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Thread: Garage Door Spring

  1. #1

    Default Garage Door Spring

    Well, if this isn't rotten luck -

    Yesterday, my wife and I were getting ready to leave the house through the garage to our cars out back. She hits the garage door button and the door begins to rise. It stopped on its own then reversed. She hit the button again and same thing. Third time and then we hear this tremendous SNAP! Then the door comes crashing down but stops two feet off the ground. Luckily, it stayed in it's rails and didn't collapse.

    Turns out the spring that lifts the weight of the door snapped right in half.

    The door finished hitting the ground hard after I pulled the chain release. It was the only way to close the door.

    So now there's no way to get in and out of the garage unless I lift that freakishly heavy garage door... and the BUR is trapped inside!

    Anyone ever replace one of these springs on their own? Difficulty level? I'd prefer not to die doing this fix-up - seeing as how these springs are under some heavy tension. Is this not the Cheap Bastard time?

  2. #2

    Default

    I don't know if I would be much help, but let me know if you want me to come over to Point, laugh, and take pictures of you trying to get it on!

  3. #3

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
    You forgot to add "and run for cover"!


    That too of course!

    Seriously… I may not be much of a handyman, but I would be happy to help out in anyway if you think you could use the help. If nothing else, I can offer you an extra 250 lbs of dead weight!

  5. #5

  6. #6
    Team Cheap Bastard
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    Default Re: Garage Door Spring

    Quote Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
    Anyone ever replace one of these springs on their own? Difficulty level? I'd prefer not to die doing this fix-up - seeing as how these springs are under some heavy tension. Is this not the Cheap Bastard time?
    DO NOT attempt that on your own! Those springs have great amounts of tension in them, and they will break bones (or worse!). Call in the pro's. Even I would pay to have that done for me! :P

  7. #7

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    I've done it, but it's damn scary. Not for the faint of heart. PM me if you're going to try it.

  8. #8

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    Well I have done it and it is not that bad as long as you are careful and take your time. Do you have one spring or two? One spring is easy while two will require a bit more work. I think I should be inducted in to team CB for this one. I had to modify my garage door when I installed the lift. While doing this my spring broke and I found a new one for free! I used two 1/2" X 18" steel dowels to turn the spring and you want to adjust it so that when the door is half way open it will stay. I had to do this a few times during my garage door modification so I got pretty good at it. If you use two dowels then you can use the wall to hold the spring location while you position the other. I think I spent a whole $5 doing this for the steel rods for the ultimate CB deal.
    "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." Haruki Murakami

  9. #9
    Obnoxious at any speed altiain's Avatar
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    I think I would probably pay someone to do this for me. It would be cheaper than my hospital deductible.
    Iain

    "We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

  10. #10

  11. #11

    Default Re: Garage Door Spring

    Quote Originally Posted by sammm
    Call in the pro's. Even I would pay to have that done for me! :P
    Nuf Said!

  12. #12

  13. #13

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
    The guy I called last time made it out within a couple of hours... no luck this time.
    Bet it wasn't a Friday!

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by POS Racing
    Quote Originally Posted by Treibenschnell
    The guy I called last time made it out within a couple of hours... no luck this time.
    Bet it wasn't a Friday!
    Probably so...

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