Anyone here ever wound garage door springs?

1,922 Views | 15 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by rbcs_2
Longstreet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Detached garage has overhead doors front and back. When we moved in the front door was off the tracks. I redid the tracks and put the door back together, but the springs need to be wound.

Everything I've read about this says it's a not too difficult but maybe dangerous job, due to the possibility of a winding rod smacking you in the head. I could call someone to do this, but really prefer to learn to do these things on my own.

Any advice out there?
schmellba99
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yep. Not difficult. Watch some youtube videos on how to do it and how many winds to go. Biggest thing is to stay off to the side when you do it.

I still ended up ha ing to have a garage door guy come out and tweak mine though.
87IE
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Longstreet said:

Any advice out there?
I've done it once and will not do it again.

like schmellba stated, stand off to the side if you decide to tackle it yourself.

I had a stepladder set up and when it got away from me one of the metal rods smacked the crap out of it. Fast forward 10 years and when mine broke I called someone out and let them handle it.

Lone Stranger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
its one of the few pretty straightforward things many accomplished DIY's tend to give a second thought to because if it goes wrong it can really be bad.

I've seen a friend who did it for pay when younger have a punch break near the tip (a punch he had used for years) and he ended up with a broken jaw eating through a straw for awhile.

Longstreet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
So I read schmelba's post, watched some YouTube vids, and thought "Yeah, that doesn't look too bad."

Came back here so 87 and Lone Stranger could kill my buzz.

What the hell, I'm gonna give it a shot. If I survive the attempt I'll let y'all know!
Longstreet
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Are you the same Lone Stranger that used to post on the R&P board?
Lone Stranger
How long do you want to ignore this user?
That would be the poster "The Lone Stranger"......not me.
Kenneth_2003
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Count me in the avid DIY crowd that will hire that done.
bam02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I did it and certainly respect the danger those torsion springs pose, but I never felt unsafe while doing it. Just don't get too comfortable and get sloppy. Blink of an eye is all it would take...
Marvin_Zindler
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I need to rewind my springs....am an avid DIY who does my own structure, electric, and plumbing.....and will be paying someone to wind my springs....

Hope that helps....
NCNJ1217
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Not saying to DIY or not, but a garage door company is [not] going to charge a lot for something like this.
Red Krow
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I wound the spring on mine a few years back. As others already said have respect for the very large amount of energy that could be unleashed with a small slip up. Just pay close attention and use safe practices. I would certainly do it again if it broke again. I am always of the mind set of, why pay someone to do something I can do myself.
Aggie1944s Kid
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I replaced the spring on ours about a year ago. The local company I purchased the spring from provided step by step instructions on replacement. Was rather easy generally speaking.
Rule Number 32
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I would NOT do that yourself. They are extremely dangerous.

A guy at my dad's office tried to do it a couple of years ago. Something slipped and the spring ended up slitting his throat. He almost died and had to spend like 3 weeks in the hospital.

It's worth it to pay a garage guy a couple hundred bucks considering the bad side of what COULD happen.
StillNotAnAggie
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I have researched it, but it was like $100 to have a guy come out, redo the spring and add new quieter wheels. I consider that money well spent.
AtlAg05
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Did one about a year ago, watched a ton of videos and watched a video as I went through the process to make sure I was doing it right.

Hardest part was making sure I got the right part and finding it online.
rbcs_2
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Redid my garage springs a couple of years ago. I understand the concern of others, and hopefully it's a one time thing. However, it's a pretty simple project with videos that cover everything.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.