How to Repair Garage Door Springs and Cables

Supplant springs and cables—safely.

Fourth dimension

A total 24-hour interval

Complexity

Advanced

Toll

$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 information technology'due south washed.

Tools Required

Materials Required

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

Earlier you lot do this garage door spring repair yourself…

Lots of things tin can go wrong with a garage door, and most 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 forcefulness for the heavy door and are under tremendous tension—go devil-may-care, and they tin can injure you.

Can yous repair a garage door tension spring yourself?

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

Depending on where you lot live, doing this garage door spring replacement chore yourself might save you $200 or more. Then again, information technology might save you less than $l. So earlier y'all spend several hours fixing your garage door, it's a adept idea to gather a few professional estimates for garage door leap replacement.

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

Figure A: Garage Door Elevator System

garage door lift system diagram Family Handyman

To help elevator a heavy garage door, the springs utilise twisting force to the torsion tube. Drums at the ends of the tube act as reels, winding up the cables connected to the door. The about mutual problems with this organisation are broken springs or cables. Smaller doors oftentimes have only ane spring.

Project step-by-step (15)

Step i

Lock down the door

Clamp the door to the track

Clamp garage door to the track

Clench a locking pliers or a C-clamp to the track just above one of the rollers. This will prevent the door from shooting up and breaking your nose when yous air current the new springs during an overhead garage door repair. Also yank the string and unplug the garage door opener earlier yous start whatever garage door spring repair.

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Play it Super Safety When Doing Garage Door Spring Repair!

garage door repair safety attire

  • NEVER utilise screwdrivers, pin punches or pliers handles to air current or unwind a torsion leap. Trust us: This is the best fashion to wind upwards in the hospital. Don't even think about doing this job without a proper ready of winding bars. Y'all tin buy a prepare of professional hardened-steel winding bars for about $25 from online suppliers. (Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are two online sources that sell winding bars, springs and other parts.) Professional winding confined work with 1/two-in. and vii/16-in. winding cones. If your winding cones have 1/2-in. openings, you can make your own winding bars past cutting a 36-in. length of i/2-in.-bore circular bar stock in half (buy round bar stock from any hardware or habitation center). Just file a smooth bevel on each end then information technology slides into the winding cone holes easier.
  • Position your ladder to the side of the spring ends so you lot're never directly in front of the bound cones when they're winding or unwinding.
  • Keep 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 spring replacement projection.
  • Step off the ladder and motility information technology off to the side earlier unclamping the door and testing the balance. Never test a door while you're standing on the ladder.

Step 2

Loosen the unbroken bound

Use the winding bar

how to place a winding bar

Shove a winding bar into a lesser pigsty of the winding cone of the adept jump. Agree the bar in place while you loosen the ii setscrews. Hang on tight; the spring will push with powerful torque as the screws release.

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Footstep 3

Unwind the unbroken spring

Use 2 winding bars

inserting two winding bars

Insert the 2d winding bar into the hole at the ix:00 position. Remove the lesser bar and unwind the spring a quarter turn at a time, leapfrogging the winding bars with each turn.

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Step 4

Disconnect the springs from the heart subclass

Remove the basics and bolts

Removing nuts and bolts that fasten the stationary spring

Remove the two nuts and bolts that fasten the stationary spring cones to the centre bracket. Then slide the springs toward the end brackets.

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

If you want to practise the repair yourself, go several phone estimates offset, because rates vary widely amidst service companies. Most garage doors are heavy (200 to 300 lbs.), so call in three stiff friends to assistance you lift the door and concur it open while you lock it in the full raised position with a locking pliers. Then motion your vehicles and have your friends help you lower the door.

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Stride 5

Secure the torsion tube

Employ locking pliers

Using locking pliers on garage door

Snap a locking pliers or a C-clamp onto the center bracket to agree the torsion tube in the bracket. Then loosen the setscrews on the left and right lift cable drums and disconnect the lift cables.

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Stride 6

Remove the old spring

Slide the torsion tube over

Sliding the torsion tube

Starting on the left side of the door, slide the torsion tube to the right so y'all tin can remove the cable drum. Then slide the old leap off the tube.

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Stride seven

Ownership replacement parts

Calculate the wire diameter

how to calculate the wire diameter

Grab a tape measure and press the hook between 2 jump coils and note the length of 20 coils. Then measure 40 coils. Convert the measurements to a decimal (iv-1/2 in. to iv.5 in., or four-1/8 to four.125, for example). Divide the two measurements by 20 and 40 to obtain the spring's wire bore. Here's an case: 4.fifty divided past 20 = .225-in. wire bore; 9.0 divided past 40 = .225-in. wire diameter. If the two results friction match, you've measured correctly.

Decide the "hand" of the spring

left vs right hand wind of spring

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

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Measure the inner diameter and length

how to measure the inner diameter of the broken spring

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

Most home centers don't carry all the replacement parts yous'll need for garage door spring replacement, and most garage door service companies won't sell yous springs. So you may accept to gild the parts online and wait for the shipment to arrive. Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are two online sources . Starting time, inspect the condition of your cables and brackets. If you see any frayed strands on the cables or rust on the bottom brackets, supercede them now earlier they fail. Bottom brackets price most $15 per ready. Premium-quality cables (listed as "7x19") last much longer than economy cables and cost only about $4 more. So it'south smart to purchase the amend cables for about $12 per set.

Standard torsion springs (nigh $40 each) have a service life of 7,000 to 10,000 open/shut cycles. However, you tin can buy double-life (25,000 cycles) replacement springs for about $65 per bound. If you have a two-spring setup and one spring breaks, the second leap will break soon. So supervene upon them both at the same time. To get the right springs for your door, yous'll have to provide the supplier some details. Hither'southward how:

Footstep 8

Install the left spring

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 center subclass. So reinstall the cablevision pulsate with the garage door wire. Reinsert the torsion bar into the left-side bearing bracket.

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Footstep 9

Install a new center bearing

Connect stationary cones to the bracket

Install a new center bearing

Shove the torsion bar to the left, and so slide on the center bearing. Install the right bound and push the begetting into the stationary cone. Reinstall the drum as shown in Photo vii. Connect both stationary cones to the middle 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 subclass. Insert the new roller. Then swap in the new lesser brackets and cables.

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Step 11

Thread the cables

Ballast the cablevision in the slot

Thread the cables

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

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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 y'all tighten the drums. Rotate the drum to wind the cable into the winding grooves. Pull the cable as tight as possible earlier tightening the setscrews. Leave the locking pliers in place and echo the tightening procedure on the other side. You desire equal tension on both sides. Otherwise, the door will open unevenly.

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Step thirteen

Wind the garage door tension springs

Follow the bound suppliers recommendations

Wind the garage door tension springs

Slide a winding bar into the cone and wind toward the ceiling. Turn the spring a quarter turn at a time, leapfrogging the winding confined equally you go. Follow the spring supplier'due south recommendations for the total number of turns. If you lot didn't get a recommendation, perform xxx quarter turns for a 7-ft.-tall door and 36 quarter turns for an 8-ft.-tall door.

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Step 14

Stretch the springs

Tap the winding bar

Stretch the springs

With the jump fully wound, tap the winding bar to stretch the spring out from the heart nigh i/4 in. before 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 can puncture or distort the torsion tube.

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Step 15

Lubricate the leap

Use a garage door lubricant

Lubricate the garage door spring

Slide a piece of cardboard or paper grocery bag between the leap and the wall. And so saturate the spring with garage door lube spray. Wipe off the excess.

Terminate With a Test of the Garage Door Tension Spring

Remove the clamps and pliers from the torsion tube and track, and elevator the door about 3 ft. by hand. If the door springs are properly adapted, the door should stay in identify when you lot permit go. If the door falls when you permit get, add a quarter turn to each bound. Repeat if necessary. If the door continues to open on its own, release spring tension in quarter-turn increments until the door stays in place when you lot let 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.