>Yesterday when closing one of our garage doors via the opener, upon closing the torsion spring snapped, right in the center. Made one hell of a racket. I've seen and read enough about these beasts that leads me to NOT make this a DIYer project. What's a fair price to have someone come and and do the job. FWIW, I live in the Pacific NW? I'd just like to get a ballpark figure before I start making calls. It's a single sized, wood sectional door with a center mount torsion spring.
>I just had to replace mine! I have a 2-car garage door that is sectional w/ a wood skin. The cost to replace the torsion spring was $120. FWIW - North GA - out in the sticks. The guys came by twice. Once to put a "patch" on the spring (some sort of u-bolt) so the LOML could get her car in the garage and measure the spring and again the next day to replace it. Good service. Your mileage will probably vary.
>It's so cold here today (below zero) that one of my openers (I have a two single door type garage) refuses to work! It's an ancient Stanley and long overdue for replacement.
>Thanks everyone. It was good to get a feel on other's experiences before I started calling around. I really don't feel like fooling with it myself this time, mostly since I've never attempted it before and right now I just have too much work on my desk. But I've got a guy coming out tomorrow and it will lighten my bank account about $150. I figure it's money well spent since I'll watch what and how he does it and learn a thing or two. I have 3 garage doors so chances are very good I'll be doing this again someday, and I'd like to be able to do it myself if necessary.
I had them come out and relieve the tension on mine so I could to some repairs, and when you see them do it you will think about doing it the next time. When you think of doing it yourself, remember that these springs are put under an intense amount of pressure, and all it takes is one slip for those bars they use to tighten and loosen the thing to come flying at you. If you are lucky, it will miss you. If you are somewhat unlucky it will hit your shoulder and break your collar bone. If you are having a bad day it could hit you in the head and kill you.
This is one of those things that I will gladly part with the $100.00 or so that the professional charge to do it right. Remember, they are trained and have done it a whole lot more than you. They know how things should feel and sound, and sometimes that makes a lot of difference in knowing when something is going wrong.
>I have had it done 3 times in the twenty years I have owned this house and last time it cost $169.00 to replace both springs. I have a two car garage with the single door for the total width. I live in Central Florida near Disney and Sea World. There is no way I would ever attempt to do it myself and I have done many insane things in my life.
>I actually replace my garage doors (springs included) for the first time this past summer. If you do a google search on spring/garage door replacement - you'll find a site from a guy who goes through the step-by-step details, hazards, estimated spring forces during winding, etc.
I went in nervous, but came out feeling it was no problem. keep you head away from the bars, stand on a stable platform (not some small folding chair that was stored in the corner of the garage), and make sure that each time you insert the steel rod into the receptical that winds the spring that it is placed all with way in the hole.
I actually feel like I stand a better chance of cutting off a finger woodworking...it's all about taking your time, and never working with distractions present!
>If you have three doors of the same age, consider having them replace all three springs while they are there. If one is bad, there is a good chance the others are on the verge. At least that was the case with my dad's garage a few years back. Two springs on separate doors broke within a couple of months of each other. A local door guy says he typically mentions that to customers, especially if, like my door, there are two springs involved. You are probably paying one charge for the service call and another charge for the spring. It might not be that much more to have all replaced.
