Replace snapped spring on garage door

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dacraka

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#207363 21-Dec-2016 09:02

Hey guys,

The spring snapped off my garage door last night and was just wondering if you guys know if it's a do-it-yourself job or should be left to a professional to do (assuming call just a garage door installer to fix? If so, any recommendations to call in Auckland Central?).

Cheers,

Phill

Stu

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#1693083 21-Dec-2016 09:13

Had the same thing happen a few years back. It probably could be done without a 'pro', but I figured if anything went wrong (and the door ended up damaging a car) it would be easier to have the insurance company deal with the installer. Just went through the 'phone book' (internet, yellow pages, whatever I don't recall now) and found a local Garage Door service company. Was cheap enough (from memory) and both springs were replaced.

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Coil

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#1693087 21-Dec-2016 09:18

Can be done by yourself but you need to pre load the spring on the shaft while the door is up. Making sure you load the spring up the correct way as well. Will need a few tools and 4 arms is also helpful. I'd just leave it to the pros to save yourself pinching your hands with the spring or endless frustration.

Dont go using your door opener often as well, The motor wont like the added weight.

Journeyman

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#1693124 21-Dec-2016 10:18

Dunno how you rate your handyman skills, but it looks pretty involved to me.

Pumpedd

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#1693126 21-Dec-2016 10:22

The pro's use special tools to load new springs. Always worth getting auto doors serviced regularly anyways.

Fred99

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#1693209 21-Dec-2016 12:35

No you don't tension the springs with the door open. The springs are tensioned up with the door closed.

If someone was to try DIY, then you need to understand that for replacement springs there are left and right hand, different gauge and length to suit door height and weight. There's usually a selection chart for the correct springs based on door weight, door weight (unsprung) can be measured with bathroom scales.

The only specialist tools needed are good vice-grips to lock the pole while you're working on the springs, and steel rods of the right diameter to fit in the holes in the castings of the springs, and about 400mm long, to carefully de-tension the remaining unbroken spring as the grub screws holding it to the pole are released, then to re-tension the springs. If you stuff this up, you'll risk either seriously skinning your hands, having a steel rod impaled in your face or skull, then whatever else happens as you fall off your ladder.

The trick with the springs on these doors though is that there's only a limited amount of variation in tension that can be achieved by tweaking (you might get away with an extra 1/2 turn or 1/2 turn less specified - 1 full turn = 1 foot height) or they will malfunction, either the auto unit will be strained and fail, or the wires will come off the drums, or the new springs will snap.

I'd never recommend anybody try DIY on sectional door spring replacement - and not just for safety reasons. It's common even for pros to fit replacement springs, then find they're not ideal, and need to take them off and fit slightly different springs to get the door adjusted and working correctly. That's okay for them - they'll have assorted sets of springs in the back of their van to change them over anyway.

And as others mention, they'd give the door a quick check over and lube etc while they're there.

dacraka

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#1693639 22-Dec-2016 08:24

Ended up that my partner researched on the net and the cheapest guy to fix it was John (Korean) (Eden Garage Door Repair) to do it for $390 including callout, GST, lubrication/service, replacing the frayed cables and both of the springs for our 120kg double garage door. Seems like the spring was made in NZ from the writing on it. He had mobile EFTPOS and came round in just 1.5 hours!

Definitely recommend if someone in the future comes across this post in the future (Auckland).

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Pumpedd

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#1693743 22-Dec-2016 11:32

dacraka:

Ended up that my partner researched on the net and the cheapest guy to fix it was John (Korean) (Eden Garage Door Repair) to do it for $390 including callout, GST, lubrication/service, replacing the frayed cables and both of the springs for our 120kg double garage door. Seems like the spring was made in NZ from the writing on it. He had mobile EFTPOS and came round in just 1.5 hours!

Definitely recommend if someone in the future comes across this post in the future (Auckland).

It pays to keep them in good condition....lots of folk were stuck when the power went off with the big earthquake and badly maintained auto doors without power wouldnt stay open.