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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)

#291

Post by smitelli »

itsgrimetime wrote: post #181
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…

I’m not an expert in how springs break but wouldn’t an ejection of material require the spring breaking in at least 2 places that are close enough to not loop around the rod? I’m curious if anyone’s ever been hurt by one breaking (other than when actively working on it).

Anecdotally, yes, it happened to me. An older extension spring setup where each end of the spring had a J-shape hook. The hook itself sheared off of the body of the spring and shot a ~2 inch steel boomerang across the garage. Fortunately my only injury was psychological and temporary.

The replacement spring was constructed differently, with the "hook" portion replaced by two complete loops of metal. The safety cable runs through that and would hold it back during a similar failure.

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

#292

Post by anyfactor »

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 understand the idea of DIY and self repair, but doing some kind of specialized DIY work will require special tools, domain knowledge, ability to fix things on the go, ability to stay focused after a full week of work etc.

I am not dismissing DIY at all, but YouTube repair channels make it sound so easy but viewers forget making these repair videos is their job while your job is writing software. When you try it out IRL these repairs are always considerably more difficult and nobody talks about shipping cost that makes 5 minute replacements considerably more expensive.

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

#293

Post by lobsterthief »

arh68 wrote: post #75

> but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs "Comparable" in that it's way, way greater , sure. Unless we're talking dangerous car repairs, like using a spring compressor to disassemble a strut &c. Or using harbor freight jack stands.. When my spring broke, I thought someone crashed their car into my house. It's an incredible amount of energy. Garage door springs are up there with lathes & table saws, i…

Honestly, Harbor Freight jackstands are just as safe as the others (sans the recalled ones from 2020ish). Regardless of brand, you want to employ a backup safety system—like removing some wheels and shoving them under there.

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

#294

Post by stikit »

I replaced my torsion springs a few weeks ago with little drama. The hardest part was measuring the old springs so I could order the correct replacements. The reason I did it myself was 1) the springs used by contractors are typically lower quality and will last 10k cycles vs about 30k for the standard ones I ordered. 2) I wanted to learn how the system worked so I could adjust it as needed and know it was done right and not be reliant on an ‘expert’ same as why people work on their cars 3) labor costs in Seattle area are higher than most other areas. The best video on replacement is https://youtu.be/xOXO01rdZ5c?feature=shared. I used zip ties to hold the cable pulleys and open mouthed bracket in place instead of the vice grips as he did in the video. I did not weigh the door. I did it alone, though probably not recommended. I ordered from DDM Garage Doors. I wouldn’t recommend Amazon vendors as they all look pretty sketch. Definitely order proper winding bars with good rubber stops to help you ensure you’ve inserted it fully before each wind. If you are at all mechanical minded (replaced a clothes dryer drum? ), this is doable. Just go slow and be safe. Took me about an hour to remove the old springs, 3 days to get parts and 3 hours to install including having to repeat the winding because the cables came off during the first try. I wore gloves, safety glasses and during the winding of the springs a bike helmet and an over the ear headset to protect my ears. Probably could have used teeth protection, and a chainsaw type face shield. The dangerous part is tightening the set bolts while the spring is tensioned . If you aren’t paying attention, I can see that it might be easy to bump the bar out of place, releasing the tension and potentially shooting the bolts back at you or the spring catching your gloves and fingers and shredding them.

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

#295

Post by AlexandrB »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #133
arh68 wrote: post #75

> but the risk is comparable to doing your own car repairs "Comparable" in that it's way, way greater , sure. Unless we're talking dangerous car repairs, like using a spring compressor to disassemble a strut &c. Or using harbor freight jack stands.. When my spring broke, I thought someone crashed their car into my house. It's an incredible amount of energy. Garage door springs are up there with lathes & table saws, i…

I once bought a table saw, then watched a YouTube safety video about table saws, and then sold my table saw. I wouldn't even consider owning a lathe. I know my limits, and even the chop saw in the garage gives me the shivers.

If I ever need a table saw I'm getting one of the pricy ones that stops before it chews up your hand[1].

My cousin is a professional furniture maker and lost the tips of 3 fingers to a table saw. It happens quickly.

[1] https://m.youtube.com/shorts/vCuLs31fDaQ

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

#296

Post by tlb »

amluto wrote: post #126
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…

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…

It’s usually a requirement that, in an emergency, you can disconnect the electric opener and open it by hand. Certainly if there’s no second door to the garage, this seems essential or you’d be trapped if power or anything in the opener fails. Springs make this possible.

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

#297

Post by ginnungagap »

AlexandrB wrote: post #295
pavel_lishin wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once bought a table saw, then watched a YouTube safety video about table saws, and then sold my table saw. I wouldn't even consider owning a lathe. I know my limits, and even the chop saw in the garage gives me the shivers.

If I ever need a table saw I'm getting one of the pricy ones that stops before it chews up your hand[1]. My cousin is a professional furniture maker and lost the tips of 3 fingers to a table saw. It happens quickly. [1] https://m.youtube.com/shorts/vCuLs31fDaQ

Wow that was fast, how does that safety system work?

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

#298

Post by naikrovek »

shiroiushi wrote: post #212
nradov wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

you have an odd definition for "easy" I think.

garage door springs are safe if you are careful and you use the correct tools and procedures. the instant you take a shortcut with these, you increase the likelihood of a bad outcome.

so, don't take shortcuts, and don't do the work if you don't know what you're doing.

the professionals know this and that's why we pay them, but they're not special creatures with special abilities; they're people who understand that this is a situation which can bite you, and they act accordingly.

Just about anyone can change their garage door springs, if they do so correctly.

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

#300

Post by LoganDark »

ComputerGuru wrote: post #247
LoganDark wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention you have to get your fingers or something underneath the closed door in order to begin lifting it in the first place. So the "from the ground" part is not insignificant.

All garage doors I’ve seen had a heavy yank handle on the inside.

That handle's for when the springs are working. It's probably not going to lift hundreds of pounds without breaking.
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