights.
6t7gto
Well-known member
pattenp
Well-known member
So you naysayers to changing a garage door torsion spring. What's your feeling about compressing a coil spring on a car to change it?
kramarj
Well-known member
I would gladly pay for someone to do it who has the right tools and will get it done in a timely fashion. I put in garage doors, I am by no means a mechanic.
I am all for somebody learning something new, I am the same way. But just because I watch a youtube video on a topic doesn't mean that I am capable of a job and really know the consequences that come with it.
upndown
Well-known member
Mikes145, you're one of the only guys I can recall admitting to that.
But you can bet there's been others!
upndown
Well-known member
upndown
Well-known member
Brians VWss
Well-known member
I was real lucky with mine. Broke friday night. No retal store stocks them due to safty issues. I found a mail order garage door parts store. Just so happend the guy lived 10 min from my house. I called him up he had a set and at his house. I did mine in 30 min. Made some bars out of 1/2 stock. Make sure to triple check everything and stay on the side of the bars.
bwringer
Well-known member
True, but I think that guy was talking about extension springs. Not sure why he was dragging that anecdote into a thread about torsion springs. Eh, we all miss a word sometimes.
You'll shoot your eye out, kid!
In either case, the answer is much the same: using proper tools and procedures, no problem. Using the stupid homemade **** way too many people use whilst sucking a Budweiser, there's the potential for a closed casket service.
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