How to Repair Garage Door Springs and Cables

Supervene upon springs and cables—safely.

Fourth dimension

A full day

Complication

Advanced

Cost

$101–250

Introduction

Learn how to repair overhead garage door springs and cables—without winding up in the emergency room. Follow along every bit a pro explains how it's done.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Bottom brackets
  • Double-life torsion springs
  • Elevator cables

Earlier you practise this garage door spring repair yourself…

Lots of things tin go wrong with a garage door, and nearly are easy to fix. But problems involving the garage door tension spring are more serious.

What does a garage door tension spring do?

The garage door tension springs provide lifting force for the heavy door and are under tremendous tension—go careless, and they tin can hurt you.

Can y'all repair a garage door tension spring yourself?

If you use the correct tools and follow our instructions, you can rebuild the entire torsion leap system in just a few hours, without any side trips to the ER. We won't embrace how to supplant garage door extension leap systems in this story. Only we'll show you garage door spring replacement on the more than common torsion springs, the kind that mountain on a bar to a higher place the garage door.

Depending on where you live, doing this garage door leap replacement job yourself might save you $200 or more. And then over again, it might save you less than $50. So before you lot spend several hours fixing your garage door, it'due south a skilful idea to assemble a few professional person estimates for garage door spring replacement.

Start your garage door spring replacement projection by getting a rough measurement of your springs (length and diameter). Then measure the width and height of your door. Make sure the quote includes the trip charge, parts and labor. Then enquire for a price based on 7×19 lift cables and double-life springs. Those items will give you more years of service and should but add $65 to the price.

Figure A: Garage Door Lift System

garage door lift system diagram Family Handyman

To assistance lift a heavy garage door, the springs employ twisting strength to the torsion tube. Drums at the ends of the tube deed equally reels, winding up the cables connected to the door. The virtually common problems with this organization are broken springs or cables. Smaller doors often have but one jump.

Projection step-past-step (15)

Step 1

Lock down the door

Clench the door to the rail

Clamp garage door to the track

Clamp a locking pliers or a C-clamp to the rail but in a higher place 1 of the rollers. This will preclude the door from shooting upwardly and breaking your olfactory organ when you current of air the new springs during an overhead garage door repair. Too yank the cord and unplug the garage door opener before y'all first any garage door leap repair.

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Play it Super Prophylactic When Doing Garage Door Spring Repair!

garage door repair safety attire

  • NEVER use screwdrivers, pin punches or pliers handles to wind or unwind a torsion spring. Trust us: This is the best style to wind up in the hospital. Don't fifty-fifty think almost doing this job without a proper set of winding confined. You can buy a set of professional hardened-steel winding bars for about $25 from online suppliers. (Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are 2 online sources that sell winding confined, springs and other parts.) Professional winding bars piece of work with 1/2-in. and seven/16-in. winding cones. If your winding cones accept 1/2-in. openings, y'all can make your own winding bars past cutting a 36-in. length of 1/2-in.-bore round bar stock in half (buy round bar stock from whatever hardware or habitation center). Just file a shine bevel on each terminate so it slides into the winding cone holes easier.
  • Position your ladder to the side of the jump ends so you're never straight in forepart of the spring cones when they're winding or unwinding.
  • Go along the garage door opener disconnected from power at all times, and lock the door in the lowered position, especially when you're winding the springs.
  • Wear centre protection and leather gloves throughout the garage door bound replacement project.
  • Stride off the ladder and move it off to the side before unclamping the door and testing the residual. Never test a door while you're standing on the ladder.

Pace 2

Loosen the unbroken spring

Use the winding bar

how to place a winding bar

Shove a winding bar into a bottom hole of the winding cone of the good spring. Hold the bar in identify while you loosen the 2 setscrews. Hang on tight; the jump will push button with powerful torque as the screws release.

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Step 3

Unwind the unbroken jump

Use two winding confined

inserting two winding bars

Insert the second winding bar into the pigsty at the 9:00 position. Remove the bottom bar and unwind the spring a quarter plough at a fourth dimension, leapfrogging the winding bars with each plough.

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Step 4

Disconnect the springs from the center bracket

Remove the basics and bolts

Removing nuts and bolts that fasten the stationary spring

Remove the 2 nuts and bolts that spike the stationary leap cones to the center subclass. Then slide the springs toward the finish brackets.

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If a spring or cable breaks while your cars are parked inside, the garage door won't open and y'all'll exist stranded. Getting emergency evening or weekend service from a garage door professional tin can easily cost $400. However, if you tin can get your vehicles out of the garage, you can postpone the repair to get normal weekday repair rates.

If you want to practise the repair yourself, go several telephone estimates first, because rates vary widely among service companies. Most garage doors are heavy (200 to 300 lbs.), so call in three potent friends to assistance you lift the door and hold information technology open up while y'all lock it in the full raised position with a locking pliers. And so motion your vehicles and take your friends help you lower the door.

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Footstep 5

Secure the torsion tube

Employ locking pliers

Using locking pliers on garage door

Snap a locking pliers or a C-clamp onto the heart bracket to hold the torsion tube in the bracket. And then loosen the setscrews on the left and right lift cablevision drums and disconnect the lift cables.

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Step 6

Remove the sometime bound

Slide the torsion tube over

Sliding the torsion tube

Starting on the left side of the door, slide the torsion tube to the correct so y'all tin can remove the cablevision drum. And then slide the old spring off the tube.

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Step vii

Buying replacement parts

Calculate the wire diameter

how to calculate the wire diameter

Grab a tape measure out and press the hook betwixt two spring coils and notation the length of twenty coils. Then measure out xl coils. Convert the measurements to a decimal (4-one/ii in. to four.five in., or 4-1/viii to iv.125, for example). Split the two measurements past xx and 40 to obtain the spring's wire diameter. Here'south an instance: 4.50 divided by 20 = .225-in. wire diameter; 9.0 divided by 40 = .225-in. wire bore. If the two results match, you've measured correctly.

Determine the "hand" of the spring

left vs right hand wind of spring

View the end of each spring to determine its wind direction, or "hand." If the stop of the spring is pointing upwardly on the right, it's a right-hand current of air. If the stop is pointing up on the left, information technology'south a left-hand air current. Doors with two springs will always have a left- and a correct-hand spring.

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Measure out the inner bore and length

how to measure the inner diameter of the broken spring

Measure out the inner diameter of the broken spring as shown. Loosen the setscrews on the broken spring and slide the broken portion over to meet the stationary department. Mensurate the overall length of the springs (not including the cones).

Most dwelling centers don't carry all the replacement parts yous'll need for garage door jump replacement, and nearly garage door service companies won't sell y'all springs. So you may have to order the parts online and wait for the shipment to get in. Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are two online sources . Outset, inspect the status of your cables and brackets. If you see any frayed strands on the cables or rust on the lesser brackets, supplant them at present earlier they fail. Bottom brackets cost well-nigh $15 per set. Premium-quality cables (listed equally "7x19") last much longer than economic system cables and price only about $iv more. So it'south smart to buy the ameliorate cables for about $12 per fix.

Standard torsion springs (about $40 each) have a service life of 7,000 to x,000 open/close cycles. Still, you tin can buy double-life (25,000 cycles) replacement springs for nigh $65 per spring. If you have a 2-jump setup and one spring breaks, the 2d spring will break before long. So replace them both at the same fourth dimension. To get the right springs for your door, you'll take to provide the supplier some details. Hither's how:

Step viii

Install the left leap

Reassemble, then hang on the bearing bracket

Install the left spring

Slide the new torsion spring replacement onto the torsion tube with the stationary cone facing the middle bracket. And then reinstall the cablevision drum with the garage door wire. Reinsert the torsion bar into the left-side bearing bracket.

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Step 9

Install a new center bearing

Connect stationary cones to the bracket

Install a new center bearing

Shove the torsion bar to the left, so slide on the center bearing. Install the right bound and push button the bearing into the stationary cone. Reinstall the pulsate as shown in Photo 7. Connect both stationary cones to the center bracket.

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Step 10

Replace the bottom brackets, rollers and lift cables

Deal with rusted parts at present

how to replace the bottom brackets, rollers and lift cables

Snap the lift cable loop over the pin on the new lesser bracket. Insert the new roller. Then swap in the new lesser brackets and cables.

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Step 11

Thread the cables

Anchor the cable in the slot

Thread the cables

Run the lift cables, or garage door wire, straight up between the rollers and the doorjamb. Slide the lift cable stop through the slot on the drum.

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Step 12

Tighten the drums

Make the tension equal

Tighten the drums

Snap a locking pliers onto the torsion tube to lock it into place while you tighten the drums. Rotate the drum to wind the cable into the winding grooves. Pull the cable as tight as possible before tightening the setscrews. Leave the locking pliers in place and echo the tightening procedure on the other side. You want equal tension on both sides. Otherwise, the door will open unevenly.

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Step 13

Current of air the garage door tension springs

Follow the jump suppliers recommendations

Wind the garage door tension springs

Slide a winding bar into the cone and wind toward the ceiling. Plow the spring a quarter turn at a fourth dimension, leapfrogging the winding bars as you go. Follow the spring supplier'due south recommendations for the total number of turns. If you didn't go a recommendation, perform 30 quarter turns for a 7-ft.-tall door and 36 quarter turns for an 8-ft.-alpine door.

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Step fourteen

Stretch the springs

Tap the winding bar

Stretch the springs

With the bound fully wound, tap the winding bar to stretch the spring out from the center about 1/four in. earlier tightening the setscrews. Rotate the setscrews until they contact the torsion tube. Then tighten the screws a one-half to three-quarters turn. Tightening the screws beyond that point tin puncture or distort the torsion tube.

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Step 15

Lubricate the jump

Use a garage door lubricant

Lubricate the garage door spring

Slide a slice of paper-thin or paper grocery bag betwixt the spring and the wall. Then saturate the spring with garage door lube spray. Wipe off the excess.

Finish With a Exam of the Garage Door Tension Leap

Remove the clamps and pliers from the torsion tube and rail, and lift the door most 3 ft. by hand. If the door springs are properly adapted, the door should stay in place when you allow get. If the door falls when you let go, add together a quarter turn to each spring. Repeat if necessary. If the door continues to open on its ain, release bound tension in quarter-plow increments until the door stays in place when yous permit go. Then reconnect the opener.

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Run into the pro

Tim Sweeney

Tim Sweeney, owner of TB Sweeney Repair, has 22 years of experience installing and repairing residential and commercial garage doors.