Taking down a garage door--spring question

[james]

I'm getting a new shop built, so I'm closing in the little basement garage for a family room. I want to take the paneled overhead door out, but am unsure how to take the tension off the spring. (the round type in the center top, torsion?) Any ideas?

 

[russlaferrera]

Bring the door up. Put vicegrips on the track to keep the door from falling down. You will need 2 steel rods that will fit the spring tension winder in the center. Using 1 rod to increase the tension, push up until you can install the 2nd rod. When the 2nd rod is installed release the pressure on the 1st rod so the pressure is on the 2nd rod. Place the 2nd rod against a beam on something strong. Remove the cables from the left and right rollers.

Now to unwind the spring. Put the 1st rod into the tensioner lift up, Pull out the 2nd rod. Let the 1st rod down slowly to the beam (where the 2nd rod was) repeat this process several times, until the spring is unwound. USE CAUTION, BE SURE THE RODS ARE PROPERLY SEATED BEFORE YOU REMOVE ANY RODS

 

[nova65ss]

It is much easier to do with the door down rather than up, plus you will not need to bring a door with no springs back down. There will be more tension when it is down though.

 

[Junkman]

I would also like to reaffirm what both other posters have said. Make sure that the rods that you use are proper fitting for the spring mechanism, and also make sure that you don't make any mistakes, because one mistake, and you will need a lot of medical treatment. It can be done the way it says in the first post, however, if it were my door, I would find a local door installer and ask him how much he would charge just to "unwind" the spring for you. I think it is worth the $10 - $25 that he will charge for 5 minutes of his expertise rather than seeing you getting injured because of your inexperience. Some will say that if you don't do it yourself, then how will you ever get experience. Some things we only get to do once in a lifetime, and it isn't worth the risk for the experience. When I was still active on the ambulance, I remember a fellow that tried to wind the spring to install the door, and something went terribly wrong. He had a broken nose and jaw from the tools flying out at him, and a broken arm and collar bone from falling off the ladder. My advise is to spend the few dollars and take the door down after the spring is released by someone that has the experience to do it safely.

 

[zcarnut]

If you insist on doing it yourself, then this is a good read:

http://www.truetex.com/garage.htm

 

[L84ARACE]

I went through this dilema when I replaced an old garage door. I went the safe route and hired a professional.

 

[jwh]

I agree with junkman. Call the garage door man and have him do it. A broken jaw, nose, arm OR collarbone isn't fun. All four at once on the same person are a definite bummer.

And if it you still want to try doing this, think of spending the summer with an arm in a cast and a sling, a leg in a cast and you on crutches, a bandaged nose, a wired shut jaw, .......and all the fun you'll miss!!!

Need I say more???

John In Rochester NY (where there's 2 seasons: winter (which is over) and road construction (which is in full swing)