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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)

#211

Post by batch12 »

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…

> Notably, "unintentional fall" is the #1 cause of emergency department visits for adults

Yes. Until it happens to you, it seems like someone else's problem. I say this as someone who found himself staring at the sky with a concussion and whiplash after the ladder decided to walk out from under me on my concrete walkway. (I'll admit that it was probably my error, but I'll never really know since the ladder took a trip too). Now all trips up the ladder are treated with the gravity my younger self disregarded.

I'll add that it's very disconcerting to be unable to move or breathe as everything fades out...

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

#212

Post by shiroiushi »

nradov wrote: post #185
codethatwerks wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about a counterweight or a piston instead (pistons are used in pull down beds which might be a similar load)

Sure, but then you have to put the counterweight somewhere which would occupy garage floor or wall space. And the counterweight track would have to be enclosed for safety.

It's easy: you dig a deep shaft under the garage and put the counterweight in there.

Of course, there may be some cost issues with this solution...

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

#213

Post by shiroiushi »

cj wrote: post #34
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…

My father is a handyman for multiple large apartment buildings. Climbing onto a roof and changing garage springs are 2 things he says he'll never do. I was surprised how specific he was about it. He knows lots of other handymen so I'm guessing he has heard lots of horror stories. Garage springs are no joke.

I've changed garage door springs myself; it was pretty easy. However, there are different types. The torsion ones are the scary ones, and I wouldn't touch those either.

Other (generally older) doors have longitudinal springs. When the door is open, the spring is uncompressed, and very easy to change. Just make sure to block the door so it can't close while you're working, and install the safety wire (it goes through the spring so if they spring breaks, it doesn't hit something).

Modern doors usually don't have this kind because they take up space in the garage. The torsion kind are on top of the door and stay out of the way.

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

#214

Post by shiroiushi »

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.

After seeing the quality of work of "pros" with simple oil changes, I wouldn't trust one of them to properly change and bleed brake fluid, unless I was very familiar with their work.

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

#215

Post by Loughla »

Horffupolde wrote: post #171
LeifCarrotson wrote: post #142

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…

Famous last words.

That makes no sense.

I'm with OP. You don't see mass casualties among overhead door installation crews. So, there must be a safe way to do it.

I've also installed around 6 overhead doors, and followed all safety instructions that I learned from an overhead door installer. I've never once been killed.

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

#216

Post by bagels »

pard68 wrote: post #144
lttlrck wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

In addition to the other answers, brake fluid is toxic and removes paint.

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

#217

Post by userbinator »

I wonder if the claims of danger are exaggerated to keep those in the business making $$$, and spread like rumours aided by the lack of information in that era. Now that there's YouTube, and an abundance of information (and accompanying misinformation, of course), the truth can come to light.

I even found a supposedly scary warning video of a spring deliberately let go, and it's... underwhelmingly tame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrUIN6hClB4

Just remember to keep your hands away from it, which is easy to do with long winding rods that should be grasped at the ends for best leverage anyway.

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

#219

Post by hnick »

QuercusMax wrote: post #158
kelnos wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the garage door opener breaks, or the power is out, many people might have a really tough time opening the door manually without those springs. They might not be able to even do it at all. It is still, of course, a valid question to ask if it's worth having dangerous springs up there all the time for the rare event of the opener being inoperative. Or maybe we just shouldn't have doors that are that heavy?

They are surprisingly heavy, which is why you need such a beefy spring. When my spring broke a decade or so ago, I wasn't able to lift the door on my own, and with the assistance of my wife we were just barely able to lift it. Looks like they can easily be 200-500 lbs depend on materials (steel isn't light, but it's lighter than wood for this application), and I guess the issue is that you have to lift hundreds of po…

I guess it depends what you make it of, doesn't it? Growing up I had a typical corrugated roller door, it was very easy for me as a kid to open it with some of the weight supported by the roller. I think they have springs but they're not as extreme as the tilt/section doors. Apparently you can throw a motor on the end similar to roller blind kits, and they wouldn't have to deal with as much weight as a spring-based door. Of course, I do not live in an extreme weather area (yet).

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

#220

Post by xattt »

nkurz wrote: post #191
lebuffon wrote: post #121

Reminds me of the old engineer joke: "Did you know you can save $27.00 if you build your own refrigerator?"

I don't know it, and searching got me nowhere. Could you expand?

The BOM of a DIY refrigerator (or anything of this sort), built using retail price components, is almost as much as a manufactured fridge that was built using components bought at a volume discount.
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