Do I Dare???

[Tyler Howell]

I need to replace some rollers on my overhead 7x16 garage door.
I've never worked with torsion springs before, only coil. I have heard horror stories.
Can a reasonably capable guy do the deed or is this a job for a pro:confused::confused:
Gloves, eye protection and face sheild are at the ready.
TIA

[Mitchell Andrus]

Allow common sense to guide your thinking here. I've seen it done a few times by a pro and while it seems easy, paying a few bucks to let someone else risk a trip to the hospital makes sense to me.

Bones don't heal very well at your advanced age. Whoa!!!! - Zinger.
.

[Sean Troy]

Don't do it yourself. let a pro do it.

[Jim Becker]

Pro gets my vote for this, Tyler...with you sitting away from the building on the deck enjoying a fine beverage...

[John Schreiber]

I've seen it done and it's not really difficult, BUT the forces are surprisingly powerful and the potential for injury and damage are great.

When you loosen the set screws, it's not exactly predictable when the force of the spring will change from the roller to your rod. I tried once and at one point, I didn't get the rod in just right. All that happened to me was a very loud noise, (wet my pants:eek:) but I've also heard of the springs fracturing and throwing bits all over. I've also heard of someone where the rod slipping out of his hand and whipped around causing major damage to the door.

It could be done, but I wouldn't do it.

[Justin Leiwig]

If I remember correctly when the guy came to do ours he said that there was about 1000 lbs of rotational force. Now without a proper spring wrench to release the tension I wouldn't think your arms would hold up very long to 1000 lbs unless your the incredible hulk even then it still might not be a fair fight.

Now are yout talking about the rollers that hold it into the track? Don't they unbolt so you can take them off without messing with the spring?

[Glenn Clabo]

If you change the rollers you have to fool with the Torsion Springs...

Important Safety Information

Torsion springs can be very dangerous if they are improperly installed or mishandled. Do not attempt to install them yourself unless 1) you have the right tools and reasonable mechanical aptitude or experience and 2) you follow these Instructions very carefully.

It can be done and here is how...
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infgar/inftorsion/inftorsion.html

[Lee Schierer]

On most doors, you can replace the rollers on the sides of the door without worrying about the tension springs. The hinges that hold the rollers can be unbolted from the door, the roller replaced and the hinge gets boltd back in place. No need for a pro. If you are talking about replacing the guide pullies for the cable, then a pro would problaby be your best bet. They have all the tools and know what to watch out for.

[John Schreiber]

I had a garage a while ago which had tension springs to assist with the door lift. Once in the middle of the night we heard a loud noise in the garage and found that the cable on that side was slack.

The strange thing is that I never found that spring. This was a substantial bit of steel and it seemed to totally disappear.

[Justin Leiwig]

On most doors, you can replace the rollers on the sides of the door without worrying about the tension springs. The hinges that hold the rollers can be unbolted from the door, the roller replaced and the hinge gets boltd back in place. No need for a pro. If you are talking about replacing the guide pullies for the cable, then a pro would problaby be your best bet. They have all the tools and know what to watch out for.

This is exactly what I was trying to get across. If the door is down then the rollers unbolt from the side of the door. No spring to worry about

[Kyle Kraft]

Only if you have a pair of high strength rods about 24" long with ends that fit precisely into the holes in the spring hub and a reliable helper to loosen and tighten the setscrews while you hold onto the rods.

Wear safety glasses and some leather gloves.

[Tyler Howell]

Thanks gents. Unfortunately the rollers that need replacing are the ones attached to the lifting cables at the bottom of the door.

I've installed three doors and repaired quite a few but never any with the killer spring.

I grabbed some long time builders in the area working across the road and they said "Make the Call".

I've even treated 2 guys that were injured by garage door springs in a past life.
I always knew the answer but wanted it confirmed.

Thanks again.
Play safe.

[Michael Weber]

I've done it but wouldn't do it again. Very powerful and dangerous to do. Potentially lethal. Get a pro, they have the correct tools

[Bruce Page]

I always knew the answer but wanted it confirmed.

Thanks again.
Play safe.

Good call. You shouldn’t argue with intuition!

[Jim O'Dell]

Like with most things, if you're not comfortable with it, call a pro. I've done a little with the killer spring. Current house, added some tension to it to allow the opener to operate the door properly. About 2 complete turns IIRC. I had a bad call with a friend's regular spring one time. I was replacing a bad panel in the door with one I made for her, and failed to run a safety wire through the spring before I "let it go" It recoiled, then bounced back going right across my glasses sideways and popped me in the nose. :eek: Didn't hurt the nose any, but I had some dandy scratches in a fairly new pair of glasses that I had to deal with for a few years.:rolleyes: Jim.

[Peter Stahl]

If you lift the door, do the cables go slack a little. The doors I have don't have the center spring they have the springs on each cable so if I push the door up a little more then I have slack in the cable. I've move the cable by putting a C-Clamp on each side to hold the door but my garage door opener will hold it, clamps were for backup. I also had a spring go like John said and replaced both as they need to be in a set. I wouldn't mess with the torsion spring unless I had the right tools and had a someone show me how it's done. Lots of how-to stuff on the internet for changing them. Not rocket science but dangerous if you don't do it right. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself then definitely hire someone.

[Bob Rufener]

I agree with others-spend a few bucks and get a professional installer to do it. A friend of mine was trying to help out a single woman with her garage door springs. He is now known as 9 fingers. Enuf sed!!!

[Tom Veatch]

...
Can a reasonably capable guy do the deed or is this a job for a pro:confused::confused:
Gloves, eye protection and face sheild are at the ready.


There are very few home maintenance tasks that scare the bejeezus out of me to the point I refuse to tackle them. You've found one. If that spring gets away from you, those "gloves, eye protection and face shield" will be a straw in a tornado.

HAND THIS ONE TO THE PROFESSIONALS!!!

[Dave Verstraete]

Tyler
I'd let the professionals handle this one!!!