How can I raise the garage door when the garage door torsion spring is broken?
- posted
10 years ago
How can I raise the garage door when the garage door torsion spring is broken?
There should be a release mechanism that disconnects the door from the opener. Some are a pull rope. My Genie Screw Drive is a metal handle you turn.
Hi, You can release the latch and lift the door with armstrong power. What I did was I got a small u clamp, spliced broken spring coil stretching it out. Then rewind it.... Once ready to work on it, close the door and replace spring(s) .. There are many you tube video help if you look around. Remember safety priority one!!!
I've pulled the release mechanism.
But the cables that run from the bottom of both sides of the garage door jumped off the pulleys on the horizontal bar above the door.
How can I raise the door without lifting the weight of the entire door?
Is your car in the garage? Regardless. you're best off having a garage door repair outfit replace the spring. Shouldn't cost much. But to answer your question, if it's a heavy wood door, forget it. Too dangerous without 4-6 beefy guys. If it a metal door, one or two strong guys. The cables aren't stopping it. Its the weight of the door.
If you have something sturdy to stand on, you can do it after watching a few YouTube videos. I paid $60 for a spring, and $6.50 for a pair of "winding bars". I think you want something "better than a ladder" to do it in the safest way possible. Ideally, a platform you can stand on with both feet. The satisfaction from doing it myself was worth more than the $100+ I saved. I guess that's why we visit these forums; because we don't want to go through life dependent on someone else for every little problem that comes our way. I wore a facemask while I wound the spring, and though it may not have been necessary, I would wear one again if I did it a second time. Good luck!
Bill
Same as you usually do, but it takes more power.
You can't.
How do you know he has an opener? He said the torsion spring is broken.
Sure you can. Use a forklift! Duh!
I wonder if the face mask you wore was rated for whatever might go wrong as you wound the spring.
Could you have been working with a false sense of confidence?
Actually, in my old house, with a double wood door (1972 vintage), when the spring broke, my wife and I were able to grunt up the door. The hardest part is really the 1st few inches. I think I used a pry bar and stuck a 2x4 under. Then we were able to get our fingers under it. The higher the door goes, the lighter it becomes, which is good because, as it goes higher, you are lifting above you head. I know we did this more than once over the years. And, if you have 3 people, it would be much easier. Of course, you door may be heavier.
Does a forklift raise the entire weight of the door?
Since you said "spring" and not "springs" you might be able to horse it up. I know there is no lifting my 150 MPH wind code door without the springs (both of them) You install the springs with the door down tho. Then you wind them up with 2 steel rods, alternately inserted in the windlass holes (about a
1/4 turn at a time). The trick is getting the tension so the door goes up easily and still goes all the way down. Be sure you buy the right spring or you will not be able to find this sweet spot.
You can't. That is what the spring is for. You will just have to struggle and prop it up if you need to get car out. Normally spring(s) is/are replaced with door shut and then tensioned up with a tool. Same tool for de-tensioning. Be very careful not to get your fingers trapped. Read instruction book. Very often tension is not the way/direction you expect.
There are usually two springs so be careful. The door may jam due to unequal forces.
You don't. While it is down, you use that opportunity to install new torsion springs.
Alternatively, you could disassemble the entire door.
Jon
No, I was the one who went through the trouble to secure a platform. That made doing it easy as pie.
The important thing is to make sure that your face and body are not in the same plane as the handles you use to turn the winding cone. I used a step ladder when I replaced mine last year, placed a couple feet away from the cone. Still used safety equipment, of course, which included work lights.
Jon
What does the platform have to do with my question about the face mask?
I'll ask my question a bit differently...
I assume you wore a face mask to protect yourself against something hitting you in the face while you were winding the spring. What specifically did you think might hit you in your face and do you know if the face mask was rated for the force that that object might have exerted?
I wore the face mask to keep any mosquitoes or other bugs from bothering me while I wound the spring. It worked like a charm!
Bill
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