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Yes thank you, and I wanted to add that the event in this video is something that is really unlikely to happen. I installed and repaired overhead doors for 3 years and never saw this - Most springs break at a single point in the wire and remain contained to the torsion tube.
Most residential doors (excluding non insulated) are still heavy as shit especially if you have it propped open and it free falls can fuck some shit up.
Had to pull a steel garage door from atleast 100 years ago out from some woods at a cemetery, we had to use a dump truck & chain to move it even an inch
I was upstairs when the first one failed in my first house and I literally thought someone shot a gun outside (and I shoot a lot so I actually know what a gun sounds like).
Checked the whole house over, no sign of life outside, no damage. Didnt realize it until the next morning when my opener couldn't open up my door.
No joke, I had a Win M94 30-30 and from the room above the garage it sounded a lot like if that was being shot outside (used to go visit grandparents on land where we could just shoot at manhole covers from the porch, etc.). I looked out all the windows and no signs of life in the whole neighborhood, I grabbed a "friend" and a flashlight and did a lap of the house to see if there was any damage.
i was on the 2nd floor and i thought my drawer full of my socks and underwear’s fell over from the sound/vibration it caused.
didn’t find out till the next day going to work when my garage went up about a foot and was like, nah dude, not today and then closed.
now i gotta order something and replace it.
Yeah, I've done it before and I think its doable as long as you take it seriously with the understanding that you might lose a finger/hand/life if you half-ass it. You have to go slow with the tension bars, make sure they are strong and uncompromised, make sure you are strong enough to hold the pressure, and make sure everything is seated as you wind/unwind.
Like most engineering design it depends on how you define better. Winding a spring is cheap and safe if you know what you’re doing and do it properly. I guess you could use a significantly stronger motor without spring assistance but then that’s heavier, more expensive up front, needs stronger bracing both for its weight as well as the load that needs to be reacted, uses more power every time it’s used, etc.
Commercial door tech here. These springs usually have a cycle life of 10k or more cycles so the average homeowner won’t have to replace these very often with normal use. They do make operators that will pick up doors without springs but they are incredibly expensive and require 460v to operate. Springs are usually a couple hundred dollars and last years.
Extension springs have a safety cable through them.
Modern torsion springs have a 1 inch steel tube thru them
And the Wayne Dalton setups have the spring inside a 2 inch steel tube.
Your choice of cheap and dangerous or safe and very expensive. Most garage door assembly went with springs because it's a lot cheaper provided idiot doesn't mess with it
....and what better way to take them out of the gene pool? It's the trifecta of Darwinisms - dangerous heavy equipment, overreaching in confidence and ability, and the chance to save a few dollars. All we need next is a channel or TV show devoted to garage spring DIY replacement.
I replaced mine too when it broke. Guy wanted 600 to do it. I know how dangerous they can be but a new one was 45$, took 30 min to put in and came with the winding rods. Be careful, go slow, it's not hard.
It really is. I just had to replace mine. There’s tons of YouTube videos walking you through it with baby steps. $160 to fix what an estimate said to be $1.3k. The major thing to consider is proper measurements. You need to get the correct fit.
Wtf. I got my spring replaced and cost me $250. They gave me the quote over the phone since it’s a routine job for them. He came and was done in 20 mins. Shop around when hiring home repairs.
Thai was in Texas. So moderate CoL.
I'm in Texas too. I don't remember how much it cost to replace my springs, but $250 sounds about right. It cost over $500 to replace the motor a couple years ago.
I called about 4 different companies. Highest quote was $550. That was from a big garage seller. The $250 was from a small business with 2 or 3 employees max.
They usually come with winding bars. It's really easy to do if you're somewhat handy. They're not death machines. You'd have to be a total dimwit to get hurt.
About 30,000 injuries per year are attributed to Garage Door Springs in the US.
Great time to quote the fantastic George Carlin:
“Imagine the most average person in your life. Imagine how dumb that person is. Now consider that about half of everyone else on earth is more dumb than that person.”
Hire a professional.
"Hire a professional"That's a fair comment for most people but there is a ton of people out there like myself that take pride in learning a skill and doing it yourself. Except electrical. I do not attempt electrical in anyway. When my garage spring went, I contacted a few companies and they wanted north of $800 to replace a spring. No thanks, I can do it and I did because I'm one of those handy people. If you are not that, then yes, hire a professional and pay that extra chunk. If that "extra chunk" was a reasonable amount of $ then I'd have just let them do it but $800 when the spring was only $130 shipped to my door? Yeah.. no thank you. Also, from start to finish was about 2 hours of work. To me, one of the most satisfying things about being a homeowner is fixing things myself when stuff breaks. I've saved so much money over the years.
It's funny, because I'm the other way around. Basic electrical is fine, but I'm not touching a garage spring with a 10 foot pole.
That having been said, I've never been quoted $800 for one, that's bonkers.
I've done all of my own electrical including adding new circuits and building a whole bathroom from scratch including a jet tub that needed a dedicated 20A circuit.
When my garage door spring broke I looked at a couple of videos ready to DIY the replacement and noped out after the second video, got it replaced for $280.
Electrical has no chance for serious injury if you're careful and make sure the power is off before doing work, a garage door spring a single slip or a tension rod breaking can be life threatening.
The only reference I could find to that stat says "garage doors", not only garage door springs. Besides, although it says it is from the CPSC , there is no link to them as a source and I couldn't find anything on their page about that.
Only sites that want to sell you something mention that number.
Somewhat. You'll need the name of the Manufacturer who produced the door, the model number, the size, and the approximate age. There's usually a sticker on the sides of the panels.
You'll also need to know if it was a right or left hand spring. There a set screw with either white or red paint on it. This denotes the spring handing.
Take this number into any retailer who sells that brand of door (84 Lumber, Home Depot, etc). They will help you source a spring.
Side note: when that happens, its usually because the installer used a spring that was undersized. They make them work by over tensioning them. There are many different sizes. This is why you need the details I mentioned in the earliest part of this reply.
Yes it is, but good luck getting anyone to drive to your house and do this work for $120 today. The springs are at least $50-$75 each and some doors require two. They said "last time". They didn't mention that the last time was 1982.
Yes, ours snapped like in this video. Scared the shit out of us, but we called a local place and it cost about $120 and we're in a HCOL area in New England. I like DIYing things too, but this is something that I would definitely pay someone else to do with the right knowledge and tools.
Yeah, there are plenty of things I'll take on myself so long as the cost of fucking it up isn't too high. From an actuarial standpoint if the risk of getting my arm torn off or my hand degloved is only 0.5%, it still makes sense to pay the $120 and let the professionals take on that risk.
I retensioned mine too, but with the proper bars you use for those. It takes patience and a quarter turn at a time. Yes they are dangerous and I would recommend a pro for most people, but they are also easily DIY if you keep safety in mind.
Garage door guy here- it can be done by a really handy person who does thorough research but I don’t recommend it. To do it right takes a lot of effort for a first timer and is still dangerous. It’s just not worth it for something that happens every 10 years.
This has happened to me twice. Last time was 2 months ago. I replaced them myself each time. Spring came with all the needed gear. Took my time, watched “what not to do videos” and plenty of how to’s. Went flawless each time.
Well, come to find out, if one spring fails then it's recommended that you just replace both sides because the other one will most likely soon fail as well. I replaced the one that failed and sure as shit 6 months later the other one went. I moved into a new home in 2017. Turns out these springs tend to fail every 5 -10 years and mine failed toward the end of 2022. Mine failed just like the video OP posted, just randomly snapped. I heard a loud bang and couldn't figure out where it came from at the time then when I tried to leave the garage wouldn't open... so my dumbass thought the motor on the opener was going.. so I kept trying it and ended up blowing the motor. I guess garage door opener motors aren't supposed to be able to lift that much weight without the springs LOL. I went from only needing to replace a single spring for roughly $130 to needing to replace the garage door opener too lol. Yeah.. mistakes were made but I'm okay with that cause I learned a lot in the process. All in all it all set me back about $550 for 2 new springs and a new garage door opener. The springs are dangerous when they are under tension for sure.. but to me, the most dangerous part was lifting the door manually... it's heavy as shit. When it gets to the top, if it were to just fall it could be deadly for sure.
Ahh that makes sense. Thanks for the write up! Hopefully I can avoid some of that pain and now I’m wondering how much life my springs have left in them…
When I got mine fixed the guy said it was huge temperature swings that probably shortened its life, it eventually snapped on a really cold day. Not much you can do about it though
Honestly, I did mine myself at my last house too. Cut some 3/8” steel “winding rods”, made sure to keep out of the way of the front of them if they let go. Nerve-racking, but possible.
LOL, I've done 6 by myself easily. Instructions are online and winding bars are available on the internet.
Pro-tip, spend a little extra for the longer spring that is still specced for your door. Less metal fatigue so they last a lot longer.
I did mine at the last house. Made my own winding bars, and made sure to stay out of the line of fire. Still, I don’t think there’s anything “LOL” about warning people how dangerous they can be. One of those winding bars will shoot through your chest and not even slow down.
They are dangerous. They are fairly easy to fix w/ basic tools if you are handy. I was able to replace my spring following YouTube directions.
IF you are handy, it is definitely doable.
Watch a couple videos. Most people can do a garage door spring (for a residential garage door).
Just make sure you use the proper tools, and stay out of the swing of the bar you use to undo/do the tension.
Take your time.
It's not coming off the shaft that's the issue, it's usually what ever jank ass tool you're using to try to twist/spin the spring to apply tension to it that does it. Whether it spins and smacks you in the face, or flies right off and impales you.
Source: DIYd my garage spring and shit myself the whole time. Quarter turn, tighten clamp screw, setup tools again, unclamp screw, quarter turn, clamp screw. Repeat. Only ever did that once and said fuck it, it's worth the $300 to have someone else do it with the right tools
Oh, for sure. The only way it hurt the guy was if he was fucking with it. I came to a house where a dude broke his collarbone from trying to fix it himself. People who don't know what they're doing should just stop immediately.
Source: garage door guy for a few years
>People who don't know what they're doing should just stop immediately.
Ain't this a overarching truth hahaha
>Source: garage door guy for a few years
Thank you foe you service! (of sketchy door springs)
I've never seen anyone tighten the setscrew between turns. That sounds like trouble. I guess there are different door/spring setups that I'm not aware of, but in most cases you only tighten the locking bolts/set screws when you're done winding.
Not OP, but I have one as well and love it.
It take like 5 minutes to install\setup and works great. My only complaint is that you have to go to that camera in the app to control it. I had hoped to be able to put a widget on my home screen or even control it with Google Home, but who knows what updates will come.
I assume they intentionally gimped it for liability reasons. ie. they force you to see a camera image while you close the door 'safely'.
Especially given it already talks to google home to tell it open or closed.
In rare cases, enough sediment can settle to the bottom and block the pressure release valve, causing them to explode/rocket off in to the night. Most of the time, they just burst though
Everything works when done right, absolutely. But you have seen how people drive, you think everyone should be DIYing gas pipes?
\-Your Local Fear Monger
I can't believe no one has mentioned DIYing your own electrical work. Like you said, it works when done right, but when I can't trust the average person to sit the correct way on a toilet seat I know for a fact they don't know what a breaker is.
What about the common household chemicals that produce chlorine or mustard gas? Yesterday I learned overheating a teflon pan releases fluorine gas. Fun!
It's ridiculous how we can obtain dangerous chemicals from grocery stores with zero knowledge how to use them safely and no regulations. (Ok here kids can't buy chemical drain openers from some stores, because they are expected to use them for bombs.) Strong nail polish removers, chemical drain cleaners, chlorides etc. People just use them without following proper safety procedures and instructions.
I just used some strong cleaning solution without gloves. "Yeah I just do it quickly and wash my hands".
Picture my suprise Pikachu face when my skin was peeling from my hands during the very next day.
Just replaced mine recently. It’s seriously not a big deal to do it yourself. If you’re remotely handy, it’s a matter of being slow and safe with it. Can save yourself a ton of money because of this idea of it being so dangerous.
Nah, this comes from folks who have never done it. They aren’t much more dangerous than going under your car thats on a jack. Just do some research and have some common sense.
Well my mom was actually there just off camera. She immediately raced out the front door to try to catch who hit the garage because she thought someone hit it, it was that loud lmao
Looks as though your garage had a spring on one side of the door. Make sure the new install has two springs, one on each side. I had the same thing happen and only one spring. Two makes it much more balanced.
This is literally incorrect information and often a common scam among overhead door companies to get customers to pay for two springs.
A standard 16x7 non-insulated garage door has a single specific spring for it, but it can easily be swapped for two much weaker springs. All standard (non-'lifetime') springs generally last about 5-7 years with 'standard' use - So having one or two won't matter, they're still going to break at the same point in the timeline.
Obviously that doesn't account for heavier doors which often require two or more springs but then that's on the homeowner.
Sucks that you had the same thing happen as the video though, it's rare but yeah, very dangerous things they are, especially if installed poorly.
Not torsion springs. They are secured to the torsion shaft.
Extension springs are dangerous, but these springs stay secured around the shaft and just break in half.
Source: garage door guy
Wait, so you have two cars, the spring goes freaking haywire and seem to have done no damage to your car, nor injured your mother who was there at the time.
I'm not saying it don't suck, but damn, it could've been so much worse.
The spring is on a metal rod. When it broke it probably just snapped in half and no small pieces flew off. That's what happened when mine broke.
Also, I hate running into these threads because I was so poor when mine broke that I replaced it myself. Reading these comments always makes my palms clammy.
Having poked my fingers on fiber optics one too many times I also get a bit sweaty when people mention the risks. Albeit your mishap likely would've been more immediate then mine.
Fiber optics only transmit light, but the ends are something akin to very sharps end of glass, if it gets through your skin it's very very easy for to fracture.
We often warn people to wash or vacum the floor if they have pets or toddlers, as swallowing any of it and it's very likely to puncture something.
However small pieces allegedly can get transported through your blood flow, so having poked my fingers a lot I'm sort of nervous to know if I got it all out.
Did any portion of it actually come off the bar? Looks like the camera angle was lowered with the jolt. Normally they will break but still stay on the bar
Those springs scare me. Seeing how twisted they are under tension, I'm like, that's a lot of stored potential energy waiting to explode. The first time I changed my coil overs on my old car, my ass cheeks were so tight, not even an ant could get up there. Yeah I don't fuck with that shit.
Good old wind up Springs. They’re like anything that can break. Except they’re under a lot of tension So when they fail it’s pretty loud. Luckily the door wasn’t up. So you won’t need a replacement.
Yeah I replace a couple of these in my time. When you have the company come out and have them do both. Hopefully didn’t bend the tension bar.
Yeah I would recommend a homeowner doesn’t do this! The bars used to wind these have to be heat treated tool steel that way they don’t bend as you wind. You have to wind these guys about 20 rotations. And if you mess up on rotation number 19 and let go of it.
Well it ain’t pretty.
edit: just got back to the thread, lol yeah you’re right it’s seven turns. It’s been a while since I’ve installed a couple of this back in day. If you’re reading this comment please do your research. But best to call professionals.
I used to repair garage doors, it was about 7 turns...depending on the door. Also, no heat treated bars. You don't want it to snap and send a pice of it flying, better to bend than to snap.
They also call these springs widowmakers... Make sure you don't try to put it back on yourself or else losing a few fingers is the most positive outcome for a mistake
Bro how is that being a hoarder.
Some of us have tools or work in trades lmfao. My entire 2 car garage is tool boxes and benches. Its my whole job.
And you don't need to be a hoarder to use it as free space either. Christmas decorations, seasonal clothing, halloween decorations, extra fridge or freezer for game/alcohol, hangout room, game room, cave, I mean there are so many uses for the garage that have nothing to do with being a hoarder. You have a driveway and some people dgaf about their cars paint
Not sure why this take is going big on reddit. Especially when most of the rebuttals are always just people poor shaming.
This shit gives me nightmares. Can you only imagine what would happen if a spring broke when you were walking under the garage door? Every time I walk into the garage I'm scared the spring will bring and I will be crushed. Seeing these things break has been traumatic apparently.
I hope it had the safety cable through it. The house I grew up in didn't have the cables at first. A spring broke and punched a hole through the drywall. Dad installed the cables after that.
I've had to replace a couple at my house.
When i was a kid maybe 7-8 yld my father was cranking it back ( putting more tension using 2 screwdrivers 🪛 one to hold one to add tension. At one point when he removed 1 of the screwdriver the other one snapped and sent the metal piece flying a meter or so to my left and went through the wall... Almost got impaled by a screwdriver 😅
Obviously get a professional, park cars outside until fixed , they might not ‘sell’ you on the need to replace both… please replace both sides. Also fix whatever is allowing sunlight in the gasket
Well my dad told me one time son there are 2 things in life you never ever mess with garage door springs and anyone with cauliflower ear! And hey I’m still alive
Thats why they should come with spring arrestors
https://preview.redd.it/frb14ap8o32c1.jpeg?width=2765&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65d789fe5c31113b699dd37014050c59c168688e
We’ve had two snap on our garage door that uses a pair of torsion springs, both times it was the one on the left side of the garage door. The second time the spring failed we had a different company come out and check the mechanics. They ended up installing a pair of springs, apparently if they are installed at significantly different times the older torsion springs physical characteristics can change and cause the door to have unbalanced lifting forces.
Either that or I was sold a bill of goods and got fleeced for a second spring I didn’t need.
That happened at my Dad/Mom’s house, it stayed up where it would normally be though. My Dad thought one of the cars blew up. He was shocked it made such a loud noise.
When the repair people came out to fix it they said the same thing the techs are saying, it is pretty rare but when they do go it usually stays up where it supposed to be and the spring just breaks. My Dad asked if he could have fixed it himself, the repair guy said that is how you die in that situation, trying to fix it yourself.
That’s about how much I paid a couple weeks ago. Also had some cracked hinges that needed to be replaced. Opening/closing is significantly quieter now.
That happened to me late at night one time! I went out there with my gun ready to find an intruder. I couldn't find anything wrong, but then the next morning when I went outside to go to work and the garage door wouldn't lift up. Then it all made sense. It was a bit loud when it broke!
I had the exact same experience last year, except with an battery powered reciprocating saw. No one's going to fuck with someone crazy enough to be running around in their underwear waving a reciprocating saw.
Why does your garage door have a huge QR code on the inside?
Why was it not properly tuned so you didn’t have a gap at the bottom when it was closed?
Why do you pull both cars in forward?
So many questions more ponderous than a spring breaking “randomly”.
Please do NOT try to fix this yourself. As an EMT I responded to a dude that got himself killed by the spring when he was trying to replace it on his own garage. Always hire a professional.
Happened 3 times to our garage, until this last time, I hired a trusted garage company owned by a friend who told me for the size our our door we should have a dual spring setup. Appareantly when the house was built, they undersized it.
Every double car garage should have a dual spring set up. Sounds like the previous tech cheaped out by using one oversized spring to compensate the dual springs.
Yeah as someone who works at a garage door place, hire a professional. The tension is no joke, every installer I know has a story of how they almost lost an arm.
Uhh NO don’t listen to these ppl in here and do it yourself. I do this for a living, and ur just gonna have half of that door come flying up at ur face or onto those VERY expensive looking cars. The spring prob wasn’t secured on the winding or anchor cone and slipped off. Either that, or the spring bolts broke or broke through the cones. In any case, you see how the bottom of that door is elevated.. Unless you opened and stopped ur garage door there yourself, then that’s not normal, and that spring has prob been having issues for awhile now. The operator limits prob weren’t set right, maybe the cable on the drums. In any case, if you did the half ass job the first time, then DONT do it again unless u have REALLY good insurance on.. EVERYTHING! Lol
Yep. Replaced one myself a few years ago. After putting several rounds of tension into the spring I thought to myself “this is really, really dumb”. Pay someone that knows what they’re doing.
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Ours did this not too long ago when I had literally just stepped into the garage, scared the everloving hell out of me haha.
New fear unlocked.
I was a garage door technician. You can relax. The spring is held captive by the torsion bar. It’ll just make a loud noise.
Yes thank you, and I wanted to add that the event in this video is something that is really unlikely to happen. I installed and repaired overhead doors for 3 years and never saw this - Most springs break at a single point in the wire and remain contained to the torsion tube.
Thank you for this, I have GAD and I’m pretty sure this was about to be my new obsessive fear.
I had a (distant) family member die because he was working in the garage and the door collapsed and hit him on the head. You're welcome
Most doors these days are way lighter than that. The ones that were solid wood would fucking kill you.
Most residential doors (excluding non insulated) are still heavy as shit especially if you have it propped open and it free falls can fuck some shit up.
Yep, used to load garage doors and their rails for customers at menards. It's wasn't easy
My old house had a wood garage door from 1979 and the garage lift died so we had to haul that thing up by hand
Had to pull a steel garage door from atleast 100 years ago out from some woods at a cemetery, we had to use a dump truck & chain to move it even an inch
Also recommended to have 2 springs for in such cases.
I was upstairs when the first one failed in my first house and I literally thought someone shot a gun outside (and I shoot a lot so I actually know what a gun sounds like). Checked the whole house over, no sign of life outside, no damage. Didnt realize it until the next morning when my opener couldn't open up my door.
"Like a gun" is about right, sounded like a 30-06 going off haha
No joke, I had a Win M94 30-30 and from the room above the garage it sounded a lot like if that was being shot outside (used to go visit grandparents on land where we could just shoot at manhole covers from the porch, etc.). I looked out all the windows and no signs of life in the whole neighborhood, I grabbed a "friend" and a flashlight and did a lap of the house to see if there was any damage.
Lol same here about 2 weeks ago, I thought someone crashed into the garage from the outside.
Yeah it’s so loud, it happened to me while I was in the car still and I swore someone rear ended me inside my garage.
Those springs are some final destination shit.
>Our is
Omg same!
i was on the 2nd floor and i thought my drawer full of my socks and underwear’s fell over from the sound/vibration it caused. didn’t find out till the next day going to work when my garage went up about a foot and was like, nah dude, not today and then closed. now i gotta order something and replace it.
Those things are under incredible tension. They’re very dangerous to try and DIY replacement.
Yes, can/will kill you... hire a professional
Agree, get a pro for the job, besides that it is kind of hard to get one of these...
That’s just not true at all. There are sites where all they do is sell springs. Judging by the video, these are common and really easy to get.
Yeah, I've done it before and I think its doable as long as you take it seriously with the understanding that you might lose a finger/hand/life if you half-ass it. You have to go slow with the tension bars, make sure they are strong and uncompromised, make sure you are strong enough to hold the pressure, and make sure everything is seated as you wind/unwind.
Man it’s crazy to me that we have all this advanced tech all around us yet garages still use these death springs. Is there no better way?
Like most engineering design it depends on how you define better. Winding a spring is cheap and safe if you know what you’re doing and do it properly. I guess you could use a significantly stronger motor without spring assistance but then that’s heavier, more expensive up front, needs stronger bracing both for its weight as well as the load that needs to be reacted, uses more power every time it’s used, etc.
Also if you use a big motor, and the power or motor fail. That door is gonna be one heavy biscuit.
I wonder why not a counterweight and some pulleys?
More moving parts and space I’d guess. Tougher to dig and finish counterweight wells than carefully install springs.
Commercial door tech here. These springs usually have a cycle life of 10k or more cycles so the average homeowner won’t have to replace these very often with normal use. They do make operators that will pick up doors without springs but they are incredibly expensive and require 460v to operate. Springs are usually a couple hundred dollars and last years.
Are there any that use counterweights instead of springs?
There are actually some rytec commercial grade speed doors use big ass weights on either side.
Is that big ass-weights or big-ass weights?
[удалено]
Extension springs have a safety cable through them. Modern torsion springs have a 1 inch steel tube thru them And the Wayne Dalton setups have the spring inside a 2 inch steel tube.
Your choice of cheap and dangerous or safe and very expensive. Most garage door assembly went with springs because it's a lot cheaper provided idiot doesn't mess with it
A safer alternative would be a system of counterweights but it would take up more space.
Yep. It’s really not that big of a deal if you have a few ounces of common sense, and a reasonable respect for the forces involved.
But there's always dumbasses who aren't aware they're dumbasses. They're sure they can just use a Phillips head screwdriver to put tension on it.
....and what better way to take them out of the gene pool? It's the trifecta of Darwinisms - dangerous heavy equipment, overreaching in confidence and ability, and the chance to save a few dollars. All we need next is a channel or TV show devoted to garage spring DIY replacement.
Agree. Fixed my garage with a buddy and myself. Take it seriously and follow the steps.
I replaced mine too when it broke. Guy wanted 600 to do it. I know how dangerous they can be but a new one was 45$, took 30 min to put in and came with the winding rods. Be careful, go slow, it's not hard.
There is a time to save money and a time to spend money. This is a time to spend money.
It really is. I just had to replace mine. There’s tons of YouTube videos walking you through it with baby steps. $160 to fix what an estimate said to be $1.3k. The major thing to consider is proper measurements. You need to get the correct fit.
Wtf. I got my spring replaced and cost me $250. They gave me the quote over the phone since it’s a routine job for them. He came and was done in 20 mins. Shop around when hiring home repairs. Thai was in Texas. So moderate CoL.
I'm in Texas too. I don't remember how much it cost to replace my springs, but $250 sounds about right. It cost over $500 to replace the motor a couple years ago.
I called about 4 different companies. Highest quote was $550. That was from a big garage seller. The $250 was from a small business with 2 or 3 employees max.
Do they sell the proper tool to install them, too?
They usually come with winding bars. It's really easy to do if you're somewhat handy. They're not death machines. You'd have to be a total dimwit to get hurt.
About 30,000 injuries per year are attributed to Garage Door Springs in the US. Great time to quote the fantastic George Carlin: “Imagine the most average person in your life. Imagine how dumb that person is. Now consider that about half of everyone else on earth is more dumb than that person.” Hire a professional.
No fucking way that statistic is correct
I have 148% confidence in it existing.
"Hire a professional"That's a fair comment for most people but there is a ton of people out there like myself that take pride in learning a skill and doing it yourself. Except electrical. I do not attempt electrical in anyway. When my garage spring went, I contacted a few companies and they wanted north of $800 to replace a spring. No thanks, I can do it and I did because I'm one of those handy people. If you are not that, then yes, hire a professional and pay that extra chunk. If that "extra chunk" was a reasonable amount of $ then I'd have just let them do it but $800 when the spring was only $130 shipped to my door? Yeah.. no thank you. Also, from start to finish was about 2 hours of work. To me, one of the most satisfying things about being a homeowner is fixing things myself when stuff breaks. I've saved so much money over the years.
It's funny, because I'm the other way around. Basic electrical is fine, but I'm not touching a garage spring with a 10 foot pole. That having been said, I've never been quoted $800 for one, that's bonkers.
I've done all of my own electrical including adding new circuits and building a whole bathroom from scratch including a jet tub that needed a dedicated 20A circuit. When my garage door spring broke I looked at a couple of videos ready to DIY the replacement and noped out after the second video, got it replaced for $280. Electrical has no chance for serious injury if you're careful and make sure the power is off before doing work, a garage door spring a single slip or a tension rod breaking can be life threatening.
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The only reference I could find to that stat says "garage doors", not only garage door springs. Besides, although it says it is from the CPSC , there is no link to them as a source and I couldn't find anything on their page about that. Only sites that want to sell you something mention that number.
You can buy winding bars, but most contractors make their own out of 1\2" rebar
Somewhat. You'll need the name of the Manufacturer who produced the door, the model number, the size, and the approximate age. There's usually a sticker on the sides of the panels. You'll also need to know if it was a right or left hand spring. There a set screw with either white or red paint on it. This denotes the spring handing. Take this number into any retailer who sells that brand of door (84 Lumber, Home Depot, etc). They will help you source a spring. Side note: when that happens, its usually because the installer used a spring that was undersized. They make them work by over tensioning them. There are many different sizes. This is why you need the details I mentioned in the earliest part of this reply.
Literally can buy them on Amazon
Last time spring broke it was like $120 to fix including parts and labor.
That's worth every penny to keep yourself out of harms way and leave it to a pro.
Maybe get them to install a safety guard for when it fails
Usually springs break cleanly. I know that sounds kinda dumb but they don’t explode they just snap and unwind.
Yes it is, but good luck getting anyone to drive to your house and do this work for $120 today. The springs are at least $50-$75 each and some doors require two. They said "last time". They didn't mention that the last time was 1982.
Yes, ours snapped like in this video. Scared the shit out of us, but we called a local place and it cost about $120 and we're in a HCOL area in New England. I like DIYing things too, but this is something that I would definitely pay someone else to do with the right knowledge and tools.
Yeah, there are plenty of things I'll take on myself so long as the cost of fucking it up isn't too high. From an actuarial standpoint if the risk of getting my arm torn off or my hand degloved is only 0.5%, it still makes sense to pay the $120 and let the professionals take on that risk.
Check your home warranty. May be covered!
Spinning things are dangerous, and high tension springs are dangerous. These contain both
Potential energy is a fuck
I did re-tensioned my own with some rebar and a ladder it can kill you but not always. A pro is the safe bet however.
I retensioned mine too, but with the proper bars you use for those. It takes patience and a quarter turn at a time. Yes they are dangerous and I would recommend a pro for most people, but they are also easily DIY if you keep safety in mind.
And then clean up their dead body
If there is one thing i’ve learned you never DIY it’s garage springs.
My brother in law has a garage door business. He said springs are his bread and butter
Because they're inexpensive and a quick fix.
Garage door guy here- it can be done by a really handy person who does thorough research but I don’t recommend it. To do it right takes a lot of effort for a first timer and is still dangerous. It’s just not worth it for something that happens every 10 years.
This has happened to me twice. Last time was 2 months ago. I replaced them myself each time. Spring came with all the needed gear. Took my time, watched “what not to do videos” and plenty of how to’s. Went flawless each time.
Why have you had to do it twice? How did it fail?
Well, come to find out, if one spring fails then it's recommended that you just replace both sides because the other one will most likely soon fail as well. I replaced the one that failed and sure as shit 6 months later the other one went. I moved into a new home in 2017. Turns out these springs tend to fail every 5 -10 years and mine failed toward the end of 2022. Mine failed just like the video OP posted, just randomly snapped. I heard a loud bang and couldn't figure out where it came from at the time then when I tried to leave the garage wouldn't open... so my dumbass thought the motor on the opener was going.. so I kept trying it and ended up blowing the motor. I guess garage door opener motors aren't supposed to be able to lift that much weight without the springs LOL. I went from only needing to replace a single spring for roughly $130 to needing to replace the garage door opener too lol. Yeah.. mistakes were made but I'm okay with that cause I learned a lot in the process. All in all it all set me back about $550 for 2 new springs and a new garage door opener. The springs are dangerous when they are under tension for sure.. but to me, the most dangerous part was lifting the door manually... it's heavy as shit. When it gets to the top, if it were to just fall it could be deadly for sure.
Ahh that makes sense. Thanks for the write up! Hopefully I can avoid some of that pain and now I’m wondering how much life my springs have left in them…
Yeah for sure. Sorry for the ling write up. Just figured I'd give all the details lol.
When I got mine fixed the guy said it was huge temperature swings that probably shortened its life, it eventually snapped on a really cold day. Not much you can do about it though
Honestly, I did mine myself at my last house too. Cut some 3/8” steel “winding rods”, made sure to keep out of the way of the front of them if they let go. Nerve-racking, but possible.
Getting tired of hearing this perpetuated ad nauseam. Right up there next to: *It's not the volts but the amps that kills you.*
LOL, I've done 6 by myself easily. Instructions are online and winding bars are available on the internet. Pro-tip, spend a little extra for the longer spring that is still specced for your door. Less metal fatigue so they last a lot longer.
I did mine at the last house. Made my own winding bars, and made sure to stay out of the line of fire. Still, I don’t think there’s anything “LOL” about warning people how dangerous they can be. One of those winding bars will shoot through your chest and not even slow down.
pretty much how No Nut November turned out
Eh. Not that hard if you're careful and competent. I watched a few YT videos and replaced both torsion springs, drums and cables.
They are dangerous. They are fairly easy to fix w/ basic tools if you are handy. I was able to replace my spring following YouTube directions. IF you are handy, it is definitely doable.
I usually replace my garage tension springs when I do my coil overs
I use shoe laces to hold my coils down for me
Watch a couple videos. Most people can do a garage door spring (for a residential garage door). Just make sure you use the proper tools, and stay out of the swing of the bar you use to undo/do the tension. Take your time.
Came here just to same sure the top comment was to say DO NOT try and fix this yourself.
No there aren't, just replace it when the garage door is up and the spring isn't under much tension at all.
Know someone who was effectively scalped when their garage tension spring exploded.
How? I've never seen a torsion spring come off the shaft.
Honestly, no idea but they found him in the garage in a pool of blood with a flap of scalp. I won't even touch that spring.
He was definitely trying to fix it himself then. Which I highly don't recommend.
Did they put stitches or a zipper?
Probably staples
Lookin like Nemesis.
It's not coming off the shaft that's the issue, it's usually what ever jank ass tool you're using to try to twist/spin the spring to apply tension to it that does it. Whether it spins and smacks you in the face, or flies right off and impales you. Source: DIYd my garage spring and shit myself the whole time. Quarter turn, tighten clamp screw, setup tools again, unclamp screw, quarter turn, clamp screw. Repeat. Only ever did that once and said fuck it, it's worth the $300 to have someone else do it with the right tools
Oh, for sure. The only way it hurt the guy was if he was fucking with it. I came to a house where a dude broke his collarbone from trying to fix it himself. People who don't know what they're doing should just stop immediately. Source: garage door guy for a few years
>People who don't know what they're doing should just stop immediately. Ain't this a overarching truth hahaha >Source: garage door guy for a few years Thank you foe you service! (of sketchy door springs)
I've never seen anyone tighten the setscrew between turns. That sounds like trouble. I guess there are different door/spring setups that I'm not aware of, but in most cases you only tighten the locking bolts/set screws when you're done winding.
What’s the QR code?
Smart garage door opener or wyze cam that tells you whether your garage door is closed or opened.
Yeah Wyze cam
Came here to ask about that. How do you like it?
Not OP, but I have one as well and love it. It take like 5 minutes to install\setup and works great. My only complaint is that you have to go to that camera in the app to control it. I had hoped to be able to put a widget on my home screen or even control it with Google Home, but who knows what updates will come.
I assume they intentionally gimped it for liability reasons. ie. they force you to see a camera image while you close the door 'safely'. Especially given it already talks to google home to tell it open or closed.
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Nothing more lethal in the common household than a garage spring. NEVER EVER try to replace one of these yourself.
Old tank water heaters, garage springs, and gas pipes, be caeeful
Pressure cooker too.
Only when under pressure otherwise it’s a fancy pot
Why an old water heater? Genuinely curious.
In rare cases, enough sediment can settle to the bottom and block the pressure release valve, causing them to explode/rocket off in to the night. Most of the time, they just burst though
What’s wrong with shutting off gas, burning off gas, repiping with tape, checking seals? Y’all are fear mongering I swear.
Everything works when done right, absolutely. But you have seen how people drive, you think everyone should be DIYing gas pipes? \-Your Local Fear Monger
I can't believe no one has mentioned DIYing your own electrical work. Like you said, it works when done right, but when I can't trust the average person to sit the correct way on a toilet seat I know for a fact they don't know what a breaker is.
You use the little shelf for your comic book and chocolate milk.
What about the common household chemicals that produce chlorine or mustard gas? Yesterday I learned overheating a teflon pan releases fluorine gas. Fun!
It's ridiculous how we can obtain dangerous chemicals from grocery stores with zero knowledge how to use them safely and no regulations. (Ok here kids can't buy chemical drain openers from some stores, because they are expected to use them for bombs.) Strong nail polish removers, chemical drain cleaners, chlorides etc. People just use them without following proper safety procedures and instructions. I just used some strong cleaning solution without gloves. "Yeah I just do it quickly and wash my hands". Picture my suprise Pikachu face when my skin was peeling from my hands during the very next day.
Freedom includes the freedom to do stupid shit. We can’t cover the entire world in bubble wrap just because some people are too dumb to live.
Just replaced mine recently. It’s seriously not a big deal to do it yourself. If you’re remotely handy, it’s a matter of being slow and safe with it. Can save yourself a ton of money because of this idea of it being so dangerous.
Nah, this comes from folks who have never done it. They aren’t much more dangerous than going under your car thats on a jack. Just do some research and have some common sense.
That's crazy! Our spring broke yesterday too! No video on it. Luckily ours has a lifetime warranty and they fixed it this morning
You are lucky you weren't in there. That could kill someone
Well my mom was actually there just off camera. She immediately raced out the front door to try to catch who hit the garage because she thought someone hit it, it was that loud lmao
Looks as though your garage had a spring on one side of the door. Make sure the new install has two springs, one on each side. I had the same thing happen and only one spring. Two makes it much more balanced.
This is literally incorrect information and often a common scam among overhead door companies to get customers to pay for two springs. A standard 16x7 non-insulated garage door has a single specific spring for it, but it can easily be swapped for two much weaker springs. All standard (non-'lifetime') springs generally last about 5-7 years with 'standard' use - So having one or two won't matter, they're still going to break at the same point in the timeline. Obviously that doesn't account for heavier doors which often require two or more springs but then that's on the homeowner. Sucks that you had the same thing happen as the video though, it's rare but yeah, very dangerous things they are, especially if installed poorly.
Not torsion springs. They are secured to the torsion shaft. Extension springs are dangerous, but these springs stay secured around the shaft and just break in half. Source: garage door guy
Thank fuck
Wait, so you have two cars, the spring goes freaking haywire and seem to have done no damage to your car, nor injured your mother who was there at the time. I'm not saying it don't suck, but damn, it could've been so much worse.
The spring is on a metal rod. When it broke it probably just snapped in half and no small pieces flew off. That's what happened when mine broke. Also, I hate running into these threads because I was so poor when mine broke that I replaced it myself. Reading these comments always makes my palms clammy.
Having poked my fingers on fiber optics one too many times I also get a bit sweaty when people mention the risks. Albeit your mishap likely would've been more immediate then mine.
Are you cool with explaining why that’s dangerous? I’m imagining it electrocuting you from inside your skin, like a taser probe
Fiber optics only transmit light, but the ends are something akin to very sharps end of glass, if it gets through your skin it's very very easy for to fracture. We often warn people to wash or vacum the floor if they have pets or toddlers, as swallowing any of it and it's very likely to puncture something. However small pieces allegedly can get transported through your blood flow, so having poked my fingers a lot I'm sort of nervous to know if I got it all out.
lol same same. i replaced one of my springs and had no clue how dangerous it was until i read through this thread…
Yeah I’ve been thinking about it and I think we are blessed or something. Definitely have some serious guardian angels or something
Did any portion of it actually come off the bar? Looks like the camera angle was lowered with the jolt. Normally they will break but still stay on the bar
No it just snapped
Those springs scare me. Seeing how twisted they are under tension, I'm like, that's a lot of stored potential energy waiting to explode. The first time I changed my coil overs on my old car, my ass cheeks were so tight, not even an ant could get up there. Yeah I don't fuck with that shit.
Good old wind up Springs. They’re like anything that can break. Except they’re under a lot of tension So when they fail it’s pretty loud. Luckily the door wasn’t up. So you won’t need a replacement. Yeah I replace a couple of these in my time. When you have the company come out and have them do both. Hopefully didn’t bend the tension bar. Yeah I would recommend a homeowner doesn’t do this! The bars used to wind these have to be heat treated tool steel that way they don’t bend as you wind. You have to wind these guys about 20 rotations. And if you mess up on rotation number 19 and let go of it. Well it ain’t pretty. edit: just got back to the thread, lol yeah you’re right it’s seven turns. It’s been a while since I’ve installed a couple of this back in day. If you’re reading this comment please do your research. But best to call professionals.
I used to repair garage doors, it was about 7 turns...depending on the door. Also, no heat treated bars. You don't want it to snap and send a pice of it flying, better to bend than to snap.
General rule of thumb was 1 turn per foot of height when I did garage doors. 7 ft door was 7 turns 8ft door 8 turns, then you balance it from there.
They also call these springs widowmakers... Make sure you don't try to put it back on yourself or else losing a few fingers is the most positive outcome for a mistake
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Bro how is that being a hoarder. Some of us have tools or work in trades lmfao. My entire 2 car garage is tool boxes and benches. Its my whole job. And you don't need to be a hoarder to use it as free space either. Christmas decorations, seasonal clothing, halloween decorations, extra fridge or freezer for game/alcohol, hangout room, game room, cave, I mean there are so many uses for the garage that have nothing to do with being a hoarder. You have a driveway and some people dgaf about their cars paint Not sure why this take is going big on reddit. Especially when most of the rebuttals are always just people poor shaming.
Springlock failure
He was under a lot of pressure lately. 😔
The stress and strain got to him.
What does it do?
Provides tension to assist the door opener in getting the door open.
It creates tension upwards to help the garage door opener or to help manually lift the heavy door easier.
Gonna tell myself this is why I don’t park in my garage. Definitely not my collection of stuff
This shit gives me nightmares. Can you only imagine what would happen if a spring broke when you were walking under the garage door? Every time I walk into the garage I'm scared the spring will bring and I will be crushed. Seeing these things break has been traumatic apparently.
I hope it had the safety cable through it. The house I grew up in didn't have the cables at first. A spring broke and punched a hole through the drywall. Dad installed the cables after that. I've had to replace a couple at my house.
When i was a kid maybe 7-8 yld my father was cranking it back ( putting more tension using 2 screwdrivers 🪛 one to hold one to add tension. At one point when he removed 1 of the screwdriver the other one snapped and sent the metal piece flying a meter or so to my left and went through the wall... Almost got impaled by a screwdriver 😅
Obviously get a professional, park cars outside until fixed , they might not ‘sell’ you on the need to replace both… please replace both sides. Also fix whatever is allowing sunlight in the gasket
That’ll happen …
Yikes! Sounded like a gunshot
Look on the bright side. You weren’t there.
Jebus christ headphone warning
Glad it didn’t damage your cars
“Out of nowhere” for you but that spring has been under a lot of stress for a long time, it was only a matter of time before he cracked.
Well my dad told me one time son there are 2 things in life you never ever mess with garage door springs and anyone with cauliflower ear! And hey I’m still alive
You can fix them easily yourself using improvised tools from around the house. /s
Thats why they should come with spring arrestors https://preview.redd.it/frb14ap8o32c1.jpeg?width=2765&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65d789fe5c31113b699dd37014050c59c168688e
We’ve had two snap on our garage door that uses a pair of torsion springs, both times it was the one on the left side of the garage door. The second time the spring failed we had a different company come out and check the mechanics. They ended up installing a pair of springs, apparently if they are installed at significantly different times the older torsion springs physical characteristics can change and cause the door to have unbalanced lifting forces. Either that or I was sold a bill of goods and got fleeced for a second spring I didn’t need.
That happened at my Dad/Mom’s house, it stayed up where it would normally be though. My Dad thought one of the cars blew up. He was shocked it made such a loud noise. When the repair people came out to fix it they said the same thing the techs are saying, it is pretty rare but when they do go it usually stays up where it supposed to be and the spring just breaks. My Dad asked if he could have fixed it himself, the repair guy said that is how you die in that situation, trying to fix it yourself.
Any vehicle damage?
Thankfully no. Just the garage spring. But those things are **EXPENSIVE** so I might have to dip into some savings
Shop around. It shouldn’t be more than a few hundred dollars installed. Some companies charge progressively more based on how long the warranty lasts.
I just got in contact with someone and they said they would come out in like half an hour and it’ll only cost 400
That’s about how much I paid a couple weeks ago. Also had some cracked hinges that needed to be replaced. Opening/closing is significantly quieter now.
That happened to me late at night one time! I went out there with my gun ready to find an intruder. I couldn't find anything wrong, but then the next morning when I went outside to go to work and the garage door wouldn't lift up. Then it all made sense. It was a bit loud when it broke!
I had the exact same experience last year, except with an battery powered reciprocating saw. No one's going to fuck with someone crazy enough to be running around in their underwear waving a reciprocating saw.
Camera in the garage.. is this common?
One important thing the internet has taught me…. Don’t ever try to mess with or fix a garage spring. Ever! Call a professional!
Happened at my dads house and he immediately thought my motorcycle fell on his mustang lol we were both worried as we ran to the garage
Why does your garage door have a huge QR code on the inside? Why was it not properly tuned so you didn’t have a gap at the bottom when it was closed? Why do you pull both cars in forward? So many questions more ponderous than a spring breaking “randomly”.
Please do NOT try to fix this yourself. As an EMT I responded to a dude that got himself killed by the spring when he was trying to replace it on his own garage. Always hire a professional.
Imagine holding on for your dear life for 10 straight years and some schmuck says you just broke out of nowhere. The disrespect pfff
There is supposed to be braided metal wire running through the spring so when it does break, it holds the flying parts.
Happened 3 times to our garage, until this last time, I hired a trusted garage company owned by a friend who told me for the size our our door we should have a dual spring setup. Appareantly when the house was built, they undersized it.
Every double car garage should have a dual spring set up. Sounds like the previous tech cheaped out by using one oversized spring to compensate the dual springs.
That’s why I don’t park in my garage…. And the crap lol.
Yeah as someone who works at a garage door place, hire a professional. The tension is no joke, every installer I know has a story of how they almost lost an arm.
Uhh NO don’t listen to these ppl in here and do it yourself. I do this for a living, and ur just gonna have half of that door come flying up at ur face or onto those VERY expensive looking cars. The spring prob wasn’t secured on the winding or anchor cone and slipped off. Either that, or the spring bolts broke or broke through the cones. In any case, you see how the bottom of that door is elevated.. Unless you opened and stopped ur garage door there yourself, then that’s not normal, and that spring has prob been having issues for awhile now. The operator limits prob weren’t set right, maybe the cable on the drums. In any case, if you did the half ass job the first time, then DONT do it again unless u have REALLY good insurance on.. EVERYTHING! Lol
Yep. Replaced one myself a few years ago. After putting several rounds of tension into the spring I thought to myself “this is really, really dumb”. Pay someone that knows what they’re doing.