Garage Door spring maintenance

[oldgoat]

Asked a question about a door spring breaking and one guy that does it for a living wrote back some interesting information on maintenace you could do to increase the life of them and the rollers. Some of the tips I would have never thought of:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/718954-garage-door-springs.html

 

[ron in sc]

I watched, from a distance, as the guys tightened the torsion springs for my door just yesterday. It was a very simple process. They used two bars and counted the number of turns. That said there is no way I would do that myself since if a bar slipped as tightening or holding the spring the result could be quite expensive in terms of medical bills and pain.

 

[97CV]

I flat out refused to tighten my FIL's door spring. That I will pay someone for...I hit my rollers and track once every other month with ZEP 45. I have a one car door w/o an opener. I have seen a 5 year old open it...Its that smooth.

And I ML spray the main spring too.

 

[TAftonomos]

I was quoted $300 to fix a door that was only 13 months old. One of the cable reels wasn't tightened properly, and slipped over time. My door opener tried to tear the door off the wall because of the way it was jacked around.

Home builder blamed me for the garage door install.

Screw you I say.

Studry step ladder - Check

2 pieces of steel rod - Check

Being very careful, not standing/looking right at the thing while I tightened it - Check

If you can't do something without being careful, and understand that if the bar isn't fitting tight, it might slip out with a LOT of force, then don't do it. If you are careful, make sure the rod fits in the roller correctly, go slowly and methodically, then it's not that big of a deal.

Then again, most of you guys with 2000sq foot showrooms have enough $$ to pay someone, in which case I would too


Door works perfect, and I kept $300 in my pocket. I can't believe companies charge that much to fix a door...I'm in the wrong biz

 

[dcjredline]

I also built my whole garage and installed BOTH doors. 1 8x7 and the other 16x7 just take your time and do as the above poster said you'll be fine. If your uncomfortable then DONT DO IT though.

 

[Splinter]

my father in law needed his spring replaced a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to do it (by myself) for him. I declined, always heard horror stories. He had the local door guy do it, only charged him $150.


Looking back on it, I think he was setting me up

 

[frog]

I, dont post here much as I am still building my home shop. I have owned and operated a garage door company for 21 years, and one point is being left out. Garage door spring calculations are pretty complicated, as a matter of fact I use a laptop now, and just overwinding them will have a drastic and significant effect on their service life. Another point is the spring "cycle life". You can spec. out different amounts, but by and large most markets support a price point that allows for 10,000 cycle springs. A cycle is either up or down, so 5000 operations. A big reason for the shorter life nowadays is the fact that many of us use our garage door as the main entrance, I know I do! It depends on many factors but a weight change as small as 10 pounds can neccessitate a spring change to heavier gauge springs. Lastly the most important things for door longevity are making sure it is properly strutted, and NO lube in the tracks. Lube the ball bearings and roller sheaves only.

 

[kbs2244]

Frog has a very good point.
But, there are a lot of scare stories out there also.
I adjusted mine about 3 years ago for added weight due to paint.
I did a lot of internet research first, and decided it just wasn’t all that mysterious.
No more danger that jacking up a car and working under it
You just have to take the right steps in advance.
But when one spring broke, I called a guy.
$150.00 later I had 2 new springs.
But I got some advice also.
A good soaking with an oil gun every 6 months sure will not hurt the springs.
Most of the wear is from the spring rubbing on itself as it tightens and releases.
A little oil will do a lot.

 

[ovilla]

I think a lot of the hype about the dangers of adjusting the springs is really uncalled for. Many of us operate weed wackers and lawn edgers that could also do just as much damage. The key with the garage springs is simply taking the time to do it right and safely. If you buy the actual rods (about $20 total) that are used by professionals, you'll be just fine. These rods go a good 2" into the adjustment "collars" and you'll most likely always be putting pressure on them or they'll be resting against the door/wall as you insert a rod into the other end of the same one collar. Install these yourself and you can use the money you save to buy long life springs.

 

[nova65ss]

You really are only saving yourself about 60-75 dollars in labor to do it yourself. The bars will cost you 10 -15 and a trip to the hardware store for something that needs to be done once every ten years or so when they need to be replaced. Not worth the possible trip to the emergency room if you ask me.

I was at a guys house the other day with a big garage, tons of tools and equipment. He answered the door and had a bandage covering his ear and a black eye. Did not think much of it until we got into the garage and saw all the blood stains on the floor. The bar got away from him and ripped the bottom of his ear off and had to have it sewn back on. Pretty ugly.

Not trying to start a debate or say no one should do it just giving my take on the subject. I can probably do most of the things around my house but there are alot I simply choose not to do. I am to the point that I will pay for ease and convenience over trying to save a few bucks and hope I do it correct.