Anyone replace garage door springs themselves?

[Billccm]

YouTube

Honestly some really good info and videos

I did mine for the first a few years back , common sense goes along ways , take your time and patience


Menards had everything as far as hardware and springs

I didn’t even realize one of my springs had broken until I hit the garage door opener and the door wouldn’t come up . I found parts of the spring 40 feet away on the backside of garage . I said to myself what kind of damage would of happened if a car

Anyways , did I say take your time and common sense

When my spring failed it was one turn of the coil spring that shot across the garage and landed behind my road runner. If it had projected a few inches lower I'm sure I would have had damage to the car.

BTW due to the Tucson garage door mafia I had to rent a car for almost three weeks. All my vehicles were hostage in the garage. Took two weeks of calling begging pleading showering money to get my spring replaced. Cost almost $900.

That's when I realized every single garage door business in Pima County Arizona is related by blood or marriage or Mafia ties.

Like I said don't get me started on garage door repair........

 

[moparedtn]

I installed both my doors - including wind-up springs - new like what, 15 years ago?
I asked lots of questions from the overhead door store as I bought some hardware from them and
even then, they recommended against someone doing it that had never done it.
I thought "hey, how hard can it be really?"
Once I got into winding the springs, though - yeah, you see in a hurry that shiyat can kill ya.
My younger brother was visiting at the time, so I made him be my second set of eyes while I cranked
away...
Tell ya what, not only would I not do it again now at my age, I'd recommend anyone else get a pro
to do it regardless. Just my two cents.

 

[RemCharger]

Anyone come up with any kind of guard to go around the overhead springs in case they snap into multiple pieces none of the pieces damage our wonder Mopars?

Some springs have a big rubber sheath over them.
Another good idea is to shoot rust check on them. Springs fail from surface rust, and they're bare metal.

 

[Billccm]

Some springs have a big rubber sheath over them.
Another good idea is to shoot rust check on them. Springs fail from surface rust, and they're bare metal.

I have heard that a light spray of silicone over the spring from time to time is a good preventative maintenance. Thanks for the reminder I'm going to do that today.

 

[pnora]

I have heard that a light spray of silicone over the spring from time to time is a good preventative maintenance. Thanks for the reminder I'm going to do that today.

That is true. Old door professional said wipe them down once a year with an oily rag. Reduces coil bind and makes the spring last twice as long.

 

[Bee1971]

For $900 I would have have bought a full face snowmobile helmet , wear my snowmobile chest protector , built a cage around the spring , bought the replacement parts

And still bee hundreds ahead

 

[threewood]

Done it. Hardest part is finding the correct diameter, length, and tension spring.

Make sure you set the tension in the correct direction. 2 tension bars are used in a boss with 4 corresponding holes. Make sure the bar goes in until it bottoms out (tape on the bar works to mark this).

One tension bar inserted and cranked 90 degrees, second bar inserted and takes pressure as first bar is removed. Second bar cranked 90, first bar takes pressure, etc.

 

[bm02tj]

Paint a strip so you can see how many turns you gave it

 

[khryslerkid]

Like Ed stated. Been there done that. And I was just adjusting the tension. Dropped one rod while tightening and I was screwed for a moment trying to get the one still in it to a resting place.

It's like setting a large rat trap with a hair trigger. Hire a professional!

 

[Sahara]

I’ve done a bunch of them. Freaking hate it but I’m no genius, if I can do it anyone can. Couple of tips, you can take them or leave them but they worked for me:
Have a buddy or wife nearby. Doesn’t have to be your wife. Keep them standing safely off to the side with a cell phone handy and ambulance on speed dial. I’m serious. They can also hand you any tools you drop.
Don’t be in a hurry, and don’t have kids, pets, idiot friends, or other distractions. This requires all of your concentration.
This is not a job you do for beer, unless all beer is consumed AFTER.
Before you start, paint a straight line the full length of the spring. This makes it much easier to count turns.
Do not position yourself directly in front, but off to the side so that you don’t get hit by flying pieces or tools.
Others may disagree, but I don’t wear gloves doing this. I would rather have it tear off a piece of soft flesh then suck my whole hand in because leather doesn’t tear.
And one thing I learned the hard way: the rails for the door that attach to the ceiling are usually held on by angle iron. They are SHARP on the ends. Many of us, including me have been badly cut bumping or brushing against the ends of these while working on a door. The FIRST thing I do is put a piece of masking tape or duct tape over these sharp edges. Only takes a minute and saves being cut.

 

[68-500]

Its not that bad at all. I was installing garage doors right out of high school. Just make sure you have a couple good fitting solid steel rods. You really cant mess up if make sure each bar is fully seated in the hole. If it where really that dangerous OSHA would have mandated some sort of contraption that makes it at least 4x more difficult.

 

[BSB67]

So, my workshop door has a broken spring.

My garage has 4 single-car doors total - built like a bank barn, it has 3 doors on the lower level, and one on the upper level. This upper level is my workshop, and where I park my work truck as well as keep my pro audio equipment. This upper door is the one that has a broken spring.

One of the lower doors broke a spring years ago and I had it replaced. I remember watching the guy do it, and it was some sort of sorcery, black magic type work that involved not amputating fingers or sending wrenches through his own skull while he was removing and replacing the springs.

Has anyone here done their own spring replacements? My doors are "heavy" - they are single car doors, but they are insulated, and they have a veneer/facade on the outside which makes them look like carriage house doors (but adds weight because it's a sheet of 1/4" plywood facing). That tells me "more finger-removing, skull-cracking spring tension"..... I have the spec tag from the last spring replacement (250x2.000x41.00), which I presume is 250 lb rating x 2" coil size x 41" long, and I assume I can order springs from that....but the guy who did my last one appears to have retired, and I can't get anyone to return calls about the job.

I guess nobody needs work.

Here's the door in question:

View attachment 1595731

View attachment 1595729

...and the lower level, just because I love my garage...

View attachment 1595730

You should love that garage, it’s beautiful

 

[threewood]

My tension bars.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I swear, people are scared of every damn thing... Didn't realize this was Karenville..... Man up watch a few videos & get to work... I've done a few dozen, not a big deal if you have average skills and don't do stupid ****...

 

[Triplegreen500]

Not afraid, just zero experience with it. Hence the "has anyone done it" question. I'll probably give it a shot, if I can get the parts.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Not afraid, just zero experience with it. Hence the "has anyone done it" question. I'll probably give it a shot, if I can get the parts.

My reply wasn't necessarily aimed at you.... Half the posts above seem to think your either gonna die or at the very least rip you face off.... I've done neither....

 

[Bee1971]

Going in

 

[toolmanmike]

Going in

View attachment 1596116

 

[moparedtn]

I swear, people are scared of every damn thing... Didn't realize this was Karenville..... Man up watch a few videos & get to work... I've done a few dozen, not a big deal if you have average skills and don't do stupid ****...

A bit below the usual caliber of comment I've come to expect from you, sir.
I went back and looked and didn't see anyone saying they were "scared".
I sure didn't.

Not a damn thing wrong with advising a whole bunch of caution to someone who hasn't done
this task either - in fact, that would be the prudent thing to do out of concern for others' well-being.

 

[moparedtn]

Not afraid, just zero experience with it. Hence the "has anyone done it" question. I'll probably give it a shot, if I can get the parts.

Nothing wrong with that. Doing the usual homework will likely keep you safe, just like with other such tasks.