Should I be able to fix this myself? I have done some research and realize that it can be dangerous. How much would a professional charge to fix this? Suggestions?

Thanks!

 

Call some garage door companies. In most cases I hear it only costs about $125 or so to fix. Yes, it can be quite dangerous.

 

If you are not aware of the issues of winding/unwinding torsion springs, don't start now. One slip can result in death, broken body parts, etc.

 

Get a garage door professional. You can't just go and buy these springs, they need to be ordered. He will know exactly which spring to get. Have him install it. It can be terrible dangerous. Good Luck

 

Ok...a little different opinion...

If you are a reasonably skilled/advanced DIYer Its not too big a deal. The fact that you ask leads me to believe you don't really fall into that category.

I think the $125 number is very low though. Expect to pay $60 or so for the spring (not including typical markup) and at least$100 or so for the tech. Don't be a wimp..call the manufacturer, give them the required info, find the cost of the spring, then call a few local companies that install those doors and ask what they would charge to do the repair. I've heard of people getting charged $300 or more to replace extension springs..which are not nearly as complicated as a torsion spring (what you have).

Oh..btw..not positive..but what you have looks like a Clopay door. The opener is not installed correctly. There should be a reinforcement bracket installed on the vertical strut. Some may say its not required because you have the horizontal strut installed...but I disagree..and so does Clopay.

Oh..and the emergency release cord needs to be unwrapped and left hanging free. It will do no good as it is.

 

Gun--look more closely, it is on the reinforeced strip and there is a rebar at the top of the door.

 

Read the article here: Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement

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Home Inspection: "A business with illogically high liability, slim profit margins and limited economies of scale. An incredibly diverse, multi-disciplined consulting service, delivered under difficult in-field circumstances, before a hostile audience in an impossibly short time frame, requiring the production of an extraordinarily detailed technical report, almost instantly, without benefit of research facilities or resources." - Alan Carson

 

JB....should still have the heavy opener bracket attached at the upper and lower hinge attachment points. And thats not angle iron..thats just a sheet metal stiffening strut. I had the exact same setup (only a semi-insulated door) here when I moved in..and the vertical member was starting to pull away from the 3 y/o door. The verticals aren't screwed and glued to the skins I don't believe, unlike WD doors (may depend on the door I guess)..they are just crimped onto the skins to act as stiffeners.

The bracket for the spring and the label tell me its a Clopay. The opener can be attached to horizontal angle iron reinforcement on their double skinned fully insulated doors but not on the single skin models.

JMO though

 

It is a Clopay door. I am going to call someone to fix it, just haven't had a chance yet. The reason the release cord is tied up is because it was getting stuck on a bar on top of our Expedition every time it closed. So it tied it up short. It still works and I am 6'8 so I can reach it. Thanks for all the responses.

 

Here is the response I got from a local garage door place. Does this sound OK, seems like it would be cheaper to just replace the single spring I have. Any suggestions? Should I ask for the single spring or just go ahead and get the two?



"The cost to replace your broken spring will be $185.00. We use a 2 spring set up. We use the 2 springs so if one spring was to ever break again you can still manage to lift the door manually to get a car out or what not. If you have any quetions please feel free to call us. I will be glad to help you as best I can. Thank you"

 

Seems like a good price if it includes all parts. As to the 2 spring setup..its normally only used on the wider <14' or heavy smaller doors. No reason why it wouldn't work I guess, but if the door was engineered and designed for 1 spring..why add another. I doubt if one spring were to break that the other would allow you to lift it..depending on the size. The other thing is, if one of them were to break, you would need to replace them both again, as the unbroken one would have been stressed.

I would call a company that sells and installs Clopay doors and ask for a price. If you look on the sides and top (and sometimes between) of the panels you should be able to find a model number. When you call, if you give them the model (it looks like a model 183 or Value Series, depending on where sold) and size (7' x 10, 6'8" x 9', etc), they will be able to tell you the right spring and install cost. You could even call Clopay cust service (in my hometown of Troy, OH) and they can tell you the cost of the correct spring. Speak nicely to the ladies there..they're all local..and they will be very helpful in my experience. Matter of fact the County Fair starts this week...lol.

This is just my opinion..a competent company would do a good job either way I'm sure.

 

I called another guy whose number was given to me by a co-worker. I gave him my info and he came right out and fixed it for $125. He used the single spring and told me to oil the new spring a few times a year to help it last longer. It only took him about 15 minutes.

***removed contact info...***

 

Good deal...glad you checked around. Seriously..thats darn cheap.

All you need to do is run a bead of oil across the spring..then run the door up and down a few times. Wipe it off afterwards. Silicone spray will also work. This is one of the times where I don't think dry lube is effective.

 

I jumped into this on the late side. But everything Gunguy says is spot on. And I also agree that although it can be dangerous, just common sense and watching a few videos is all that is needed to do it yourself. My son-in-law never saw a torsion spring in his life and last week he changed his broken one in about an hours time in the evening with little more than a trouble light. The local wholesaler sold the replacement spring to him while the big box stores will not.

 

Closing old thread...

Please start new..

Thanks.