How to Replace Garage Door Springs - Done by a Professional

Update 10 years later (2024), the springs Bill added here snapped on the left side. I guess that is how long they last - 10 years. Amarr 2000 garage door.

[@rugbyboy95]

I did it today very first time. Cut two 18" pieces of 1/2 " steel rod and followed instruction that came with new springs. Took me slightly over one hour to replace both springs. Made 30 quarter turns but that was too much and door didn't stay on floor. Started to decrees tension by one step at time. After two 1/4 turns down door looked well balanced. lubricated and tested - works smooth. My first job with torsion springs but I have almost 40 years of construction and mechanical experience.

[@wolfganggoyim]

He should only take 1/4 turn 90 degree rotation at a time. He's doing 1/2 turn 180 degree rotation. He's also standing behind the tension bars. If that bar was the slip out of his hand he could be badly injured. Stand off to either side of the bar and take your time. Make a 1/4 turn and lock it in place with the other bar. Repeat this process 28-31 times for proper tension.

[@cedricpena2915]

Yep. I hate to knock a guy that’s been doing it that long, but that’s not the safest way to wind a spring

[@gregrandolph2845]

Out of the 5 videos I watched this was the best. Marking a line on the springs is a useful tip.

[@boashna]

bravo- reason you don't want to do it -- it took me 9hrs of video and work and I learned something that I will use every 20years .

[@kissshotheartunderblade655]

So my garage spring broke today. We couldn't even lift the garage door and I had to call off of work. It's nice seeing what I'm about to have done for my garage lol. I knew the parts were under an extreme amount of pressure, but this will hopefully help me explain to my family why we shouldn't DIY replace it.

[@terryatpi]

Yup , my spring broke too. Had to call in to work some Monday

[@thurm101]

Great video. Just changed my tension spring. Took a few days of research and a few KZbin videos and I was set. I got the spring in the mail and went for it. I was so scared at first. Then once I start counting those quarter turns with the winding bars I felt a little more comfortable. JUST STAY OUT OF THE PATH. I do need to oil those springs soon. Just don't oil about a inch on each end of the spring. You don't want it to slip off on either end. Also use your vice grips. TIP: Afterwards leave the winding bars up in the ceiling next to the spring and grab a sharpie and write down your dimensions in the wood with the amount of quarter turns. Ex. .243 x 2 x 29.5 with 7 1/2 turns (30 -32 whole turns). If you have to do it again in the future. Everything is right there. Now YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL well maybe not but you have experience.

[@kryptenwolf3564]

its always recomended to replace both door springs at the same time because of the issue of one snapping after the other. springs are only rated for 4000 cycles so its best to spend the extra on the second spring even though most will offer you one spring at a time but if you buy both most will usually give you a little bit of a discount on spring price for the second spring. our business typically charges only 125 per spring or 225 for both installed. so your saving 25$ in the long run if you just purchase both at the same time because it is inevitable that the second spring is going to break shortly after the first one does.

[@zhengtli]

I was quoted $550 for both springs. What a ripoff

[@jonu9154]

Not sure if both end cables came off when the left spring broke, but they usually don't. Needs to be added for safety of the viewer that will try this that the unbroken spring on the right will still be fully tensioned. First thing that needs to be done is to grab the bars you see the technician winding the springs with at the end and unwind the tensioned spring, or unbroken spring, in this case on the right. I say this because the first thing the video shows is the technician unbolting the springs from each other. If that is done without making sure the tension is off the unbroken spring, that is the most dangerous thing that can happen.

[@MrChesare111]

How many half turns are given to the spring. Thank you

[@jimwalsh7088]

@@MrChesare111 Each spring has to be wound 7 and half full turns, so you would need 15 half turns to set the proper tension (or 30 quarter turns. If you do this and the door is hard to lift, add at least 1 additional half turn to each spring.

[@l337pwnage]

Just wandering through again, lol. I noticed that the door opener installers used that metal angle hardware as a header for the track. I'm impressed that it can hold up like that. Stuff must be stronger than I give it credit for.

[@jameshawkins809]

I learned this lesson the hard way. I cable got loose on one side, offset the other side and I couldnt close my garage. It was 11pm and I was heading out, I cut the other cable and it skinned my thumb. I was lucky I had gloves on.

[@davidcrandon2329]

The same thing happened to me. I had to cut the cables to be able to close the door. The unlucky part was I had a Wayne Dalton iDrive system, which nobody uses anymore.

[@jeffstryker1454]

My springs broke last week and I rang up a few places and they told me it will cost $600 -$800 and the parts is only $150 so I’m going to try and do it myself wish me luck.

[@benjiyoung5808]

Did you do it?? How did it go?

[@vantuanma5967]

Thank you Bill for a supper video!!!

[@odiesclips7621]

I changed a broken torsion spring this morning. Bought a 36" length of 1/2" diameter cold rolled steel for $6. Cut in half to make winding rods. If you have medium mechanical skills you can save a bundle. Spring was $30. Pros charge $300-500 depending on location.

[@jimwalsh7088]

Yesterday I replaced a frayed lift able that become tangled with the track hardware. The door stopped was halfway open, so there was still tension on the cable. There was one strand of the cable caught in a track bracket, and the only way I could think of releasing it was to snip the strand. That's when the springs released the tension and things went flying (in less time than it takes to blink -as Bill warned). I was fortunate that the only damage was a superficial cut on my thumb caused by a cable strand that was whipping around (at least I think that's what happened - it happened so fast!). I had to replace the cables and then put the tension back on the springs. I used foot long 3/8 inch ratchet extensions for winding rods. It would have been easier if I used 2 foot long extensions for more leverage, but I did not have enough ceiling clearance. I am very surprised the 1/2" diameter cold rolled steel that Odiesclips used was rigid enough to wind those springs. Bottom line, The garage door is working again and my only cost was $8.50 for the pair of cables, a band aid (and 4 hours of my time).

[@DaveDugdaleColorado]

This is my 2nd channel. I mostly upload misc videos here or ones that might not have a mass appeal to my primary channel. Sometimes I put videos here on this 2nd channel that have nothing to do with DSLR video.

[@SVELFARO]

Ohhhh so that's how they do it. Best left to the professional as you did.

[@LiftingDad]

I missed the “how to” of this video. We did get an understanding of some spray grease though.

[@amdg2023]

He is overtightening the set nuts on the shaft, this will cause damage to the shaft and require filing. He has the touch of a blacksmith.

[@garrettgiuffre5653]

Dang I wish you were able to capture what he was doing at the end adjusting the gap

[@levelupgaragedoor5443]

I like how he hangs the springs on the track by the set screws! im going to try that

[@santembb]

Got same length torsion spring and followed the steps; but issue I see is garage door only lift up till 1 foot , stay stuck and does not move up regardless how much manual lift force I put in (in manual mode). please guide. I tried going up to 33 quarter turns (16.5 half turns) as 31 or 30 turns was not helping, rotation was clock wise for 33 quarter turns..

[@tinnedanger]

Spraying a spring with a lubricant is a waste of time. You will have to do it over and over . When you install a new spring. Slide a short length of PVC electrical conduit inside the spring and over the axle and you'll never have a squeak again. I did that 42 years ago and it's still quiet.

[@MrKokane28]

He should've spread the torsion spring out so it doesn't cause binding or early breakage

[@cskye6529]

You mean stretch is out? How would he do that and why would that make a difference other than adding more tension on it?

[@RoddyDa]

Charles Skye coils won’t rub as hard against one another as tension is applied and released

[@stevebubba224]

That depends, only if the spring looks really fucked before you tighten set screws, tapping it out a little bit is up to your discretion

[@peteycrypto2135]

Maybe he wanted early breakage.

[@eddiecody5856]

@@peteycrypto2135 peter!!!!! What's up buddy!!!

[@niaduong7626]

Easy

[@jimtwisted1984]

I wonder if you layed a tarp or something over the spring while winding or unwinding would that make it safer?

[@WildlifeTshirts]

He did a thousand times better job then the guy that did mine. He didn't even replace the tension cables. He he was here for no more then 30 minutes. Don't ask what he charged. He didn't put in two smaller size springs, I thought it mattered ?

[@SumD-EGuy]

wildlife T-shirts what did he charge? Did the tension cables need to be replaced?

[@nick85able]

Cables don’t always need replaced actually hardly ever so you could think him for not trying to get extra money out of you I do this for a living and after years of doing this it doesn’t take long to do such a service call...people need to realize cost of parts and overhead and everything else that goes into it

[@jmiclovesyou]

This was actually very interesting!

[@QualityMuffin]

Nice video Dave!

[@WildlifeTshirts]

I don't get it. I did what Bill need & when tightening up the springs & when I finally let go after tightening the spring just spin lose.

[@thomasflynn642]

hey, I replaced my spring and did everything, but my cable keeps coming off? The spring is left hand wound Why does cable keep coming off

[@adammeder72]

didn't get the drum back on right or not enough tension.

[@odiesclips7621]

Suggest you watch a few youtubes by Express Garage Door Parts. Your cables are out of balance. Takes a couple minutes to adjust.

[@jimwalsh7088]

After installing the cables, I adjusted both drums so the the cables were tight (no slack) and then wound the springs. If the springs already are wound, you must clamp the rod tightly with vise grips before loosening the drums

[@Al-oe8eh]

Exelente 👍

[@edsonvgutierrez]

Boa tarde. Sou brasileiro, e pesquiso sobre portões basculantes. Eu mesmo vou construir, e procuro um sistema de abrir e fechar. Esse sistema do vídeo é muito prático. Talvez eu tenha que produzir todas as peças. Mas me falta saber como é o mecanismo da peça dá a torção da mola. No vídeo mostra que é usado 2 barras para a torção, mas não mostra se há uma rosca interna. Pode me ajudar? Obrigado

[@michaelandries3664]

so is this all handheld or did you use a tripod?

[@billychambers1844]

How much did u pay to replace the garage door springs.

[@Sharkie626]

Wait... these springs were installed in your 2009 video, and they broke only after 4 years?? Geez....

[@rugbyboy95]

Depends how intensive door is used plus quality of spring itself. My spring installed by door company broke after 30 months. This time I did the job by myself with USA made springs.

[@Sharkie626]

Bob Sagget Nice work! The house we'll be in next year has all extension springs. (three single-car doors) I've never worked on the torsion ones before.

[@watchmanexpert]

I replaced mine yesterday very easy Job , paid only 100 dollars for both spring....how much u paid for profesional installation ? 500 hundred ?

[@MrJUSTmeJG]

Are you guys in Bolder ok? I heard about the bad flooding. Pease respond.

[@l337pwnage]

Definitely not a "how to", but interesting to watch. Looks like a pretty heavy door. He tightens those set screws like he means it. ;)

[@bobbyhenderson9409]

l337pwnage

[@fargley001]

Yea... With those so tight - fk the next guy! Those winding cones will bind up due to the distortion of the tube, and will be a PITA to unwind or replace. 1/2 - 3/4 turn past finger tight is all you need. He also stands right inline with the cone as he winds. Seems like a nice guy, but definitely not a how-to... Banzai!!!

[@mikerobison9754]

It wasn't to tight hell he was out of breath from talking

[@motobacktoconstitution4138]

Cool

[@mrxiong2567]

Great video but not a tutorial video.

[@cbb3995]

need to show how to unwind other spring this video does not explain whole process and is very dangerous

[@kdr-ql7pz]

The dude needs to slow down...

[@bigbullet9224]

The bar hit my best friend in the head yesterday and killed him I just can’t believe it after that he fell off the ladder and hit his head on the concrete

[@intelin123]

Your friend is an idiot

[@moemoney1111]

Cool

[@yaimarfernandez3257]

Ooo

[@daniellepham2454]

The installer is not good at explaining thing

[@JJ-ix3sm]

Surely wont give you his sec's

[@BobbyDotNet]

Not a how to, just observing someone else doing it. Keep looking, much better videos on the subject out there.

[@lovetrump1088]

A few nice tips, but this is not really a "How to"...it is just a "I filmed someone changing my torsion spring"...better named Tips from Garage Door Installer perhaps.

[@OHDTX0311]

This is exactly why people don’t call the companies no more smh. Delete this shit man! First of all this shit is dangerous for people that never done it. Smh. This old ass dude is taking like forever

[@davebliley5361]

Lots of things are dangerous. But everyone has to start somewhere.

[@donjohnson3701]

@@davebliley5361you are so right! Danger is a part of the game, I’ve jumped out of airplanes and rode motorcycles, just need to know what you are doing and what can go wrong. Risk is always there, you just need to know how to deal with it.

[@donjohnson3701]

@@davebliley5361 just finished replacing both springs! Just take your time, no need to rush the job. Learned all I needed to know from youtube and the comments. Get the right tools and it is a pice of cake. I’m 70 and if I can do it anyone can. Peace.

[@1Jomarcel]

Lease house if you're not handy Own house but out money for repair man doesn't make any sense

[@brunocasillas1767]

I don't think he should be directly in front of those rods when winding the springs, I don't care how long he has been doing that.

[@countrycomputer]

As a owner of a garage door company, I totally agree with you. I would fire my serviceman if I caught him cranking this way. Your always to be to the side to avoid an unexpected unwind or slip. This is how someone gets really hurt badly!! I have seen many accidents from servicemen cranking that way. I train each serviceman never to be in front of the bars. This man is not very well experienced at all!! If he had years experience, he would never crank this way!! Good call!

[@AgentWonderbread45]

I wont say this guy doesnt know what hes doing, But this video does not explain safely unwinding the springs or adjusting the door and opener! there are much better videos on youtube!

[@lolamentor]

first, who cares?

[@anhduyle9295]

my torsion spring is broken and i order the same size .234" x 2 x 30.5 but they send for me .243 x2x38 .i don't know is work or not. can you help me .? thanks

[@l337pwnage]

+Anhduy Well, I took a guess at your garage door height(I used 7 feet) and put your spring size into the calculator on ddmgaragedoors.com and .243 X 2 X 36.75 came back as a longer life cycle option. I recommend calling the company you bought the spring from, but the springs they sent you may be what they recommend.

[@cbb3995]

need to show how to unwind other spring this video does not explain whole process and is very dangerous

[@rugbyboy95]

Do it exactly in back order. Insert rod, let it rest against top of the door, loose set screws and use two rods to unwind it.