Garage Door Springs (To Spring or Not to Spring)

Should I tackle this?

Is the question…I frequently get asked by folks out there in do-it-yourself-land, and there are several factors to consider when thinking about doing a job that is potentially that dangerous. Your personal skill level when it comes to understanding and using tools is the first thing to consider, this is also known as being “mechanically inclined”…do you have the right tools to do the job? A ladder, the right size sockets and wrenches, a pair of what we in the industry refer to as “winding bars”? Are you familiar with your tools? or are they sitting there all nice and neat on your workbench to be used as a conversation piece at the next man cave gathering with your buddies? Most folks like that are not inclined to try a repair like this but you never know so this should be addressed.

Is it worth it?

Next on my list of factors to consider, is can you get, or should I say do you have a source where you can buy the right torsion springs for your particular type of door? If so, then I would advise you to ask a lot of questions when you go to pick up the springs. The last thing to consider is “value” do you have all day or should I say, is it worth it to you to spend all day on this project with all of its dangers, problems and pitfalls when a professional can do it in less than an hour for around $250.00 including the torsion springs, which you have to go and get if you tackle this yourself?

What do you think?

A lot of places won’t sell to the public based on that simple principle, that it is just too dangerous for the average homeowner to tackle, I say let the homeowner decide that. Auto parts stores sell brake fluid and flush kits but isn’t it dangerous to be tampering with your cars brake system? Are we not smart enough to decide what the consequences could be if your vehicle fails to stop? and lets not get into car batteries, they could be dangerous as well.

The question I do not like to answer is “Do you think I could change the springs on my door myself?” First off, only you can answer that because anything I tell you is based on my own personal skill level and I could probably change your torsion springs blindfolded, six feet up a ladder, upside down and on fire, so my opinion wont matter. I can tell you how to do it and I can walk you through it over the phone but its up to you to have the necessary skills and mechanical inclination to understand and really grasp what it is I’m telling you to do.

Best advice

My best advise to someone thinking about doing their own “torsion spring” replacement is to call around to your local garage door companies and get a general idea of how much this is going to cost you, then weigh the odds that you could actually pull this off on your own and come out ahead of the game without an expensive trip to the emergency room or a very angry wife that wants to get to work tomorrow.

So the question remains… not if but when your garage door springs break, to spring or not to spring, choose wisely.