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How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

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Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#141

Post by Scoundreller »

hvs wrote: post #54
crmd wrote: post #52

The author's intentionally verbose/non-linear storytelling technique, for example the two paragraph detour that describes his ladder and the ladder company's bankruptcy, and the 19 paragraph deep dive on garage door repair business marketing, makes it very hard for my brain to absorb the core information I was looking for (the procedure to replace the springs). I know I'm kind of missing the point/creative intent of…

This is basically what the "early Internet" looked like that people often write paeans to. Lots of pages written by people very dedicated to a weirdly specific thing while also peppering it with nonsequiturs and their crazy theory about who runs the "real" government. It was fine, but hardly the glorious wonderland often portrayed. (Not that the current Internet is without its flaws, but if I want to learn something…

Modern day recipe and gardening websites sound like your description of the "early internet".

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#142

Post by LeifCarrotson »

The reason it's not expensive to have someone else do it is that if done properly it's not dangerous. Otherwise culture would be lumping garage door repairmen with emergency responders who take dangerous jobs but keep society functioning. You couldn't get it done for $200 if the career killed people frequently.

The "if done properly" is critical, yes, if done wrong it's incredibly dangerous, but if you understand and respect it there's minimal chance of harm.

DIYed it three times now (on different doors of course) without incident.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#143

Post by BizarroLand »

imoverclocked wrote: post #131
amluto wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t understand why it’s even considered safe to have one of these springs in one’s garage without a solid shield of some sort. While the energy involved is small on the scale of energy storage devices ( Which brings to mind some rather different designs. A rather small motor with a lot of mechanical advantage can easily open a close a garage door, and if a DC or low voltage AC motor is used, it could do so quite…

> A rather small motor with a lot of mechanical advantage can easily open a close a garage door, and if a DC or low voltage AC motor is used, it could do so quite a few times even if the power goes out. Garage doors are actually fairly heavy. By balancing the weight with a spring, you do a lot of favors to your mechanical advantage systems. (Eg: less wear, less advantage needed, the door can open in a reasonable amou…

I imagine that garage door openers would either need to be a lot beefier or would work a lot slower without the springs.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#144

Post by pard68 »

lttlrck wrote: post #124
levocardia wrote: post #5

I had a teacher in high school who was blinded (I think only in one eye) trying to do this repair. You could not pay me enough money to do this repair. >This work is risky, but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs, or climbing on the roof of your house to clean your gutters. Notably, "unintentional fall" is the #1 cause of emergency department visits for adults [1], which is why I'd hire a professiona…

When my spring broke I called a someone local (maybe via Yelp), he came out within 30 minutes, replaced it in 20 and charged me $75. This was only a couple of years ago. Likewise with brake fluid changes. I can do it, but the risk/hassle just ain't worth it for the cost of a pro.

What are the risks of changing brakes? Never thought of that as a particularly risky endeavor before.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#145

Post by thimkerbell »

the__alchemist wrote: post #70
jtriangle wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A jack is basically suicide tbh. Jackstands are fine, provided they're used correctly. Ramps are nice, provided you don't need to take a wheel off, then you're using jackstands anyway, so, if you're buying one or the other, jackstands are a good option. Personally, if you have the space for it, a trench is the best option, I had one previously and I miss it alot. Nothing leaves the ground, car just pulls in and is re…

IMO a trench mitigates the danger effectively.

But fumes can collect in a trench, is that right?

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#146

Post by dylan604 »

giobox wrote: post #134
dylan604 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm assuming you're leaving out the time it takes to drive somewhere to dispose of the used oil and driving back. I grew up in the boonies, and my dad was one to dispose of oil "out back". It was such a shock the day he brought home a proper catch can to have it disposed of properly

This isn't that bad for most people living in the US, given every major auto part chain in the country accepts the fluids for free (o'reilly, autozone, etc). There's often an auto parts store next to the supermarket or close by. Besides, for most cars we are talking about a once every 12-24 month event for only ~5 quarts of old fluid. You can show up with the used oil in any receptacle you like, there's no such thing…

there's a caveat to "most people living in the US" regarding what their lease/deed/HOA contracts/etc say restricting the working on one's car on premises. you'd be amazed at how restrictive they can be. in an apartment, you'll be lucky if they allow you to jack up your car to change a tire. opening the hood for anything more than adding fluids is also a no-no. even single family homes with strict HOAs do not want a car in the front drive actively being worked on (sometimes that comes with "for extended period" caveats, but not always). I gues they figure if you can afford to live there, you can afford to have someone else work on your car at their place not in their neighborhood.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#148

Post by NegativeLatency »

therein wrote: post #109
buescher wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They typically fail when wound (closed), not unwound (open), because that's when they're stressed. Cables can fail when winding the drum (open), but you have two.

That doesn't instill any peace of mind. So they are normally under stress and might explode at some random moment? Edit: Okay, that [0] doesn't look too violent. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4qTIpspUik

Driving is probably the more dangerous activity there, if it helps you take your mind off the springs.

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#149

Post by robocat »

sokoloff wrote: post #92
the__alchemist wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you. I agree on all examples. Absolutely not worth the risk. Not even close. I wince thinking about when I changed my own oil in my 20s... Potentially throwing away so many good years, for so little gain. The car danger can be mitigated if the work is done under a professional lift.

I do my oil changes top-side now, using an air-powered Mityvac (MV7300; no affiliation). That's the factory-recommended procedure for several brands now and works well on my Mercedes and Honda. I was skeptical at first, but did the extraction and then removed the drain plug and the oil I got from the bottom wouldn't have half-filled a shot glass, so that's good enough for me. As long as the filter is accessible from…

Thanks for the oil change recommendation.

Video review that seemed legit if anyone interested: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xuYVe-mPsxw

Re: How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

#150

Post by Scoundreller »

One scam/scheme not mentioned in the article is calling the phone number on the sticker of the vendor that installed your opener. Those are very valuable advertisement slots. Call anyone but them. There's not a ton of specialization in residential garage door systems.
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