LF: Garage-door repair person!

[SilentJay]

So I opened the motorized garage door to put my bike back in, and closed it from the inside as per normal. As i'm walking away I hear a loud "snap", so I run back outside to find that the garage door will only open about a foot then stick there.

Thankfully I have a side door, so I went in and dinked around with it until I noticed one of the two springs at the top of the door assembly has snapped.

Since i'm not even close to being as filthy rich as Optiklenz, I need some professional advice/quotes to get it fixed asap. Anyone get this fixed before? Something that can be done by myself? How much $$$ am I looking at? I'll be footing the bill since my dad lost his job recently :(

[mzkaye729]

Ugh... Installs department is closed for the weekend (I work at Home Depot). I will ask one of the millwork guys to figure this one out for you and I'll post back unless someone else beats me to it.

[KenYork]

Do you have any pics of the springs and area?

[Noisy Crow]

Do you have any pics of the springs and area?

+1

And I am sure someone here can help you out with fix.... (i.e., let me know if you want help --- I do the home-handyman thing all the time..........)

[mzkaye729]

I asked one of my contractors here at work just now. You've already separated the door from the motor by pulling on that handle, right ? If it's not budging, it could be that the wheels on the track are either bent or jammed.

Home Depot carries the springs but they go by weight of the door and also we have limited supplies and we don't usually stock a variety of the springs for garage doors. We can special order it for you if we dont have it but that takes time to come in.

If it's the springs, you should be able to DIY.

If anything, just call your local Home Depot store or if you have any more questions, PM me and I'll get one of my contractors/associates to help you out.

[SilentJay]

I did a little snooping around, and have found that the torsion spring snapped :( I'm going to need 2 replacement springs and have read that it's probably best to have a pro do it, since there is so much stored up energy in the other spring. It'd be super-dangerous for me to change it myself...

[PCLoadLetter]

Wire snips, safety glasses, prayers. :chuckle

[PearlM3]

Wire snips, safety glasses, prayers. :chuckle

You forgot 1 step.....:give beer

[prinsesa]

I paid $65 when my garage door acted up, I just searched thru Kijiji for some guy to do it.
He is asian, lol. Forgot his name + number but I think my friend still has it.

[crono06]

Hey Jay, the same thing happened to my garage door less than 6 months ago. My dad called some guy in, and I think it was in the ballpark of 100 bucks. We found it in the YellowPages I think.

[SonicBoy]

I assume this is a double car garage door?

In any case, replace both springs even though only one is broken. Changing one now will probably mean the other could go soon to as they all have a life span on them(average number of up and downs).

I would not mess around with the springs as there is a lot of tension there and you could get hurt.

I called Dodds Garage doors however they were not cheap. They showed up as promised adn was in and out in about 30 mins.

The replacement spring was calculated based on the diameter of the coil already there and the number of spring if that helps you source the replacement.

[SilentJay]

I called around today - both springs are going to run me around $220-$250 + tax. It's a single garage door, 2-car width.

[DumpInfo]

I called around today - both springs are going to run me around $220-$250 + tax. It's a single garage door, 2-car width.

Jay, that seems just right considering my parents had this replaced years ago (same setup you currently have) and paid around the $200 margin.

[SilentJay]

^^^ Going to cheap out and not pay the weekend premium, and have them come Monday. That mofo is bloody heavy, so whenever I need to take the car out, it's really and truly a b*tch.

[DumpInfo]

^^^ Going to cheap out and not pay the weekend premium, and have them come Monday. That mofo is bloody heavy, so whenever I need to take the car out, it's really and truly a b*tch.

Hahaha I remember trying to open that SOB too so trust me I know what you're going thru!!

[SonicBoy]

Believe it or not it should open if you get two people to lift from either side.

Unless the door is wood, it should not be impossible to open and get your car out.

The above mentioned price is the going rate.

Remember to ask what the warranty is for the replacement.

[SilentJay]

^^ I can open the garage door myself, its just really heavy - and yes, it is wood.

[SomeGuy]

I had this happen to my garage door a couple weeks ago. Single spring, was about $140 to replace. Don't do it yourself, tensioning/detensioning the springs can be very dangerous if not done correctly.