mine broke. i know they have a lot of (dangerous) inertia when under tension.
i want to try it myself instead of getting raped by a garage door company. do you know of a diy website to guide me ?
i dont want to screw up and end up in the hospital. thanks.
bc_is_the_place_to_be
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Call a few professional companies for quotes. I found that the cost of the spring alone was only a few dollars (maybe 5-10) less than having a qualified professional do the job.
Professionals arrive with assorted sizes of springs (you don't need to worry that you bought the wrong size), they have all the proper tools, grease, lubricants and whatever is needed. They are trained, and they will service and inspect the other parts of the door at the same time to ensure your continued safety.
George O
You failed to say, if it run long way across the top of the door, call the door company for sure. You and 4 of your friends will not be able to change it, and most likely wind up loosing part of your body or life.
If it is the kind where there are two springs one on each side of the track, its pretty simple, but make sure you replace both springs at the same time. I have yet to ever get the new one set at the same tension as the old. That makes the door bind.
First raise the door, either c clamp or vice grip the door so it can`t go down. Looses the springs and un hook them, if there is not a cable running thru each of the springs be sure and install one in the new springs. This is a safety, with out the cables, and a spring breaks its not a pretty sight when one gets loose in the garage. I saw one that broke in the middle of the night went thru the windshield bent the steering wheel and was found in the back seat. If the driver had been setting where he belonged I expect his head would of been in the back seat also.
In stall the two springs in reverse of the way you removed the non broken spring, and you will be in business.
Rich Z
Take the broken one off and bring it to a store like Lowes or HD that have replacement ones to make sure you get an exact match (some very cautious people say to replace both but I had one break years ago and replaced just one and never had a problem).
Raise the door all the way up to take almost all of the tension off its springs. You can put a c-clamp on the slide rail to keep it in place if you want. mount the front end (wall side) and slide the safety cable through it). Now put the other end into the screw eye that you took off when you removed the old one. You don't have to pull it very far to get the end of the bolt into place so that you can put the nuts on the end of that bolt. Now tighten the nuts with a wrench till the new side seems as stretched as the older original side. Now put the second nut on there to hold it tightly in place. Make sure to fasten that second end of the safety cable too.Remove the c-clamp if you used one. Now move the door up and down to make sure it is running smoothly. Tighten or loosen the bolt as necessary.
pahump1@verizon.net
if you look closely at the good spring ; you'll see a stripe and it's straight across when you buy it ; the good one has the stripe circling like a candy cane; it's tensioned up ; count the number of turns and then turn (or twist it ) with a straight rod into the holes;you'need two actually.and make sure it's the same as the existing good spring. think out your moves first ;then proceed with caution. position yourself to the side of it ;so that if it unravels the rod yur using doesnt break your chin. I watched a garage tech do it ,,,later I replaced one on my own;
Anonymous
I know a guy that was probably a lot more qualified than you that tried to change a coil spring and just about lost both his arms. Nothing personal but there is a reason for professionals, and don't think you get raped because you have to pay someone to fix something.These guys deserve to make a living to.