Torsion Spring Replacement

This site spells it out pretty completely .. .. ..

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I did mine last winter, and it went very smoothly & only took a few hours. You really should do both sides together. They have a limited number of cycles, and if one broke, the other probably isn't far behind. The only "specialty" tools you'll need are a pair of 1/2" diameter X

18" long winding rods. Just go slow and easy & it's a pretty simple operation.

Reply to
Anonymous
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On 8/13/2005 11:49 AM US(ET), djay took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

I've undone a few. Just open the door fully and then hold it in its fully opened position with a pair of visegrips clamped to the rail at the bottom edge of the door, so the door cannot fall down by itself after you remove the spring. Then just undo the outer nut on the eye hook that holds the back end of the spring to the brace. You might tie the end of the spring around the rails so it doesn't swing down and break something after you have removed the nut from the eye hook. Then, while holding the spring, untie the spring from the rail and lower the spring by hand. After installing the new spring, you will probably have to play with the placement of the outer and inner (lock) nut on the eyehook to get the correct balance for the door.

Reply to
willshak

???

The OP inquired about torsion springs. Your reply does not apply to torsion springs

Reply to
Diesel

All,

I've never replaced a garage door torsion spring and one of my two is broken.

26" 1.75 ID .2187 Diameter RH spring is broke. I probably should replace both at the same time, correct? Reading through a couple of "how to" websites the replacement doesn't seem all that difficult - just dangerous in a couple of instances and time consuming. For those of you who have accomplished this yourself or have had a pro do it, what would you recommend? I'm pretty handy (worked framing, plumbing, electrical [no garage door experience] finish carpentry etc for 7 summers) but I'm not sure that there are any additional tips/tricks (words of wisdom - I've seen the posts before!) that you could provide?

Thanks,

Djay

Reply to
djay

Reply to
barbarow

The first oven door spring broke in the "hook" section?

I would argue that the failure of a tension spring in the hook section is rather different than the failure of a trosion spring in the spring section.

btw the time needed to replace both springs is not twice the time to replace one spring. Better to do both & get it over with.

every other item

Reply to
BobK207

An engineer would disagree. See my explanation and references regarding cycle lifetimes at:

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Reply to
Richard J Kinch

I had a spring break twice, so far, in 29 years. You could still lift the door but it was a grunt with only one spring assisting. Each time I was gone, so my wife called the people that installed the door. The worker changed both springs the first time but only one spring the last time.

I've never changed the springs but retensioned them because my door is wood with Masonite panels and changes a lot in weight from hot dry summer to wet winter. Make sure that the bars you use to wind/unwind the springs fit well because you don't want a slip. I used two 1/2" round bars I already had and they fit perfectly.

Get two (three if you have a double garage) saw horses and a plank(s) so you can walk back and forth. If necessary make the saw horses the height that you can work comfortably. Saw horses and planks (or better, torsion boxes of 3/8 plywood and 2x4's works good and you will use them a lot in house maintenance.

As long as you have the time, work carefully tie down anything that can move, you will have no problems. You don't really have to replace both springs. Contrary to what others said, I don't think that one spring breaking indicates the other is likely to also. Springs don't all receive the same temper so some break and some don't with the same use. Currently, on my door, one spring has about 10 years of use and the other has about 15 years of use. Being retired, I would probably change it myself, unless the charge to replace it is really high.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Thanks for the advice group. I checked out the additional sites that were posted and I am sure I'll be able to do the deed myself! I'll let you all know how it worked out.

DJay

Reply to
djay

An engineer would disagree with *that*.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

Of course an engineer wouldn't agree. Engineers depend on the fact that a single item is like every other item. The fact is, that even with tight controls on manufacture there is usually a large of amount of difference among individuals. If the life cycle of 95 percent of the items is longer than the item will be used, who cares if some items have a 50 percent longer life time.

Springs from the same batch may be pretty similar, but who knows how much mixing of batches there is. One simple example: the spring on the left side of my oven door broke after 5-6 years and I didn't fix it. The spring on the other side was sufficient to keep the door closed but wouldn't hold the door in the "half-c*ck" position. As a result the door was mostly left in the full open position for cool down. That increased the tension and yet that spring is still working after

29 years of use. The first spring had a useful lifetime of 6 years the second had a lifetime 5 times as long.
Reply to
George E. Cawthon

On 8/13/2005 1:44 PM US(ET), Diesel took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

Yes, I missed that. I deleted the message as soon as I noticed my error. Apparently not soon enough.

Reply to
willshak

I would replace them both. It is a toss up, the old spring my last for years, but for the $25 for the spring it is not worth taking the chance that it will last longer than the other. I replaced one spring 3-4 years ago. A month ago the other one broke. I replaced both of them this time. Take care doing the job. Get the proper sized bars to unwind the spring. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

the spring failed so what makes you think it was in the hook section?

Reply to
BobK207

George-

You seem to paint with the "broad" brush.

Perhaps you find engineers "disagreeable" simply because they disagree with YOU.

If this happens a lot maybe you're wrong a lot. :)

cheers Bob

Reply to
BobK207

Doesn't matter what kind of spring it is, the point was that the failure rate of springs is highly individual. I didn't tell you what part of the spring failed so what makes you think it was in the hook section?

Whether one replaces both or one spring depends on a lot of factors. If you have a technician do it, then have him replace both. If labor is a problem for a do it yourselfer, then replace both, but if labor isn't a problem it doesn't make sense to replace both. Let's say you replace both, you will feel really stupid when the replacement for the one that didn't break needs replacement in a short time.

Yeah it's a broad statement, but the assumption is consistency or at least a certain amount of consistency. Don't read "identical" for what I said which was "like." There is a lot of variation allowed with "like." For really important things, engineers recognize the variability and use standards that would be met under minimum conditions. For example, you use the maximum span stated in the boots for a Douglas fir 2x10. The amount of deflection will be (usually) within the standard, but the poor piece timber will deflect a lot more than a really high quality one.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

I have friends that are engineers but on a broad basis, engineers are "disagreeable." But they don't hold a candle to lawyers for disagreement.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Hold on! The part that failed was 4 inches from the center "bulkhead" plate. I'm an engineer as well, but of the communications variety! Easy Boyz!!!! :~)

Reply to
djay

Sure but building an argument on a false hypothesis is a lot worse than just asking a question.

Experience, oh yea, a bit of reading.

I didn't bring up the idea of engineers. In fact, my engineer response was primarily toward your god view of engineers rather than any animosity toward the engineers I know. However, they make mistake at about the same rate as everyone else.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

Yeah a little too much.

I don't find engineers "disagreeable," that was a play on words because they disagree a lot.

Reply to
George E. Cawthon

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