New Garage Door SpringsIf there is one thing that is most certainly not a do it yourself project, it would have to be garage door spring replacement. We recently serviced a customer in the Apple Valley area who had this issue. She expressed how hard it was for them to even open the garage door manually and how she ended up throwing out her back. When a garage door spring breaks you are losing the counter balance that the spring provides. Garage Doors can weigh in excess of 300lbs, trying to lift a garage door with a broken spring can cause serious injury. This particular customer had no intention of fixing the door but rather just trying to get her cars out of the garage. Within hours of the initial contact Rise & Shine Garage Doors had this Apple Valley Garage Door up in running better than ever.

How to Replace a Broken Garage Door Spring

There are many types of Garage Doors and Garage Door Spring Systems, for time’s sake we will cover the most common system, Torsion Springs. Torsion springs are the most common type of springs that you will find. Without proper tools and training serious injury can occur. We advise everyone call a certified professional for this project. Tools needed: Quarter inch winding bars, 7/16 socket & ratchet, 9/16 socket, vice grips.

  • Step 1: Release Tension of non-broken spring(Most doors have 2 springs, in most cases only 1 spring will be broken meaning the other is still loaded with tension. You will need a 7/16 socket and winding bars to remove tension)
  • Step 2: Loosen all Set Screws(Once there is no tension on either spring you can start loosening all spring, drum and centerplate set screws and bolts)
  • Step 3: Remove old Springs(Continue by sliding the shaft out of one end bearing, slide both springs off shaft, save center bearing)
  • Step 4: Add new Springs(Replace both springs and slide shaft back into place)
  • Step 5: Lock down Center Bearing( Use 9/16 Socket to lock down springs to center bracket)
  • Step 6: Set Cables(Using your hands attach cable to drum and rotate drum until cable is taunt, Lock down drum using 7/16 socket, to ensure cable stays taunt attach vice grips to shaft lock in place against header)
  • Step 7: Wind Springs (Once both cables are attached and locked tight you can begin winding springs, the total number of turns will be determined by the height of the door. If you have a 7ft door then each spring should be wound 7 full rotations)
  • Step 8:Check Tension(When both springs are wound you may check the tension, remove vice grips and lift door, the door should weigh no more than 10lbs at the bottom and should balance in the middle, when the door is fully open it should not want to fall down. If your door seems too heavy try adding winds to springs. If your door seems too light take winds out.

Replacing springs is no easy task and as stated before we highly recommend calling a professional. Rise & Shine Garage Doors offers free onsite estimates and always has the proper tools and equipment to get the job done right the first time. If you need to make an appointment call 612-886-9606 or visit our contact us page.