Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement

**pechelman** · 05-17-2008, 06:08 PM

Firstly, no, im not going to even bother attempt doing this myself.
My time is worth just paying someone.
Plus, im not sure its that easy to find springs

ANYWAY

Anyone know of someone good in SW Denver that they would reccomend?
I have 1 reccomendation from a neighbor, but just want to see if the people here have anything to say.

Also, whats this typically run?
I have 1 broken spring, but i want them to replace both.

tia

**jm2e** · 05-17-2008, 06:43 PM

I just used CM garage doors in Fort Collins. This probably doesn't help unless they're bigger than I think. But I paid $155 for both springs and it took about 20 minutes. Thought you might just like to know what a going rate is. A friend of mine had it done about 6 months ago for $300!
Good luck.

**pechelman** · 05-17-2008, 08:02 PM

thanks for that info

yea, i think im fine with 100-150$

300 is absurd

**Rideski** · 05-17-2008, 08:26 PM

weird, your house is kinda new to be tossing garage door springs.
Might have them look for causes other than age.

**splat** · 05-17-2008, 09:02 PM

God, I hate those things.

**pechelman** · 05-17-2008, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Rideski

weird, your house is kinda new to be tossing garage door springs.
Might have them look for causes other than age.

springs are good for roughly 10,000 cycles from what ive read

that doesnt seem too out of the ordinary with what my background suggests for a spring thats used oh so horribly wrong. ie tons more displacement than its probably good for.

there was also a light surface coating of rust.

i figure its the original garage door, so its been on there for about 11 years now, maybe 12 depending on when it was actually installed. Figure an average of 2 openings everyday, and thats ~700 up\downs, times 11 years is about ~8000cycles. So yea, maybe a few years short, but eh, within reason id think for it to last a decade

and yea pat
i hate them too now

**pechelman** · 05-18-2008, 03:57 PM

sunday afternoon bump so i can call them first thing on monday

**lemon boy** · 05-18-2008, 05:07 PM

don's garage door 303.794.0604 the guy that came out and did ours (younger guy, not don) was relatively fast, relatively professional and got our creaky old ass door workin good. After watching him do the replacement I can see why people quite literally get killed trying to replace those mofos on their own.

**pechelman** · 05-18-2008, 05:36 PM

awesome, thanks R

what did they charge?

**lemon boy** · 05-19-2008, 07:12 AM

I have no idea in the world.

**pechelman** · 05-19-2008, 09:22 AM

I just called Don's, they wanted ~225 with tax and labor for a 2 car, metal door, with no windows in my area to replace both springs.

Garage Doors Inc, wants 194 before a 10% discount on their website with all the same.
a little more than i was hoping, but oh well.

**lemon boy** · 05-19-2008, 09:34 AM

heh, at least it's under a grand

**pechelman** · 05-19-2008, 09:37 AM

fo sho

and really, Im sure id spend about 50$ in parts and supplies, maybe another 30$ for random tools Id need, then add the time Id spend trying to find those springs, the time Id wait for those springs to arrive, and then the time and associated danger of me attempting to install them, at my going rate, Im making money on this deal

or so thats how im confusing myself into not thinking this is 50% extortion & 50% hazard pay

**Tye 1on** · 05-19-2008, 09:55 AM

Good rationalization.

I'm a bit confused though, I was under the impression you invented the metallurgy that basically created the spring. Go figure...

**lemon boy** · 05-19-2008, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by pechelman

fo sho

and really, Im sure id spend about 50$ in parts and supplies, maybe another 30$ for random tools Id need, then add the time Id spend trying to find those springs, the time Id wait for those springs to arrive, and then the time and associated danger of me attempting to install them, at my going rate, Im making money on this deal

or so thats how im confusing myself into not thinking this is 50% extortion & 50% hazard pay

good work there.

**jibij** · 05-19-2008, 10:20 AM

I used Courtesy Garage Door and Service. It's been a year or more, but they were great when I used them. Don't recall the cost.

I replaced the springs at our old house and won't do it again. It's pretty easy, but scary as shit torquing that spring.

**jm2e** · 05-19-2008, 10:56 AM

Good luck. You'll be psyched to get it over with whoever you end up using. Crazy how freakin' heavy those doors are with only one spring. I found out mine was broken when the car was stuck in the garage one fine ski morning with 3 hours of driving ahead of us. That was one heavy bastard and it came crashing back down like thor's hammer after I got out of the way.
From the research I did on the enterwebs and talking to the fix it guy they start breaking after about 8 years if you're in and out several times a day.

**PNWbrit** · 05-19-2008, 01:10 PM

Garage door opener jong question, them being a new and wonderous lifestyle adaptaion I've had to make since moving from the olde world.

How do you know the spring needs replacing? Door won't open? Increased noise and/or whole house rattlingness of motor?

I was just waiting until the thing quits completely but if it's only a coupla hundred $s to replace them...

**lemon boy** · 05-19-2008, 01:15 PM

the spring will break and then the motor will fail to move the door. Just wait till it goes.

**pechelman** · 05-19-2008, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Garage door opener jong question, them being a new and wonderous lifestyle adaptaion I've had to make since moving from the olde world.

How do you know the spring needs replacing? Door won't open? Increased noise and/or whole house rattlingness of motor?

I was just waiting until the thing quits completely but if it's only a coupla hundred $s to replace them...

i knew when i saw my spring was broken in 2
and really thats the only time you do know
they fail catastrophically somewhat unprovoked and without warning

when it broke, it broke when the door was closing and about 1 or so foot from the bottom of its journey. then i heard a stupid loud bang as if someone ran straight into the garage door on a bike or something.

**PNWbrit** · 05-19-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

the spring will break and then the motor will fail to move the door. Just wait till it goes.

Originally Posted by pechelman

as if someone ran straight into the garage door on a bike or something.

That's exactly the kind of "if it ain't broke" advice I was hoping for.....and I can tell MrsBrit that the bloody awful noise and whole house shaking must just be a design feature?

**jibij** · 05-19-2008, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

That's exactly the kind of "if it ain't broke" advice I was hoping for.....and I can tell MrsBrit that the bloody awful noise and whole house shaking must just be a design feature?

I was in the garage when my first one blew. I nearly pissed myself.

**jm2e** · 05-19-2008, 10:12 PM

Got that right Pechelman. I was eating dinner and thought a neighborhood kid had thrown a bowlingball at the garage. Didn't know what had happened until the door wouldn't open in the morning.

jibij=I pissed myself when I read that!

**jfost** · 05-20-2008, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by pechelman

fo sho

and really, Im sure id spend about 50$ in parts and supplies, maybe another 30$ for random tools Id need, then add the time Id spend trying to find those springs, the time Id wait for those springs to arrive, and then the time and associated danger of me attempting to install them, at my going rate, Im making money on this deal

or so thats how im confusing myself into not thinking this is 50% extortion & 50% hazard pay

remember though, you shoot your "profits" in the foot if you stand there drinking a beer while you watch the guy change the springs... your calculations require you to be working and actually making money during the time the repair is underway... Oh, and good luck!!!

**Eldo** · 05-21-2008, 11:04 AM

In the time you have taken to post about this, phone places for quotes, and do research, etc...you could have replaced the spring yourself.

I've done it and it's not that difficult. Just be careful releasing and reapplying tension in the springs so as not to kill yourself. A couple pieces of rebar work well as levers. Just keep spectators out of the garage while you're doing this.

Take the broken spring with you to the store to match the proper length and diameter.