Can I fix my garage?

[Tooms22]

Why is this happening when my garage goes up? Can I fix it myself?

I can put the wire back and get the garage to close but it happens every 1-2 times it goes up.

 

[BHC Vic]

Springs and garage doors scare the hell out of me. I saw a GF that was training me almost knock his teeth out with the doors at margarita ville at universal. He said hey Vic let me get that, those can be tricky and dangerous, man that guy saved my ass.

 

[monkeyswrench]

You probably need another half turn preload or so to keep it spooled. I had round stock, and cut my own winding bars. As Vic said, they can be a little sketchy. You may call a door guy out. You need to be stable on a ladder, and able to hold the tension when you release the lock bolts. Then you have to add more tension, and lock it down again.

 

[JDub24]

Why is this happening when my garage goes up? Can I fix it myself?

I can put the wire back and get the garage to close but it happens every 1-2 times it goes up.

View attachment 1445825

As all have stated already. Garage door springs are no joke. I installed doors for a while and have seen first hand if you don’t know what you are doing it will end badly. I would spend the couple hundred bucks to have a door company come out and do a full “tune up”. Chances are if you fix one side the other side will become a problem. These things need to be in perfect balance.

 

[Ziggy]

You probably need another half turn preload or so to keep it spooled. I had round stock, and cut my own winding bars. As Vic said, they can be a little sketchy. You may call a door guy out. You need to be stable on a ladder, and able to hold the tension when you release the lock bolts. Then you have to add more tension, and lock it down again.

Could be sign the spring has lost its temper.

 

[Tooms22]

As all have stated already. Garage door springs are no joke. I installed doors for a while and have seen first hand if you don’t know what you are doing it will end badly. I would spend the couple hundred bucks to have a door company come out and do a full “tune up”. Chances are if you fix one side the other side will become a problem. These things need to be in perfect balance.

You probably need another half turn preload or so to keep it spooled. I had round stock, and cut my own winding bars. As Vic said, they can be a little sketchy. You may call a door guy out. You need to be stable on a ladder, and able to hold the tension when you release the lock bolts. Then you have to add more tension, and lock it down again.

Springs and garage doors scare the hell out of me. I saw a GF that was training me almost knock his teeth out with the doors at margarita ville at universal. He said hey Vic let me get that, those can be tricky and dangerous, man that guy saved my ass.

I was probably 10 years old when my dad said, “Don’t fuck with garage door springs.”

So you don’t have to tell me twice. I was just hoping it might be something else.

Thanks for the input

 

[wzuber]

It could be the wheels on that side are binding in the track and slowing that side down enough to cause slack in the cable then it jumps off?
If your handy and want to learn how to deal w/ simple issues your self you can spend several hours on you tube videos to learn about them. It's a good idea to learn about them anyway to help prevent being taken advantage of by a scammy door repair man.
Good luck.

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

I don’t mess around with the springs. I call a garage door guy

 

[Mikes56]

If you’re gonna do it yourself, make TWO bars to load/unload the spring tension.

 

[cofooter]

Tension issue like others have said, the last loops are too loose...... Id get a guy out and pay the $400...............

 

[Pebo]

I had a sping break on my door yesterday. Thought about diy but never done one. Called Parker doors and they were out in two hours. 2 new springs and a tune up. $371 well spent.

 

[530RL]

If you are going to do it yourself, these work great for ten bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/Non-Slip-Diameter-Hardware-Adjusting-Replacing/dp/B09YTZLRTN/ref=sr_1_4?crid=JESLP23533AQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qvlEA55rKF5RHSsMIvae-IATUHBEYIlMJ81nJZcvd8lbmxxdngalA-YJ38U-h01vEu1QOE5TT0Cz3iKYZ2PxDqQCZLvAaUosvu_i62g6oUCn985D21DFtsmHOZkE1dYa0m4ep97YDjvvCOefGUtVR76sHbKWz6ouQlgWA-BDrLE0rhCyT8gQ2WIkbiqTvHYhI3fu9NXOFN4YPMJVawMwsF6g4BhCYKBpAELa4SdBKd8y1pWypEg4E0v2JC7NwmjFPfkdTTTsBGaS06GJ2dzj7y-DJE4TKiisa-2ABTJHRJY.rcFq2Kwtlx9m7P2L_90WgT7uyYhBkU8AUQEf4Qrpd8k&dib_tag=se&keywords=Door+spring+tools&qid=1730573059&sprefix=door+spring+tools%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-4

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Nope, it can’t be fixed. Tear the garage down and build a bigger one.

 

[Javajoe]

Where a helmet with a face shield and preload the nearest trauma center directions in your phone. Good luck

 

[SHOCKtheMONKEY]

I ordered new springs for mine online when one broke. It was supposed come with the bars to wind it but did not. I used two auger bits, no problem.

 

[77charger]

Springs are not a bad job. But you better have above decent mechanical skills and be patient

I did a set at my last house and it went smooth but when cranking the springs you need to be calm and if in doubt just tighten the lock screw stop and rethink. Think then proceed slowly.

Now I have a cool neighbor who does garage doors but if I had to to again I would.

 

[Orange Juice]

Garage doors require alignments and adjustments to springs. Occasionally they need some lube.
The same people who installed them do all my repairs.
Look on the garage door for a company that installed it, call them, and send them a picture. They might hook you up on a service call.

 

[Icky]

What a bunch of girls

 

[oldman]

If your able to put it back on, it means it has no tension, you should not be able to rewind it by hand.

A little mechanical ability and you should be able to fix it..

Try hitting it with your purse.

 

[Riley1]

I’ve done garage springs. As long as you’re aware of the danger, it’s pretty easy. Probably only 55lbs of force on the rods. Just don’t put your face in between the tool and header.

 

[Riley1]

There should be a set screw on that sheave. Probably came loose and spun on the rod. Bring the door up. Loosen set screw and wind the cable on the sheave. Then tighten set screw, probably good to go after that.

 

[Luvnlife]

Call a pro don’t fuck with it

 

[Rondog4405]

One day I was sitting in my garage and noticed a bolt out of place on my door. Grabbed my Milwaukee impact and started cranking bolts out to get this one back in its place. Before I knew it the whole door grenaded on me. Tried Hitting the button to hopefully realign it. Hell no, I jacked the whole thing up. There was insane tension on it. I called my garage door guy and he was screaming at me.. dude!! Don't ever do that shit.... guess he had a few peeps do the same shit and had thier faces ripped off trying.. so yeah.. call a pro.. don't fuck with it.

 

[TimeBandit]

I have fixed a few with the help of YouTube. Lots of garage door "how to" videos there.

One square drive, 8-point socket (3/8 or 7/16??) and two winding "rods" are the "special" tools needed.

 

[2Driver]

This happened on my river house door. Dressed in full motocross gear, I put more tension on the spring and solved the issue.

 

[rush1]

I've done a million of these , clamp vise grips top and bottom on the shaft so the spring cant rotate the shaft in any direction , then loosen the cable drum while holding it in your other hand , rewind the cable on the drum and use a big pair of channel locks to put a little extra tension on the cable drum and tighten the drum bolts. remove both vise grips , now look at the bottom of the door gap to the floor before moving the door and make sure the gap is the same on both sides , if not tighten the side that's low (it doesn't take much adjustment) them operate the door as usual . Your problem will be gone as long as all of your hinges are okay . if for what ever reason your shaft moves to the opposite side of the cable drum you didn't loosen up you will have to loosen the spring nuts while using a 3/8 extension in the holes on the spring anchor and pull ot over a about two inches to make sure the spring coils don't bind.

 

[Dan Lorenze]

I replaced the springs on my garage door without any issues. But I have such a great Garage door guy that does a way better job than I do. This guy keeps my old side mount Chamberlain opener running in top form, and is honest and cheap. So, I just let him do his thing and I'm glad to pay him. If you're in Ventura County and need your Garage Door serviced call Paradise Garage door.

Paradise Garage Doors - serving all of Ventura County & San Fernando Valley

Paradise Garage Doors, Paradise Garage Doors and Service, Linn Kraus, garage, doors, openers, remotes, springs, cables, carriage, rollers, tracks

paradisegaragedoors.com

 

[havasujeeper]

Dressed in full motocross gear

Now this is a smart guy!

 

[NIKAL]

Years ago we had a spring break and it sounded like a bomb went off in the garage. It was an older single spring design. Current house has the newer two spring design.

Just a few weeks ago when walking the neighborhood I notice a garage door window was busted. I guess the spring broke and a piece broke out the window!

 

[riverroyal]

Had a spring snap at old house when I was in bed.
Damn it was loud.
Call a guy. That's all I got

 

[Outdrive1]

Mine did that when it hit something on the way down. I thought I’d be smart and rewind it myself. Got it pretty close but when it closed one side was up an inch higher than the other side. Called parker doors and they tuned it up, they also made it a lot quieter than the other door. Guess I need to grease the other door.

 

[Luvnlife]

You know how I fix a garage door…call a professional, seriously.

 

[SoCalDave]

Seriously call a professional if you even have a doubt in your mind about fixing it yourself.

 

[ltbaney1]

bite the bullet and call the guy. i have seen people get wrecked by garage door springs.

 

[Waterjunky]

I've done mine before, everything from s spring replacement to the same issue as above. Its not that difficult. Yes you need to be careful.

I cheated on the preload. I removed the stops on the up side of the door, pushed it an additional 6 inches and worked on everything unloaded. Just a little preload to keep the cable spooled correctly and all is good.

Work smarter....

 

[Tooms22]

Next time one you guys gets on here asking for an attorney, I'll just say "Eh do it yourself, it's easy. Just be careful... I've seen a lot of people end up in jail trying it on their own."

I DIY plenty of stuff. This just doesn't seem like something I care to learn vs. the risk.

I'm the same way with motors. If it's hanging off the outside of the motor, I might try it. Internal issue... off to the mechanic.

 

[Eliminator21vdrive]

So mine broke last week and because I am mechanically incline I chose to perform the repair myself.

First off was to identify the weight rating and length of springs once I had that I ordered them from Amazon for $92.00 and it came with tension bars.

So 33 minutes later I was finished and still had all my digits.


Seriously though if you have good basic mechanical ability a dash of common sense and a few basic tools anyone can do this. Read the instructions and while tensioning make certain bar is bottomed in the hub and you have the wrench available to tighten set screw.

 

[Rajobigguy]

So mine broke last week and because I am mechanically incline I chose to perform the repair myself.

First off was to identify the weight rating and length of springs once I had that I ordered them from Amazon for $92.00 and it came with tension bars.

View attachment 1453214 View attachment 1453215 View attachment 1453216


So 33 minutes later I was finished and still had all my digits.


Seriously though if you have good basic mechanical ability a dash of common sense and a few basic tools anyone can do this. Read the instructions and while tensioning make certain bar is bottomed in the hub and you have the wrench available to tighten set screw.

Yeah I’ve done a bunch and lived to tell about it. Of course you shouldn’t approach it lightly, there is a lot of stored energy there so don’t take anything for granted.

 

[Waterjunky]

Honestly, its not that hard or dangerous......

 

[wzuber]

Honestly, its not that hard or dangerous......

correct, its only dangerous if you miss a couple critical steps/procedures.

 

[Ironmike]

Thia is a simple repair if you understand the few steps. I just saved my neighbor $700 after his wife backed into door when door wasn't all the way up exiting garage.
Released tension on springs, realigned cables, realigned door, set tension on springs with door all the way down equally on both springs, about 30 1/4 turns on each to a point where you can lift the door with ease to half way to 3/4 up point. Re engaged track opener. WALAA!!! Door company wanted $250 to shut door & come back next day at $500 to make operable... You tube has some great tutorials !

 

[lbhsbz]

Next time one you guys gets on here asking for an attorney, I'll just say "Eh do it yourself, it's easy. Just be careful... I've seen a lot of people end up in jail trying it on their own."

I DIY plenty of stuff. This just doesn't seem like something I care to learn vs. the risk.

That's just cuz it's tough to chase the ambulance while you're in it....

 

[Rajobigguy]

correct, its only dangerous if you miss a couple critical steps/procedures.

Which is something that people unfamiliar with the procedure tend to do.

 

[Tooms22]

Paid $257.50. Parker Doors showed up at 8am on Friday, it was fixed and he was gone by 830.

I would say my time is worth good money... but I stayed up until 3am Friday night wasting hours installing and trying to figure out why the brand new whips for my SxS wouldn't work.

Woke up the next morning, checked an in line fuse, and it was blown. The beers might have caused me to overlook that as a possibility.

But the difference is... the whips aren't capable of taking my head off

 

[steamin rice]

I used Parker doors in Phoenix and their service has been great.

 

[SKIDMARC]

I just had the same thing happed over the weekend, re wound the wire, the roller thing also came out of the track so had to take the bracket off and put that back as well, wasn't too bad once I figured it out. Then as soon as I fixed it, the other side came loose, fixed it and both seem to work. But I can tell the garage door is dying. But it lives to go up another day.

One thing I cant figure out it it wont go down without me hold the button, there is nothing blocking the sensors.

 

[Paradox]

As a result of this tread, I have Mohave Grarage Door dropping by tommorrow to do tune ups and lube on both our garage doors. It was a $49 special advertised in the shopper however, my guess is there may be an up charge attempt depending on what can be pointed out.

I will say, although they are working fine, the springs are making a funny sound and this is the first time I’ve had somebody look at them in 3 and a half years..

 

[wzuber]

Which is something that people unfamiliar with the procedure tend to do.

Exactly, funny how that happens.

 

[wzuber]

As a result of this tread, I have Mohave Grarage Door dropping by tommorrow to do tune ups and lube on both our garage doors. It was a $49 special advertised in the shopper however, my guess is there may be an up charge attempt depending on what can be pointed out.

I will say, although they are working fine, the springs are making a funny sound and this is the first time I’ve had somebody look at them in 3 and a half years..

They are dry, lubricate them with spray lube so the coils don't drag against each other as it twists.
And you can bet they will find " something".
I recommend accompanying them during their entire service call.

 

[wzuber]

I just had the same thing happed over the weekend, re wound the wire, the roller thing also came out of the track so had to take the bracket off and put that back as well, wasn't too bad once I figured it out. Then as soon as I fixed it, the other side came loose, fixed it and both seem to work. But I can tell the garage door is dying. But it lives to go up another day.

One thing I cant figure out it it wont go down without me hold the button, there is nothing blocking the sensors.

How old is your opener?.
The door is likely binding somewhere and
you are over riding the inherent safety device in the opener. Also spray lube your hinges and roller axles quarterly.