How to Repair Garage Door Springs and Cables

Supercede springs and cables—safely.

Time

A full 24-hour interval

Complication

Advanced

Cost

$101–250

Introduction

Learn how to repair overhead garage door springs and cables—without winding upward in the emergency room. Follow along as a pro explains how it'due south done.

Tools Required

Materials Required

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

Earlier y'all do this garage door leap repair yourself…

Lots of things can get incorrect with a garage door, and almost are easy to prepare. But bug involving the garage door tension spring are more than serious.

What does a garage door tension spring practice?

The garage door tension springs provide lifting force for the heavy door and are under tremendous tension—get devil-may-care, and they tin hurt you lot.

Can you repair a garage door tension spring yourself?

If you use the correct tools and follow our instructions, y'all can rebuild the entire torsion spring arrangement in merely a few hours, without whatever side trips to the ER. We won't comprehend how to replace garage door extension jump systems in this story. Just we'll testify you garage door spring replacement on the more common torsion springs, the kind that mountain on a bar in a higher place the garage door.

Depending on where you live, doing this garage door spring replacement task yourself might salve you $200 or more. Then over again, information technology might save you lot less than $50. So earlier you spend several hours fixing your garage door, it'southward a good idea to get together a few professional estimates for garage door spring replacement.

First your garage door bound replacement projection past getting a crude measurement of your springs (length and bore). Then measure out the width and height of your door. Make certain the quote includes the trip charge, parts and labor. Then ask for a toll based on 7×19 lift cables and double-life springs. Those items will requite y'all more years of service and should only add $65 to the price.

Effigy A: Garage Door Lift Arrangement

garage door lift system diagram Family Handyman

To help lift a heavy garage door, the springs apply twisting force to the torsion tube. Drums at the ends of the tube act as reels, winding upwards the cables connected to the door. The near mutual problems with this system are broken springs or cables. Smaller doors frequently take just one jump.

Project step-by-step (15)

Footstep 1

Lock downwards the door

Clamp the door to the track

Clamp garage door to the track

Clamp a locking pliers or a C-clamp to the track just higher up ane of the rollers. This will prevent the door from shooting upward and breaking your nose when y'all wind the new springs during an overhead garage door repair. Also yank the cord and unplug the garage door opener before you beginning any garage door spring repair.

Play it Super Prophylactic When Doing Garage Door Spring Repair!

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  • NEVER use screwdrivers, pivot punches or pliers handles to wind or unwind a torsion spring. Trust united states: This is the best way to wind up in the hospital. Don't fifty-fifty think about doing this job without a proper set of winding confined. You can buy a gear up of professional hardened-steel winding bars for about $25 from online suppliers. (Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are 2 online sources that sell winding bars, springs and other parts.) Professional winding confined work with 1/two-in. and 7/16-in. winding cones. If your winding cones have 1/2-in. openings, you lot can make your own winding bars past cutting a 36-in. length of one/2-in.-diameter round bar stock in half (buy circular bar stock from any hardware or abode eye). Just file a smooth bevel on each cease so it slides into the winding cone holes easier.
  • Position your ladder to the side of the leap ends so you're never direct in front of the spring 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 y'all're winding the springs.
  • Wear eye protection and leather gloves throughout the garage door spring replacement project.
  • Pace off the ladder and move it off to the side before unclamping the door and testing the balance. Never examination a door while yous're standing on the ladder.

Footstep 2

Loosen the unbroken spring

Apply the winding bar

how to place a winding bar

Shove a winding bar into a bottom pigsty of the winding cone of the good spring. Hold the bar in place while you loosen the two setscrews. Hang on tight; the spring will push with powerful torque as the screws release.

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Step three

Unwind the unbroken spring

Use two winding bars

inserting two winding bars

Insert the second winding bar into the pigsty at the 9:00 position. Remove the lesser bar and unwind the bound a quarter plough at a time, leapfrogging the winding confined with each plough.

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Step iv

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 fasten the stationary spring cones to the center subclass. Then slide the springs toward the end brackets.

If Your Car is Trapped

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

If you lot want to do the repair yourself, get several phone estimates first, because rates vary widely amidst service companies. Most garage doors are heavy (200 to 300 lbs.), and then call in three potent friends to help you lift the door and hold it open up while yous lock it in the full raised position with a locking pliers. Then move your vehicles and have your friends help you lot lower the door.

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Step 5

Secure the torsion tube

Use locking pliers

Using locking pliers on garage door

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

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Step 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 you can remove the cablevision drum. And then slide the one-time leap off the tube.

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Pace 7

Buying replacement parts

Calculate the wire diameter

how to calculate the wire diameter

Grab a tape mensurate and printing the hook between two spring coils and note the length of 20 coils. And so measure xl coils. Convert the measurements to a decimal (4-one/ii in. to 4.5 in., or iv-1/8 to 4.125, for example). Carve up the 2 measurements by xx and 40 to obtain the spring's wire diameter. Here'south an instance: 4.50 divided by xx = .225-in. wire bore; ix.0 divided past 40 = .225-in. wire bore. If the 2 results friction match, you've measured correctly.

Determine the "manus" of the leap

left vs right hand wind of spring

View the end of each jump to decide its wind direction, or "manus." If the end of the spring is pointing upwards on the right, it'southward a right-paw wind. If the end is pointing up on the left, it's a left-hand wind. Doors with two springs will e'er take a left- and a right-mitt spring.

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Measure the inner diameter and length

how to measure the inner diameter of the broken spring

Measure the inner bore of the broken spring as shown. Loosen the setscrews on the broken spring and slide the broken portion over to encounter the stationary department. Measure the overall length of the springs (non including the cones).

Most dwelling centers don't deport all the replacement parts you'll need for garage door spring replacement, and near garage door service companies won't sell you springs. Then you may have to guild the parts online and wait for the shipment to arrive. Garagedoorpartsusa.com and stardoorparts.com are ii online sources . First, inspect the condition of your cables and brackets. If you lot see whatever frayed strands on the cables or rust on the bottom brackets, replace them at present before they fail. Bottom brackets cost about $fifteen per set up. Premium-quality cables (listed every bit "7x19") last much longer than economy cables and price only about $4 more. So information technology'southward smart to purchase the better cables for about $12 per set.

Standard torsion springs (about $40 each) have a service life of seven,000 to x,000 open/shut cycles. Nonetheless, you can buy double-life (25,000 cycles) replacement springs for about $65 per bound. If yous have a two-spring setup and one spring breaks, the 2nd bound volition break before long. So replace them both at the aforementioned time. To get the right springs for your door, you'll have to provide the supplier some details. Hither'south how:

Stride 8

Install the left spring

Reassemble, then hang on the bearing subclass

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 cable drum 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 begetting

Connect stationary cones to the subclass

Install a new center bearing

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

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Step x

Replace the bottom brackets, rollers and elevator cables

Bargain with rusted parts now

how to replace the bottom brackets, rollers and lift cables

Snap the lift cable loop over the pin on the new bottom bracket. Insert the new roller. Then swap in the new bottom 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 upwards betwixt the rollers and the doorjamb. Slide the lift cablevision terminate through the slot on the pulsate.

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Step 12

Tighten the drums

Brand 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 air current the cable into the winding grooves. Pull the cablevision as tight equally possible before tightening the setscrews. Get out the locking pliers in place and repeat the tightening procedure on the other side. Y'all want equal tension on both sides. Otherwise, the door will open unevenly.

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Stride 13

Wind the garage door tension springs

Follow the leap 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 plough at a fourth dimension, leapfrogging the winding bars as you go. Follow the spring supplier'southward recommendations for the total number of turns. If y'all didn't get a recommendation, perform 30 quarter turns for a 7-ft.-alpine door and 36 quarter turns for an eight-ft.-tall door.

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Footstep 14

Stretch the springs

Tap the winding bar

Stretch the springs

With the leap fully wound, tap the winding bar to stretch the bound out from the center nearly 1/4 in. before tightening the setscrews. Rotate the setscrews until they contact the torsion tube. So tighten the screws a one-half to three-quarters turn. Tightening the screws beyond that bespeak can puncture or distort the torsion tube.

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Step xv

Lubricate the jump

Apply a garage door lubricant

Lubricate the garage door spring

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

Finish With a Test of the Garage Door Tension Bound

Remove the clamps and pliers from the torsion tube and rails, and lift the door about 3 ft. by hand. If the door springs are properly adjusted, the door should stay in place when you allow become. If the door falls when you allow become, add a quarter plough to each spring. 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 let become. Then reconnect the opener.

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Meet the pro

Tim Sweeney

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