Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How I replaced deadly garage door torsion springs (2002)

truetex.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 344 posts

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

#31

Post by giantg2 »

the__alchemist wrote: post #20
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…

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.

"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 use ramps I built - solid 2x12. Those are extremely safe as there's nothing that can break, bend, or disintegrate. It's way more dangerous to drive than to work on the vehicle.

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

#33

Post by sbelskie »

giantg2 wrote: post #21
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" Most of these are not from DIY, but age realted

How is it age related if it is the number one cause for all ages? Am I misreading the chart?

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

#34

Post by cj »

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.

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

#35

Post by [deleted] »

cityofdelusion wrote: post #27
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.

There is pretty much zero risk if the car is either jacked correctly or put on ramps correctly. Dummies that rely on a single 1.5mm o-ring not blowing out on their hydraulic floor jacks are gambling with their life. Always operate on flat terrain, always chock the wheels, always use the parking brake, always use jack stands, always verify no movement in the vehicle by rocking it, never rely on the floor jack.

[deleted]

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

#36

Post by ajb »

MiguelHudnandez wrote: post #23

I was hoping this was going to be a new technology making these springs obsolete.

The alternative is counterweights. Not exactly new, but there looks like there is enough space for them in this case. The ones in the house I grew up in were a pair of concrete cylinders on either side of the door, maybe 10-15 cm in radius and 1m in length, mounted vertically. Not sure why they're not more common - seemed a completely reliable system.

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

#37

Post by the__alchemist »

cityofdelusion wrote: post #27
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.

There is pretty much zero risk if the car is either jacked correctly or put on ramps correctly. Dummies that rely on a single 1.5mm o-ring not blowing out on their hydraulic floor jacks are gambling with their life. Always operate on flat terrain, always chock the wheels, always use the parking brake, always use jack stands, always verify no movement in the vehicle by rocking it, never rely on the floor jack.

Valid, re ramps > jack stands > floor jack. I always used ramps, but still... won't do it again. I'll change plugs + coils etc because you don't need to get under the car.

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

#38

Post by tonetegeatinst »

So I recently helped my dad replace 2 of these springs. He is no engineer but used to be a firefighter and straight up told me "you don't respect the power of the spring....you will die" I don't think he ever had to respond to a call where someone died trying to do this....but I bet he had some local story of the dangers these pose growing up.

TLDR treat dangerous things with respect and you vastly increase your odds. Be it a firearm or a chemical or a fast spinning lathe.....danger can be lurking anuwhere and when you recognise it a d stop and develop a aproach to mitigate risks.....you can help elimate stupid mistakes that could really cost you.

TLDR its better to have annoyingly boring procedures than just wing it and hope it goes well.

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

#39

Post by VincentEvans »

Reading some of the comment section here makes this veteran DIYer sneer. Ya’ll need to “grow some” and unlearn helplessness.

Pay someone else who learned the simple steps to do the simple work and save yourself the time for more productive activities, but stop congratulating yourself on “avoiding a disaster” - too much drama for the task at hand here.

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

#40

Post by Scoundreller »

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…

> you also could not pay me enough to crawl around under a poorly jacked-up car.

Indeed, but it’s not difficult to set yourself up with multiple failsafes.

By the time I’m set up to get underneath a car, I’m in a safer situation than driving the car given how many things would have to go wrong for the car to fall on me.

Post reply on HN