How to Safely Replace Garage Door Springs & Save Hundreds

This is a complete walk through of how to identify your broken or underpowered garage door spring (torsion spring), determine which one to replace it with, safely remove the old ones, safely install new ones and maintain them afterward. This is a safety first video that will save you hundreds of dollars! #diy #garage #homeownership
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[@brenthood3399]

Well done, mostly. I have more than 20 years of Garage door installation, removals and repairs. You really should have a taller ladder for a 8 ft tall door. When you wind the springs you may need to brace against the ladder to counter the toque of the spring. I would want a 6 ft ladder. When you are marking the torsion tube at the drum the cable is off the drum. The marking will be slightly off. As a pro I would lock the torsion tube with 2 vice grips with curve jaws in both directions against the wall above the door. I saw that you had 2 pairs of vice grips in the video. I use 2 to secure the torsion tube. Not every one does this. For a 8 ft tall door you will normally put on 8 1/2 to 8 3/4 full turns. The springs will break in and lose some strength during the fir week of use. A 7 ft tall door gets 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 full turns. The door should balance from your knee to your shoulder. The springs will be a little hot at first . That is normal. They will break in soon. Your door will be heavy in a week or two. Then you will need to add tension. Open your door manually after about one week after spring installation to see how much tension may have been lost to break in. If the springs are too light the opener could cause a lose cable to come off the drum. This creates a dangerous problem. If your door has just one spring when it breaks always replace it with 2 smaller springs. They will last twice as long and the door runs better with 2 springs.

[@LRN2DIY]

This is all excellent information, my friend,. Thank you so much for this!

[@jao8084]

Towards the end, of above response, when you said if the springs are too light, do you mean light as in tension?...not putting enough turns?

[@I3loodcrazy]

@jao8084 Yes, when the door opens, the springs unwind. So if you have too little tension on the springs, this will cause the cables to slack and potentially come off the drum. That creates a lot of issues. When you replace your springs, it's good practice to open the door all the way manually and ensure both cables are taunt.

[@Esterovball]

What do you think will happen if I don’t do this after adding insulation like this video?

[@I3loodcrazy]

@Esterovball the door will be too heavy. If you have an operator, it might still lift the door but will eventually "burn" out.

[@jaycanada2201]

Yeah I’m gonna replace it… by calling a garage door company. Great video though.

[@CurtisBerry]

Thanks! Replaced my garage door springs today using this video as a guide. It was very helpful for every step along the way. I appreciate you uploading it to share your experience.

[@LRN2DIY]

Thank you so much and I’m so glad it helped!

[@robertfleming5829]

Great Video ! FYI , the Drums / Cable pulleys are 1 foot circumference , so an 8 foot door = 8 winds + a 1/4 to a 1/2/winds and that is what you came up with. plus No need to crush the pipe when tightening the 3/8 set screws, that just makes it harder to remove or install the next time. Always go for the higher cycle rated springs , its worth the money.

[@LRN2DIY]

Great input, Robert. Thanks!

[@michaelcook-pt8bt]

Awesome. I was hesitant to replace a broken garage door cable on a torsion bar door, but your how-to video gave me confidence to do the job....SAFELY! Thank you!

[@icecat8]

You Sir, are like the little pin holding the steel cable at the bottom: In spite of so much weight and tension, you've succeeded in lifting us all up! Super video in content and construction. Thank you for all your careful work. I finally got my heavy off track wood double door working. YAY! And I'm a 5'4", 72 yo gal. We used to have to walk to the library to read manuals to fix stuff. Now the world is in the palm of our hands. Fantastic!

[@spacecoastkid5033]

When I saw this video was 40+ mins I was almost going to skip it, but after watching it I have to say there is no wasted time. Excellent video! I feel 100% confident I can do this job now.

[@andyleo8418]

Just play it at 2x the speed in settings. Becomes a 20 min video 😂

[@karthiksc47]

Thanks! A coffee for you, Brother

[@denrayr]

Following this repair will result in a better repair than you're likely to get by hiring a pro. Helping friends and family lubricate their doors, I've noticed most doors aren't properly balanced. If you count the number of turns, they're tightened properly, but the wrong weight/length spring was installed in most cases. I believe that the garage door guys either replace like for like spring size without verifying they are correct, or they use what they have on the truck that's "close enough". Certainly only tackle this job if you're the OCD type as safety and attention to detail are paramount, and it's not worth risking your safety. With all that said, as a DIY guy, replacing my springs and door hardware was one of the most satisfying DIY repairs. The door is perfectly balanced, and it's nice and quiet. It's going to last years with minimum maintenance. I wish this video had existed back when I worked on my door.

[@LRN2DIY]

While I suspect most garage door repair techs are doing a great job, I have definitely heard cases of them using a spring that isn't optimal for the door because they had it in stock and paid for already so it would save a few bucks. Mismatched springs are sometimes used in order to accommodate what the tech had on hand. Like you said, this is a very satisfying repair, so long as you're willing to take your time and be uber safe.

[@denrayr]

@@LRN2DIY having an undersized spring guarantees future work haha. A heavy door shortens the life of the worm gear and sprocket bushing on automatic openers. My parents have lived in their house for forty years, and have had multiple spring replacements and drive failures. They seem to only get 5 years out of a repair. I finally ordered the proper spring and got the door balanced, and they're in good shape now. I had a similar issue at my house and proactively changed the spring for the right size in order to prevent future problems. Short lifespan aside, having a heavy door means your family could be stranded in the case of a power outage. Neither my wife or my mom could manually lift the door on either of our houses before I got the doors balanced.

[@brenthood3399]

Cheap springs from China will not last as long as springs made in the USA IMHO. Look for USA made springs when ordering replacement springs online. I have seen the cheap spring fail quickly many times to my dismay and my customers disappointment.

[@chevysilver-ray-dough6328]

Oh no I can't use rebar winding bars? Does that mean I have to go back to the hundreds of doors I winded up with rebar and rewind them with those fancy winding bars? Probably so huh? Well crap I better get to work then😂

[@thetimeofday591]

KZbin University, and first time successful garage door spring changer right here. Here are my thoughts: this is not a thoughtless job. Before you start watch many videos. Understand the physics of what is going on. If either spring is wound up with the set screws tight, there is a TON of potential energy in that spring AND the force behind that energy is transfered through the winding cone into the spring set screws, to the bar, to the set screws of the drum, to the drum, to the lift cable, and ultimately down the cable to the bottom of your garage door where it attaches. This is how the springs create lift for the door and balance it so it is nearly neutrally balanced when going up and down. Imagine - your door weighs 200+ pounds. That means each spring has 100+ pounds of force pressing through the kinetic chain i just mentioned above. HERE IS THE DANGER: IF you break that kinetic chain by loosening ANY set screws while the spring is under tension, then the bar or springs will IMMEDIATELY transfer that energy to the next thing mechanically that will stop it from moving. Example: lets say you have one broken spring and one that is still under tension. That means there is about half the force needed to balance the garage door still pulling upward on the door ON BOTH SIDES. If you go and loosen the set screws on one of the drums, without first removing the tension from the still wound spring, The bar is going to start spinning out of control. What's more dangerous is if you loosen the set screws on a wound spring without having the winding bars completely secured .

[@spacecoastkid5033]

My reason to do this myself is because its going to cost me $450 when the springs only cost about $80‐100.

[@Sam-vd1ce]

Thanks!! I subscribed cuz of this video. It's not an art. My area is about $1k job. If you can overhead shoulder press 20lb with 1 arm, you can do this job. If only 15lbs, eh... make sure you have a master set or the right tools you need. I needed both sae and metric.... the 12 and 15 measurement might be misleading. Mine were perfectly balanced at 30 quarter turns on a 12 diameter 8fter.

[@curtstjohn]

Great video! I studied this video and found it extremely useful - it made my work replacing my springs easy. One thing that I ran into while doing this job was something that was not mentioned in the video - the cable placement on the cable drums. An issue I ran into was when I first put tension on the new springs, and lifted the door by hand to check it, the cable came off one of the drums. This happened a couple of times before I realized that the cable ends were sticking out from the drum and the wall bracket for the torque shaft was actually sliding the ends out of the slot, causing the door function to fail. Finally, after much work trying to get the door to work correctly, I realized this, and when I finally put the cable back on the drum properly, with the ends tucked under the outside lip, proper function of the door was achieved. Maybe this should be mentioned in the video, to make sure those cable ends don't stick out to catch on the mounting - bearing brackets for the torsion bar. This would help future installation instructions..

[@gonsteadaz1]

Hey man, really helpful video. Going to attempt to do my own spring repair. I'm a retired physician and I just wanted to advise you on one thing. Start using gloves when touching any of these petroleum based chemicals. They get absorbed through your skin and go straight to your liver. It's a major toxicity and carcinogenic concern that bites you later in life. Gave you a like and a subscribe - was really well done!

[@noleftturns]

Good god - save a few bucks and risk your life? I've had springs break before and the entire house shook like an earthquake. No way in hell would I try to save money handling something that could easily hurt/kill me

[@calebfitzpatrick7771]

This is like saying, "No way will I drive to work when a car could easily hurt/kill me." Just because something can be dangerous doesn't mean it will be as long as you are careful and understand the risks.

[@noleftturns]

@@calebfitzpatrick7771 Advising anyone to touch a garage door spring is bad advice.

[@MacNifty]

I'm the type of guy that doesn't read manuals and I like to go through trial and error physically and mentally in the real world and the first time I ever took a Bay door that was 40 feet high with a huge Spring while I'm on a 30 foot lift that was exciting when the son of a b**** went crazy on me. lol. I learned real quick.😅

[@Grynjolf]

I watched a video from a technician and they claimed that it's not important to do the whacking part to spread out the spring after winding and is in fact a safety hazard to do so.

[@CJM_v1]

If I may: I am not a handy man at all! Just a young first time home owner in his 20s, a “kid pretending to be an adult” if you will. This video is perfect and walked me through replacing both of my springs. But pay attention to which ones go on the left and right. I had to do everything twice because I messed that part up. But thank you for the tutorial 🤙🏼

[@NativeSwan]

You probably narrowly escaped an insane injury

[@shaunkerr8721]

You're an employee or owner of a garage door service company, huh?

[@etsahidu]

Great video....NOTHING IS TO BE FEARED, BUT TO BE UNDERSTOOD!!!

[@climbslc2281]

Wish I had seen this before I paid through the nose to have a tech come and replace my springs. Two days later one cables failed (they wrapped it wrong?) and my door was stuck at an angle. Had to cut the other cable to get it to come down. Certainly wasn't going to call those yahoos back. Using this video I was able to repair that BS with new cables and a well tensioned door. Thanks!

[@jonesgang]

I have had the enjoyment of replacing a lot of those garage door springs and garage door openers. The tension springs are extremely dangerous and you should always use an abundance of caution when working on them. If you heard one snap you would understand, most people think something hit their house when they break under tension. There is a great deal of kinetic energy in those springs. Your tutorial was spot on with the procedure to replace the springs. As far as staying in the safety zone it is not just you but anyone else in the garage with you. I cringed watching your daughter get in that danger zone with the scales. But it all turned out safely. Just remember that in the future if you have to do this again.

[@LRN2DIY]

Good points. I'm glad I was holding the winding cone with the winding bar while she was there but I understand what you mean - I could have had her go around me to stay clear of that path since something certainly could have gone wrong. A good warning to other DIYers.

[@troubleshooter1975]

I had the exact same concern the minute I saw him set up 2 scales, and said his daughter was going to set them...

[@jonesgang]

@@troubleshooter1975You really have to treat garage door springs like they are explosive devices, because they can literally explode. Many homeowners will say when one of the springs break that they thought something hit their house, because it is that violent. Now under the proper precautions they are relatively safe to replace, but you must use and abundance of caution for you and those that might be around you.

[@bobbg9041]

Wow, a set of DRY springs, (reason they broke) And a very light thin metal door. My door is 16x7 all wood with industrial type hardware, it weights roughly 900 lbs you can't lift it even with 2 people Your door is a tin can its only about 150 lbs 175 max with the closed cell insulation. Yes i paid a grand to hire a pro to change the whole system it was worth it. My biggest risk was picking up the pen. I almost dropped it.

[@mpoulin]

Great video! I am a DYI-er, but this is one project I've always paid someone else to do. I'm confident I can take this on safely now. Thank you.

[@LRN2DIY]

That's totally reasonable. If in doubt at all on something like this, calling a pro is the way to go but it really is DIY-able if you take it slow and safe.

[@ScrappyXFL]

Stay on the outside of the spring. If the good one pops, there may be a projectile. I worked at Wayne Dalton for a bit. Seen one of those tubed twisted by the spring as well, that was a hard fix, that's why I ask how old always. Cause you may have to change out the bar/tube/pipe as well. There is a methodology to that also. You can get yourself killed/mangled. Be careful.

[@ScrappyXFL]

@@LRN2DIY "it really is DIY-able if you take it slow and safe." You weren't safe. It's always from the outside of the spring that you unwind and rewind. I made a long comment, you should find it and read it.

[@garyroxene]

Might want to add a section showing how to deal with a garage door where the partitions (walls) on either end are too close (to the drums on both ends to add springs - meaning the axel with drums needs to be removed from the middle bracket to allow room for the springs to be applied .. also? automatic focus and larger depth of field (smaller aperture) helps a lot..

[@bradhall2922]

I am a garage door pro also. As with anything, yes it can be done DIY but should it? 7ft garage door springs are wound around the tube 7+ times. If something goes wrong or it breaks while working on it, that means the spring is going to unwind itself in a matter of a few seconds. Breaking springs often sound like a gunshot, it is very violent. DIYers should have a healthy respect for springs and cables. But there is so much nuance here that is missing. So much of what pros do is based on feel and know-how. Here are some glaring issues I saw in your video. I would never be standing on the inside of the spring unless I have to. If it breaks while you are unwinding your hand and your arm are very close to the spring. Stand on the outside looking at the cone with the set screws. The entire spring is a potential danger zone, not just the one isolated area. The springs are called right hand & left hand wound for a reason. The spring on the left (red) is be wound with your right hand while standing on the outside. Vice versa for the black spring. I would always use a socket with the 7/16 multi point socket, not an open-ended wrench. To much risk of slips. You have more control over it if the entire socket is around the set screw. No amount of eye protection is going to stop a wrench being thrown at you with that speed. I also would not use power tool to release the set screws. I would not put the drums in the exact same location as before. You can see the tube is pinched and you had to file it down. This means it is a weak point. I would shift the tube one direction or the other so the drums and the new springs do not go in the exact same location on the weak point of the tube. So your markings are irrelevant. Setting drums needs to have equal cable tension on both sides. Otherwise door will be crooked or the cables will go slack when open and potentially cause it jump off usually resulting in the cable wrapping around the tube or an off track door. Again cable tension is based on feel and should be nearly identical on both sides which is hard to pull off considering you have to use different hands with different strength. For the checking for balance, the door should be able to hold up its weight at ¼, ½, & ¾. Should be able to give it a gentle push and it should settle back at those points. Should be able to lift with 2 fingers. Windows on the top can throw this off sometimes. Again, all based on feel. Changing the set screw locations multiple times is not ideal since that weakens the tube, and also makes future changes much more difficult. After changing the springs you may have to reset your motor’s force limits. Separate topic You did a good job but those are glaring mistakes. Just look on Reddit and there are some images of people with hand, finger, or arm lacerations from messing with this stuff. Anyway, when hiring a pro you are not paying for our time. You are paying for our knowledge, expertise, & professionalism. A spring change takes me 20-30 minutes because I do 10+ a week. Pros get paid for the knowledge, tools, & parts to get it done right. Just make sure you work with a reputable company. You can often get pricing on the phone since it is usually a pretty standard job. Around $400 is good for high-cycle springs. Hopefully that helps.

[@ED-gl5jp]

We have gotten three quotes here in Las Vegas and they are wanting to charge $800+ for two high cycle springs on a 7' door. They are ripping people off here.

[@cwncwn-sg4ke]

appreciate very much your patrience with detailed explanations for someone like me who is a novice to a torsion spring garage door; upon my 2nd viewing (after doing much intervening research on my own), i think that it would be helpful to spend a little more time explaining that there was a significant difference between your old springs and the new ones; while you glossed over the difference in measurements, your replacement springs were noticeably stronger than the prior ones both in wire gauge and length; in understanding my situation, i have found that the recommended replacement springs are also significantly stronger than my old broken one; apparently, when a more substantial door was replaced in 2010, the installers did not replace the corresponding recommended springs----so from what my research has enlightened me about is that just re-installing the same size of prior springs is not the best assumption (which may have been how a commercial installer would have handled my issue); also, FYI, using only one of the Walmart scales centered under a double door, instead of 2 scales, worked for me---the one scale gave a reading of 250 pounds; i finally tracked down the manufacturer's specs, and it stated the weight was 242 pounds; also, once i finally tracked down the manufacturer's specs (Haas corporate never replied to me), the specs gave the exact spring size that should have been on the door; the manufacturer recommended 0.234-2-27 springs, and what had been on the door since the 2010 replacement, and now is broken, was 0.218-1.75-28 ; again, thank you for your efforts in this detailed video

[@virgil3241]

Nope, never. I will pay an exoert to do this. You do it wrong, and you are dead. No thanks. Dont care what KZbin videos show, etc. Sometime you need to spend money

[@Hurled]

The garage door service industry is one of the shadiest and most untrustworthy group of people I have met. Multiple repairmen have serviced my door and it has always been way more money than they quoted and awful customer service. I am happy to learn how to do this myself, thank you for the video.

[@btarrh]

You say "34 turns", but they are 1/4 turns. This would convert into 8-1/2 full turns. This makes more sense to me now. I was like "34 turns! You mad bro!" Awesome video by the way.

[@codewurt]

Good lord. Doing everything with those springs in the absolute worst spot. If one of those breaks while taking tension off or even when applying tension to the new ones you betyer hope you dont get hit by anything.

[@finedandy447]

I had already replaced the springs on my garage door before seeing this video. It is 99.5% correct. If you don't own a ladder, you shouldn't be doing any DIY projects. Also most are not lucky enough to have that much space on each side to remove and install the springs without taking the bar down to remove and replace everything. In that case, you will need two ladders. Everything else is spot on.

[@MichaelChance-sm9cx]

Thank you 🙏 this video was exactly what I needed. Following you advice/instruction save me one thousand dollars. My springs broke on double and single car garage. I successfully replace both cost @250 for springs, lubricant, and tension bars… Thank you

[@spacecoastkid5033]

I'm doing this job now and ran into a problem not mentioned in this video. I found that I had two different sized springs. Apparently you can use non-matching springs, they just have to be wound a different number of times, but it's not recommended because the smaller spring will wear out sooner, which is exactly what happened in my case. Also, I measured the broken spring to figure out what size to order and didn't notice it wasn't the same size as the other one. I thought the good spring was slightly longer due to it still being wound. It was only after I unwound it that I realized it was longer and the wire size was larger. I had to order new springs.

[@LJimenez0185]

Quick question, so when you measure the length of the spring you measure the new one and you said 36” but the label that you showed before was 18.5 did you upgrade the spring for the extra weight of the insulation? So if I have a 16x7 that weights about 154 pounds and has a .0875x2x16 should I upgrade if I’m putting insulation in the future? And how do I find the right spring for the future weight? Thanks great video!

[@antibrevity]

The DDM site linked in the description will give you free winding bars with a purchase of springs, so add the bars to your cart first. Also, the site explains how to convert some inside diameters to more common 2" springs in order to save money in some cases.

[@richharover495]

You’re a great teacher. I’ll probably never do this, but fantastic tutorial

[@condor4679123]

I almost killed myself and launched the garage door through the back wall of the garage when I ordered the wrong springs online.

[@BustedSills]

I did it safely. I called the overhead door company & they fixed it safely for me!

[@crelyt]

How much did it cost you

[@G_Weezy]

We have to make sure tension is released from both sides before moving to the center bolts? I know yours is broken but it wasn’t mentioned to unwind the other side if needed to.

[@LRN2DIY]

Yes, that’s correct. All tension has to be relieved before removing the center hardware for sure.

[@sz4179]

​@@LRN2DIYPIN THIS TO TOP OF COMMENTS PLEASE

[@ajdrew252]

Thank you sir! You saved me hundreds. Only lost one tooth but dental work is still a little cheaper than hiring someone to do these springs.

[@johnwalker8194]

I wanted to check prices, so I input the exact info for your garage door springs on the DDM website. Since your video 6 months ago, the prices have actually doubled.

[@Azpy]

I noticed that too

[@craftymomcreations]

I just want to say this video was very detailed. My torsion spring was broken on both sides. I ordered the replacement part on Amazon and alone I was able to replace the spring. Thank you so much for sharing this video ❤

[@AquaticLogic]

Thank you so much for this video. Did it myself and it was a great success! I relied on my spring supplier to get me the right springs and did the install myself. Appreciate it.

[@rob8823]

A steering wheel and gas pedal are far more dangerous. Thanks for all the time spent breaking this down. I wonder why they dont just use counterweights.

[@rjlinnovations1516]

Excellent video tutorials 👍. Job well done 👍. Thank you for sharing your video tutorials 🙏. Subscribed 🥰🙏

[@BiggMo]

Springs are considered a wear component that need replacement periodically. I’m in my forever home… and I hired it done, because they came with a lifetime warranty. Next time they require replacement, I assume I’ll be too old to tackle it.

[@alkinsac]

I would rather spend $400 with professional than messing up and ruining your garage =$5000 😒

[@LRN2DIY]

Not sure where the $5000 comes from but if you're right - if you're in any way hesitant about doing this, then you shouldn't.

[@spaknives]

I just finished replacing both garage door springs. Thanks for this Awesome video/guide. It really helped a ton! I am a pretty handy guy, I think, I build and fix a lot of things. This was not a super difficult job, but I can see how it could be very dangerous! Just be cautious, and watch this video! I followed all your guidelines on ordering spring and purchased them from DDM as well. Everything seems to be working perfectly. Thanks again!

[@smetzger1972]

Great video ! Watched a couple times, went out and bought torsion springs. Completed the job successfully in under an hour. Took my time & was over cautious. No problems & door works great. Thanks !

[@troubleshooter1975]

It is important to point out that the shaft is hollow, and if you over-tighten the keys, they will just keep going deeper until they flatten the tube shaft; as some others here have commented.

[@shane3978]

Thanks for the video. I'm getting ready to replace the springs for the first time on my garage door due to a broken spring like in your video. I had one question. At the end of your video you said you you had to back off a 1/4 turn and no more than half a turn. Can you clarify what exactly you are looking at to determine that you need to back off and just how much? I didn't quite understand that part, but maybe I need to go watch the video again.

[@robertgreen9980]

I’m 63, my son 40. We both DIY. I’ve instilled in him proper tool for job. Our garage door broke. I’m buying the proper tools and not paying labor. Or and gonna watch this a time or two more. Thanks.

[@ronyerke9250]

The last time I had garage door springs to replace, I just took the broken one to a brick and mortar shop, and they fixed me up with the correct set of springs. That was over 25 years ago.

[@davekenyon9582]

This is the best video well done

[@josephcline3652]

I just had someone replace the springs on my garage door. "It's gonna take me about 20 minutes." 20 minutes later... "Yeah, that'll be $400." EXCUSE me?!

[@rzzzzzzzzzz7834]

Weird, my broken spring is 22.5 long on red side, but the black side is 20 inch long, i ordered a 23 inch long spring and installed both today, and unfortunately, my garage door (16X7) cant be opened with the garage door motor, the chain just make a lot noise and cant lift the door up, can anyone here help me out please? the motor is 1/2 horse power genie excelerator from previous house owner.

[@EanBiggs]

Thank you for the video. I replaced tmy springs for only $55. I liked the step by step process. I especially liked how you pretended to not undo the fasener screws before putting on the new spring, so we would not make that mistake. Thanks again!

[@ChristianGuynn]

Great video. I don't think there's any part of this job you didn't cover. So I just got an estimate of $650 to replace both of the springs on my garage door. This seemed a bit high to me, but I really had no point of reference. Now, I'm a DIY guy by nature, but I wasn't sold on the idea of replacing these springs myself only because I know the tension on these springs can cause some serious injuries if not handled properly. After watching this video, I'm not worried about tackling this myself and I'll be saving probably $400 bucks in the process.

[@alanizar]

Great Video! I have one question. I was able to install the tension springs, I did 28 quarter turns for my garage door that is about 6ft 9 inches. When I get to the part of doing the self-lift test (minute 38) I am not able to lift the garage door at all, it won't move. Any suggestions? Do I need to put more tension on the springs or do less tension? Thanks in advance for the advice.

[@FriendM2010]

Trying to get question answered, I want to go two spring center bracket as I have one 40” spring for 7’ x16 door. Problem is about 10” left of my current center bracket is a torsion bar coupler from Martin. Measure with caliper, is 1.75 in. If I use 2” inside día springs and slide over coupler, will it ever rub inside of coil. Door probably weighs 200lbs dead weight..

[@silentpreacher]

Great video! Very easy to follow along. Although, i did have to rewatch some parts a few times. It took me about 3 hours to install by myself. Thanks.

[@timfischer]

This is a great video. I DIY most everything but I haven't had the guts to do this yet. Now I have the confidence, although when these break you tend to want them replaced ASAP so there's that too. I do have to pick on one thing though... you go on about never touching a live spring, then at the end you give it an oil massage lol.

[@DawitAbeye-g2l]

Great video. Anyone can do the job with the way he explained. I’ll give him A+++ I just changed the 2 springs with no issues. Thanks for you…

[@bennguyen1313]

Would have liked to have seen the bar/spring turning, it's not obvious what causes the bar to turn. BTW, Is it safe to say that if you disengage the trolly, and you can't easily open the door manually, then you should check to see if the torsion-spring is broken?

[@caseylasley9846]

My door is a 7 foot door with only 1 spring. I assume i should still do the 30 1/4 turns on the spring? Or is there a different number with only 1 spring?

[@davidbennett4340]

I was noticing that the springs are connected in center through the open mouth bracket. One of yours was broken so you could unmount the first one after the tension was relived from it. That said, for someone who is just replacing them for any other reason other than having one that was broken wouldn't they need to make sure they remove the tension from both springs before unmounting either spring from that center bracket? I know you mentioned this scenario at the beginning of your video but for someone who may not have done this before they may not have put that together. Unless i am just completely wrong about this which is possible but this is just my two cents for safety concerns.

[@LRN2DIY]

You're absolutely correct. I could have been more clear on this but yes - if you're replacing two tensioned (non-broken) springs, you have to ensure that the tension is removed from both springs before removing any center or end hardware. Great point.

[@troubleshooter1975]

@@LRN2DIYpin this!

[@raguripper]

Dude! Thanks so much for mentioning the danger zone. I was trying to loosen a set screw and the winding bar fell out and sure enough the spring unwound. by design my body and face was out of the way. Thanks for the steps and warnings. Just watching again to make sure I'm following the right steps and getting my mind sorted on what occured. You saved me a hospital trip. Also saving with DIY. Great video. Money saved for my family...

[@timfischer]

That had to be a startle. Glad you are safe.

[@ChillyWillyJr]

Informative video. Obviously I’m here because I wanted to see if I could do this myself. But how much is my time worth? Paying for expertise isn’t a bad idea.

[@TonyFabris]

Thank you for a comprehensive and understandable video. Your video gave me the confidence to do it myself, rather than pay someone else to do it. I even took this opportunity to add insulation to the door, factoring in the weight of the insulation when choosing my springs. Coily was watching me the whole time: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opaVlnVordmpeLM

[@koonelos]

Thank you VERY much! Followed your instructions, worked like a charm!

[@GrizzBear-z6d]

Great video. I actually look forward to replacing the garage springs myself.

[@carguy1312]

I have a single spring on the left side - but the hand trick shown says it’s a left hand spring. In the video it’s says left side should be a right hand spring. How is it possible it’s been working for the past 9 + years?

[@GC-gk7jv]

If my drum cables are loaded through the front vs. the back, and the torsion springs are to the far left and right vs. the middle, do i need to twist the torsion springs up or down?

[@pros70t5]

Thank you very much for this video. It was all I needed to replace my springs. I owe you a beer!

[@dustoff1472]

I only have one spring for each door. Do you think they were lazy and only installed one per door? Excellent video. Thanks for sharing.

[@carlas8905]

I had a guy come out and his first quote was $750. I walked him out. I asked my husband if he could do it (even though he works 14 hour days…he said he would.) He watched this video and read the comments. He said somewhere in these comments someone said something crucial that saved him. Anyway, thanks for doing the vid. He did it for $120 for two springs.

[@krystophersalayze28]

What was the comment??!

[@uranusanalyzes9632]

While watching this I realized my right side spring is a different size as my left side. No wonder the smaller spring broke

[@thickwristmcfist3399]

Great video! I always hear about guys getting their head chopped off by garage door springs... Glad you made it out alive, man!! Bravo!

[@LRN2DIY]

Haha - me too. I haven't heard of any decapitations but I managed to get out with my head still attached ;)

[@progearster]

My garage door measured 94 inches. Is this considered 8' tall w/ 35 quarter turns?

[@anetpro97]

HI You must have done work in this industry before that's why you could make this detailed video.

[@Dongurwinder]

Very detailed and well put together video...great job!

[@BuBoyJackpat]

His website to buy parts is very expensive. I don't recommend the website he mentioned. its three times cheaper in amazon.

[@BiggMo]

14:44 it does make perfect sense… in new construction, take-offs are taken from plan elevations so it’s looked at from the exterior. Same with windows when determining which side of a slider is the vent. Always from exterior.

[@LRN2DIY]

Great point! I hand't thought about it that way.

[@kennyg572]

helppppp meee--- i cant get my pulleys off the bar the6y are old and have rust---are they suppose to slide all the way across the bar? help me

[@johnhernandez3134]

If you're a dummy, don't do this. If you're not a dummy, go ahead and do this. Don't let anyone else tell you differently.

[@BDI2023]

Thank you. You would be proud , got it done in no time. Appreciate your help.

[@michaelmmofo]

Bravo ......being a body&fender dynamo, you've made my 1st attempt an easier one. Thanks for taking the time. You've got my gratitude.............

[@BeersAndBeatsPDX]

Garage door guy here: honestly, just don't do it. I've seen terrible things happen to people because they tried to mess with the springs.

[@robertfleming5829]

15 years of experience for me doing this and I agree , this is one of the things you should probably just pay for .

[@BeersAndBeatsPDX]

@@robertfleming5829 Yup. I always tell people that almost everything on a door is user serviceable just don't ever touch the springs or the cables.

[@LRN2DIY]

I appreciate the feedback. I did my best to keep safety in mind throughout. Just curious - any other tips or tricks that you use on a job like this? We DIYers always appreciate learning from pros like yourself.

[@robertfleming5829]

I was surprised at all the great tips that you gave , you must have done a lot of research. I would rather install 2 smaller/ weaker springs rather than 1 bigger / stronger spring ( like you did), because when 1 breaks you still have half the lifting power, with no springs to lift the door is a great way to break the opener as well . @@LRN2DIY

[@reallunacy]

I've done this repair for a couple people. This is the type of task I'm comfortable about, but would recommend most people to not touch and hire someone.

[@breckfreeride]

Dmm had a sale recently and I got mine with the sticks for 63.57 bucks shipped!

[@breckfreeride]

Original installation way over screwed the keys... Had to hammer them off!

[@SuperMarketBagger]

According to the comments, unless its not your property any someones paying, it's too dangerous.

[@Miguelhernandez-lw9wv]

Followed step by step came out perfect👌🏻thank you god bless.

[@captainstress]

Great video. I wish this came out before I paid over 700 for my new springs. Question: Why did you leave the ends of the springs unlubricated? I'm pretty sure my installer lubricated the whole spring.

[@LRN2DIY]

The idea is to prevent lubrication from effecting the set screws, so they don't slip out.

[@JJ-lx3xt]

10 points Sir! Watched the entire video first and felt comfortable tackling the job. Really appreciated all the safety pointers. Ordered the springs, followed the video step by step. Made some tension adjustments at the end - again - following the video. No problems and saved a few hundred dollars. Thank you for the thorough instructions!!

[@LRN2DIY]

That's awesome feedback and so glad to hear it went well! Thank you!

[@polim4877]

Awesome video and instructions. Just replace my springs and garage work even better. I put a longer spring so it should last longer than previous.. never change springs before and thank you again for saving me $360. The local repairman wanted $480.

[@WynoLINY]

I was taught that tightening the springs is the very last thing you do. Is there any drawback doing that ?

[@24kachina]

Good video. I have done this twice now at my house, two 24" wide springs on a 7' door, most recently yesterday. As of April 2024, I got a quote from a reputable door service guy my neighbor has used and liked - $250 per spring, plus $75 service call = $575. On Amazon I got two Vevo brand springs, with winding bars and included new drum cables, for $65. The door lost multiple rollers and got badly off kilter when springs broke and door fell hard. It took me and my hand brother about 80 minutes to replace, more time spent getting rollers replaced and the door aligned to move in its tracks. The spring part is easy if you just take your time. And measure twice if you're not sure of your spring size, it's not hard, just tedious counting spring coils and doing a tad of basic math. I saved $500. You can too. And the Vevo springs and winding bar seem very good quality, even cam e with a decent pair of cotton gloves with the little blue rubber stipply grippy bumps. I did it alone the first time when the door was not out of its rollers. One person can do it that way as in this video; if the door is jacked up and out of alignment, buy a 12 pack of beer and grab a buddy.

[@sociopathmercenary]

Should probably drink the beer AFTER the job is finished. 😂

[@josephpeters8916]

I was able to complete this thanks to this video, excellent walkthrough!

[@engrpiman]

When this happened to my parents door I just lifted the door from the ground to get in /out. It was heavy

[@LRN2DIY]

It really is heavy. On mine it was really tough to open by myself even with one spring still engaged.