How to Replace Garage Door Springs
Your garage door’s springs make it possible to open and close the door easily. Although garage door springs are engineered to last for many cycles, they do eventually wear out.
When a garage door spring breaks, the garage door opener may strain to lift the door or fail to move it at all. When this happens, you’ll need to install a new spring.
If you have the proper tools and feel confident in your understanding of mechanical systems, you can certainly replace broken garage door springs yourself.
However, you’ll need to follow the steps carefully and take precautions to ensure safety. If installing springs on your garage door sounds a bit challenging, you can also contact the professionals at Madison Local Garage Door Pros for assistance.
How to Remove and Install Garage Door Springs
When you’re replacing garage door springs, you’ll need access to:
- 2 winding bars
- a 7/16″ wrench
- a drill with a 9/16″ bit
- 2 vice grips
- a stepladder
You’ll also need to order the right size replacement spring.
Remember that changing garage door springs can be dangerous — use caution at all times. Once you’ve gathered your tools, you can replace your garage door springs by following five steps.
1. Remove the Broken Springs
Climb up on your stepladder and loosen the existing springs using the winding bars and 7/16″ wrench. After unwinding the springs completely, detach them from the central bracket — this is usually done using the 9/16″ drill bit.
Next, use your 7/16” wrench to loosen the screws of both drums and slide the springs off the tube. Be sure to leave the plastic bearing on the tube next to the central bracket when you remove the springs.
2. Get the New Springs in Place
Once you’ve removed the existing springs, get your new springs into position. The red-colored spring should go on the left, and the black-colored one should go on the right when you’re facing the door from the inside. Confirm that your springs are in the right spots by checking that the end of the coil points upward when it’s on the tube. Attach the springs to the central bracket with the 9/16″ drill bit.
Next, use your 7/16” wrench to tighten the right drum to the tube, making sure it sits as close as possible to the endplate. The right drum will be marked with the letter “R.” Insert the cable into its dedicated slot on the drum and wrap it around the drum tightly. To insert the cable into the slot, press your thumb against it where it starts to bend. Ensure that the cable connects to the bottom bracket without interruption, and strum on it to make sure it has enough tension.
Lock the tube against the wall using a vice grip from an upper position and repeat the process with the left drum, except this time, you would wrap the cable around a loose drum (i.e. not yet attached to the tube). This is a crucial step — make sure that you are actively putting tension on the cable by pulling on the drum while tightening it to the tube with the 7/16” wrench.
Finally, go to the first vice grip and place another vice grip next to it, parallel to the ground. Then, with an “arm wrestle” movement, put a bit of a tension on the second vice grip by pulling it downward (~1”-2”) and while holding onto it, unlock the first vice grip (should now have space between the vice grip and the wall) and lock it back to the tube against the wall. Relock the second vice grip against the door from the bottom. Doing so will serve as a safety mechanism while you’re winding the springs.
3. Tighten the New Springs
Now, you can begin winding the new springs using the winding bars. Before you start, make sure the winding direction is consistent with the coil direction. Start with 28 quarter turns for a 7-foot door and 32 quarter turns for an 8-foot door. When you’re done, tighten each spring to the tube with the 7/16″ wrench.
4. Test the Balance of the Door
Release the top vice grip (the one leaning against the wall) and lean against the door, pushing it down while removing the bottom vice grip (the one touching the door). Slowly remove your weight from the door to ensure that it stays down. If the door rises, keep your weight on the door, reattach the vice grips and unwind the springs accordingly — one or two quarter turns will likely be enough.
Raise the door manually to test the balance. It should stay in the place where you leave it. When the door sits fully open, confirm that the cables on either side of the door are tight.
5. Tighten the Cables If Necessary
If the cables need tightening, loosen the springs one-quarter turn, leaving the winding bar against the door. Then, simply loosen the drums, spin the tube to ensure the drums aren’t retightened to the same spot as before and retighten the drums against the tube.
Reach out to Madison Local Garage Door Pros
At Madison Local Garage Door Pros, we’ve been serving residential customers in and around Madison, WI. As a family-owned and operated business, we complete garage door projects with honesty. Our staff members use their expertise and the best materials to finish jobs quickly and proficiently.
If you need to replace your garage door springs, we’ll be happy to help! Call (608) 515-1449 or contact us online today to request a service quote.
Wayne Dalton Torquemaster Spring Replacement
Garage doors operate under a massive amount of pressure. Springs bear the weight of that pressure, helping your garage door to lift and lower effortlessly and safely. But, given the weight and pressure that springs bear, they are often the first of your garage door components to break down.
Is your garage door using Wayne Dalton Torquemaster springs? If so, there are a number of reasons why you should consider replacing them with a different style of spring when they reach the end of their usable lifespan. Here’s a look at Wayne Dalton Torquemaster springs, why they should be replaced with something different, plus how to go about replacing them safely.
Torquemaster Springs vs. Torsion Springs
Wayne Dalton’s Torquemaster springs are stored in a hollow tube, so you can’t actually see them when examining your garage. With most springs, you can clearly see when they break and need replacement. That’s not the case with Wayne Dalton’s Torquemaster springs. You can’t clearly see that they are broken because they are located in this hollow tube. You only know something is wrong if and when your garage door stops operating properly, which may not always occur.
For example, if you have a two-car garage door and one of your two garage door springs break, you may still be able to operate the door. Since Wayne Dalton doors are generally light-weight, some higher-end openers, like the Liftmaster brand, may still be able to open the door with just the one working spring. However, because one spring is broken, the garage door motor has more weight to carry, which will end up causing the motor to wear out sooner than it would with a healthy spring system and require a repair or replacement.
Torsion springs are a little bit different. They sit above the garage door and are parallel to the garage door threshold. There is no tubing, so you can clearly see them. If and when torsion springs break, you can clearly see how the springs have separated — there’s no wondering if the spring is the problem or not.
Torsion springs are also the most durable and commonplace of garage door springs, meaning they provide great value, and all garage door technicians are adept at working on and replacing them.
When your garage door doesn’t open, you generally can’t recognize the cause of the issue unless it’s visible, such as in the case of torsion springs.
Why Convert From Torquemaster to Torsion Springs?
If your garage door still uses Torquemaster springs, we recommend replacing them with torsion springs at your earliest convenience. There are several reasons why.
First and foremost, Wayne Dalton no longer manufactures iDrive operators. Genie Operators purchased the Wayne Dalton company and discontinued iDrive production. Today, people who own Torquemaster spring systems have an operator of a different brand. It’s always difficult to own and maintain systems after the manufacturer stops servicing them, and that’s definitely the case with Wayne Dalton’s Torquemaster springs and iDrive systems.
Another disadvantage is that Wayne Dalton’s Torquemaster spring system is also composed of the drums that are attached to the tube on each side. These drums are made out of plastic — as opposed to metal ones that come with a torsion spring system — and have cables that roll into their slots that are thinner than those of a torsion spring system,which makes them prone to rust, fray, and breaks.
While there are many different types of springs available for garage doors, torsion springs have emerged as the most popular options for a number of reasons. As noted above, torsion springs are known for their effectiveness, durability and long lifespans. If you want garage door springs you can count on to do the heavy lifting day after day over the long-term, torsion springs are your best bet.
Again, when a Torquemaster spring breaks, you won’t know until your garage door stops lifting and lowering. It’s nearly impossible to tell with the naked eye that the spring is broken.
If and when you do become reasonably sure that your Torquemaster springs are broken and need replacement, here’s a video that quickly displays a before-and-after Torquemaster to torsion springs system conversion on a customer’s garage door.
One warning before you try to replace Torquemaster springs on your own: Because garage door springs are under such massive amounts of tension, replacing them is a task best left to highly experienced professionals. A novice trying to replace garage door springs could damage components or even get injured.
Get Help From the Best Garage Door Professionals in Madison, WI
When you need to convert your Torquemaster springs to torsion springs, contact the experts at Madison Local Garage Door Pros. Our team is fast and reliable, and we even provide 24/7 emergency service. We understand that garage door needs don’t always emerge according to a traditional work schedule, so we make ourselves available whenever you need support.
We can be your comprehensive provider of garage door services, including installations, regular maintenance, repairs and more. No matter what type of garage door products or support you need, you can always count on great customer service from the team at Madison Local Garage Door Pros. We’re ready and waiting to help whenever you need assistance with your garage door.,/p>
Give us a call at (608) 515-1449 or contact us online to get a free estimate on spring replacement or other services.