How to Safely Replace Garage Door Springs & Save Hundreds
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- čas přidán 22. 12. 2023
- This is a complete walk through of how to identify your broken or underpowered garage door spring (torsion spring), determine which one to replace it with, safely remove the old ones, safely install new ones and maintain them afterward. This is a safety first video that will save you hundreds of dollars! #diy #garage #homeownership
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• DDM Website - Diameter Charts & Guide: geni.us/E6MwcYS
• DDM Garage Door Torsion Spring Calculator (this site is pretty great - please support them!): geni.us/XHuu8Q
• Complete Springs & Winding Bar Kits (Amazon): geni.us/U6r1B4
• Winding Bars with Handles: geni.us/ZF5a
• Garage Door Lubricant: geni.us/GMBq
• Flat File: geni.us/6gLUsB
• Vice Grips: geni.us/As1iwc
• Analog Scales: geni.us/UVXRCv
• 7/16 (1/2" drive) 12 Point Socket - fits set screws perfectly: geni.us/LAa2Zr3
• 3/8" Open Ended Wrench: geni.us/a2ywt
• Milwaukee 12v Fuel Surge Impact Driver: geni.us/rbKN
• Milwaukee Fastback 6 in 1 Flip Knife (Amazon - Check out the "New From" section on the right for the best deals): geni.us/HgUx
• Milwaukee Fastback 6 in 1 Flip Knife (Home Depot): homedepot.sjv.io/e4ydK
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![Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement: How to by [Professional Tech]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5k9qrgZ9rPs/mqdefault.jpg)
![Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement: How to by [Professional Tech]](/img/tr.png)
You Sir, are like the little pin holding the steel cable at the bottom: In spite of so much weight and tension, you've succeeded in lifting us all up! Super video in content and construction. Thank you for all your careful work. I finally got my heavy off track wood double door working. YAY! And I'm a 5'4", 72 yo gal. We used to have to walk to the library to read manuals to fix stuff. Now the world is in the palm of our hands. Fantastic!
Well done, mostly. I have more than 20 years of Garage door installation, removals and repairs. You really should have a taller ladder for a 8 ft tall door. When you wind the springs you may need to brace against the ladder to counter the toque of the spring. I would want a 6 ft ladder. When you are marking the torsion tube at the drum the cable is off the drum. The marking will be slightly off. As a pro I would lock the torsion tube with 2 vice grips with curve jaws in both directions against the wall above the door. I saw that you had 2 pairs of vice grips in the video. I use 2 to secure the torsion tube. Not every one does this. For a 8 ft tall door you will normally put on 8 1/2 to 8 3/4 full turns. The springs will break in and lose some strength during the fir week of use. A 7 ft tall door gets 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 full turns. The door should balance from your knee to your shoulder. The springs will be a little hot at first . That is normal. They will break in soon. Your door will be heavy in a week or two. Then you will need to add tension. Open your door manually after about one week after spring installation to see how much tension may have been lost to break in. If the springs are too light the opener could cause a lose cable to come off the drum. This creates a dangerous problem. If your door has just one spring when it breaks always replace it with 2 smaller springs. They will last twice as long and the door runs better with 2 springs.
This is all excellent information, my friend,. Thank you so much for this!
Towards the end, of above response, when you said if the springs are too light, do you mean light as in tension?...not putting enough turns?
@jao8084 Yes, when the door opens, the springs unwind. So if you have too little tension on the springs, this will cause the cables to slack and potentially come off the drum. That creates a lot of issues. When you replace your springs, it's good practice to open the door all the way manually and ensure both cables are taunt.
I have had the enjoyment of replacing a lot of those garage door springs and garage door openers. The tension springs are extremely dangerous and you should always use an abundance of caution when working on them. If you heard one snap you would understand, most people think something hit their house when they break under tension. There is a great deal of kinetic energy in those springs. Your tutorial was spot on with the procedure to replace the springs.
As far as staying in the safety zone it is not just you but anyone else in the garage with you. I cringed watching your daughter get in that danger zone with the scales. But it all turned out safely. Just remember that in the future if you have to do this again.
Good points. I'm glad I was holding the winding cone with the winding bar while she was there but I understand what you mean - I could have had her go around me to stay clear of that path since something certainly could have gone wrong. A good warning to other DIYers.
I had the exact same concern the minute I saw him set up 2 scales, and said his daughter was going to set them...
@@troubleshooter1975You really have to treat garage door springs like they are explosive devices, because they can literally explode. Many homeowners will say when one of the springs break that they thought something hit their house, because it is that violent. Now under the proper precautions they are relatively safe to replace, but you must use and abundance of caution for you and those that might be around you.
Awesome. I was hesitant to replace a broken garage door cable on a torsion bar door, but your how-to video gave me confidence to do the job....SAFELY! Thank you!
Great video....NOTHING IS TO BE FEARED, BUT TO BE UNDERSTOOD!!!
Okay that did it I'm calling a professional.
If I may: I am not a handy man at all! Just a young first time home owner in his 20s, a “kid pretending to be an adult” if you will. This video is perfect and walked me through replacing both of my springs. But pay attention to which ones go on the left and right. I had to do everything twice because I messed that part up. But thank you for the tutorial 🤙🏼
You probably narrowly escaped an insane injury
Great Video ! FYI , the Drums / Cable pulleys are 1 foot circumference , so an 8 foot door = 8 winds + a 1/4 to a 1/2/winds and that is what you came up with. plus No need to crush the pipe when tightening the 3/8 set screws, that just makes it harder to remove or install the next time. Always go for the higher cycle rated springs , its worth the money.
Great input, Robert. Thanks!
Awesome video and instructions. Just replace my springs and garage work even better. I put a longer spring so it should last longer than previous.. never change springs before and thank you again for saving me $360. The local repairman wanted $480.
Thanks for the help, I just took care of my door. Easy and safe
Bravo ......being a body&fender dynamo, you've made my 1st attempt an easier one. Thanks for taking the time. You've got my gratitude.............
Thank you sir! You saved me hundreds. Only lost one tooth but dental work is still a little cheaper than hiring someone to do these springs.
Great video! I am a DYI-er, but this is one project I've always paid someone else to do. I'm confident I can take this on safely now. Thank you.
That's totally reasonable. If in doubt at all on something like this, calling a pro is the way to go but it really is DIY-able if you take it slow and safe.
Stay on the outside of the spring. If the good one pops, there may be a projectile. I worked at Wayne Dalton for a bit. Seen one of those tubed twisted by the spring as well, that was a hard fix, that's why I ask how old always. Cause you may have to change out the bar/tube/pipe as well. There is a methodology to that also. You can get yourself killed/mangled. Be careful.
@@LRN2DIY "it really is DIY-able if you take it slow and safe." You weren't safe. It's always from the outside of the spring that you unwind and rewind. I made a long comment, you should find it and read it.
Thanks! I found that this video of garage door spring install is the best one that I have found. The instruction is spot on.
Stay on the outside of the spring. No sleaves.
Following this repair will result in a better repair than you're likely to get by hiring a pro. Helping friends and family lubricate their doors, I've noticed most doors aren't properly balanced. If you count the number of turns, they're tightened properly, but the wrong weight/length spring was installed in most cases. I believe that the garage door guys either replace like for like spring size without verifying they are correct, or they use what they have on the truck that's "close enough".
Certainly only tackle this job if you're the OCD type as safety and attention to detail are paramount, and it's not worth risking your safety.
With all that said, as a DIY guy, replacing my springs and door hardware was one of the most satisfying DIY repairs. The door is perfectly balanced, and it's nice and quiet. It's going to last years with minimum maintenance. I wish this video had existed back when I worked on my door.
While I suspect most garage door repair techs are doing a great job, I have definitely heard cases of them using a spring that isn't optimal for the door because they had it in stock and paid for already so it would save a few bucks. Mismatched springs are sometimes used in order to accommodate what the tech had on hand. Like you said, this is a very satisfying repair, so long as you're willing to take your time and be uber safe.
@@LRN2DIY having an undersized spring guarantees future work haha. A heavy door shortens the life of the worm gear and sprocket bushing on automatic openers. My parents have lived in their house for forty years, and have had multiple spring replacements and drive failures. They seem to only get 5 years out of a repair. I finally ordered the proper spring and got the door balanced, and they're in good shape now. I had a similar issue at my house and proactively changed the spring for the right size in order to prevent future problems.
Short lifespan aside, having a heavy door means your family could be stranded in the case of a power outage. Neither my wife or my mom could manually lift the door on either of our houses before I got the doors balanced.
Brother you helped me tremendously. I had to remove about a full turn to get the correct tension for going down but otherwise you were spot on. My old one was a 37 1/2 and the new spring was 35 1/2, when done, I measured to make sure i was 2 inches off. The only difference I did from what you taught was on the center mount, I didnt trust to measure and it hold in place, so I took a sharpie and drew a line around the base showing exactly where it needed to go back. Regardless, you took a project that was completely foreign to me and made it possible. Thank you.
The last time I had garage door springs to replace, I just took the broken one to a brick and mortar shop, and they fixed me up with the correct set of springs.
That was over 25 years ago.
What a awesome video!! You did a fantastic job of explaining how to preform this job. Thank you.
Excellent step by step video. Made doing the job myself very easy and saved me a couple hundred bucks.
Look forward to checking out more of your videos!
Not something I have to do currently, but have paid to have done in the past... I'll definitely handle it myself next time! Thanks. Great job teaching too.
Thanks so much and hoepfully your next replacement is a long ways out :)
Thanks! A coffee for you, Brother
Thanks for providing such thorough and safety conscious information.
Good video. I have done this twice now at my house, two 24" wide springs on a 7' door, most recently yesterday. As of April 2024, I got a quote from a reputable door service guy my neighbor has used and liked - $250 per spring, plus $75 service call = $575. On Amazon I got two Vevo brand springs, with winding bars and included new drum cables, for $65. The door lost multiple rollers and got badly off kilter when springs broke and door fell hard. It took me and my hand brother about 80 minutes to replace, more time spent getting rollers replaced and the door aligned to move in its tracks. The spring part is easy if you just take your time. And measure twice if you're not sure of your spring size, it's not hard, just tedious counting spring coils and doing a tad of basic math. I saved $500. You can too. And the Vevo springs and winding bar seem very good quality, even cam e with a decent pair of cotton gloves with the little blue rubber stipply grippy bumps. I did it alone the first time when the door was not out of its rollers. One person can do it that way as in this video; if the door is jacked up and out of alignment, buy a 12 pack of beer and grab a buddy.
Thank you!!! The step by step tutorial and safety instructions were right on point. Thanks again, you are a lifesaver. 👍
I was able to complete this thanks to this video, excellent walkthrough!
I just finished replacing both garage door springs. Thanks for this Awesome video/guide. It really helped a ton! I am a pretty handy guy, I think, I build and fix a lot of things. This was not a super difficult job, but I can see how it could be very dangerous! Just be cautious, and watch this video! I followed all your guidelines on ordering spring and purchased them from DDM as well. Everything seems to be working perfectly. Thanks again!
Ah! If I only found your channel 2 weeks earlier. I already spent $280 to have a tech do this. Great company, but it would have saved me over $100 from labor charges, and possibly a little more for spring cost. Keep these vids coming. I DIY everything I can so your efforts are greatly appreciated.
$100 more to spare yourself any physical risk, knowing the right parts are used, and saving yourself the time? Sounds like a good deal. Most places guarantee the parts and work too. I think you're looking at it wrong.
I do agree that it's not too complex an operation, but my time is worth money too. Last thing I want is injuring my hands, maybe permanently.
Honestly bro ur so underrated, this a great tutorial and reference. Ana use it for sure 👍
Thanks for that! Just replaced both springs---gotta love Amazon 135.00 bucks, here next day- 2 hrs done!
Well done! Understanding this process is complex and appreciate the details.
Great video! Very well done and very well explained about how to be safe etc, without going all OSHA overboard. I’ve don’t this several times and know I can always learn, so I always watch a good video or two before tackling DIY stuff. THIS is a very well done How To. 😎👍🏻
Great video! I always hear about guys getting their head chopped off by garage door springs... Glad you made it out alive, man!! Bravo!
Haha - me too. I haven't heard of any decapitations but I managed to get out with my head still attached ;)
Followed step by step came out perfect👌🏻thank you god bless.
Just replaced my springs about 6 months ago after hearing a loud pop. Sounded like someone ran into the side of the house, purchased the springs and winding rods and it was a pretty simple job if you're careful.
I didn't use scales or anything like that, just measured 20 coils and a few other things and got exactly what I needed from a chart i found. The windings for mine was like 27-30 give or take..
I feel the video was very detailed but I think a lot of the extra info can be intimidating. There were a few other videos i went on that were much shorter and to the point that gave me all the info.
I appreciate the feedback. I can see how the video can be overwhelming. I chose to go this direction (extra detail, all of the ways to identify the new springs you'll need, etc.) after seeing that most other videos out there seemed to be lacking details and info, at least for the way I would want to learn this. I totally get that it's not for everyone though. Thanks for watching and for the feedback!
Great instruction! Thanks for posting this up.
You’re a great teacher. I’ll probably never do this, but fantastic tutorial
Well done! Thank you!
I did a direct replacement on my springs. Ended up only going 24 turns to have it balanced. Guess they were wrong from the start. Guess I'll replace them with the correct springs when they break again lol. This video was super helpful though.
Very nice video. Great job explaining everything in detail.
Thanks so much!
14:44 it does make perfect sense… in new construction, take-offs are taken from plan elevations so it’s looked at from the exterior. Same with windows when determining which side of a slider is the vent. Always from exterior.
Great point! I hand't thought about it that way.
It is important to point out that the shaft is hollow, and if you over-tighten the keys, they will just keep going deeper until they flatten the tube shaft; as some others here have commented.
Thank you. Mine needs to be tightened, I think it is showing it's age, and it was terrifying me. I think now that I will just 'spring' for all the new hardware.
Thanks for the info
Rick
Excellent video sir. Great work.
Awesome video. Just saved me at least $300 bucks. Thank you sir
Outstanding video!! Thank you!
Great video. I don't think there's any part of this job you didn't cover. So I just got an estimate of $650 to replace both of the springs on my garage door. This seemed a bit high to me, but I really had no point of reference. Now, I'm a DIY guy by nature, but I wasn't sold on the idea of replacing these springs myself only because I know the tension on these springs can cause some serious injuries if not handled properly. After watching this video, I'm not worried about tackling this myself and I'll be saving probably $400 bucks in the process.
Might want to add a section showing how to deal with a garage door where the partitions (walls) on either end are too close (to the drums on both ends to add springs - meaning the axel with drums needs to be removed from the middle bracket to allow room for the springs to be applied .. also? automatic focus and larger depth of field (smaller aperture) helps a lot..
Very helpful. Thank You.
Thank you. It works for me.
Wow super detailed even the idea about sharpy marks and chalk line omg im glad i visited this video learned many tips as im planning to try to do it myself. Thanks! Vid liked!
The DDM site linked in the description will give you free winding bars with a purchase of springs, so add the bars to your cart first. Also, the site explains how to convert some inside diameters to more common 2" springs in order to save money in some cases.
I had a guy come out and his first quote was $750. I walked him out. I asked my husband if he could do it (even though he works 14 hour days…he said he would.) He watched this video and read the comments. He said somewhere in these comments someone said something crucial that saved him. Anyway, thanks for doing the vid. He did it for $120 for two springs.
Thank you SO much. 😊
I'm the type of guy that doesn't read manuals and I like to go through trial and error physically and mentally in the real world and the first time I ever took a Bay door that was 40 feet high with a huge Spring while I'm on a 30 foot lift that was exciting when the son of a b**** went crazy on me. lol. I learned real quick.😅
Thanks for the video. I'm getting ready to replace the springs for the first time on my garage door due to a broken spring like in your video. I had one question. At the end of your video you said you you had to back off a 1/4 turn and no more than half a turn. Can you clarify what exactly you are looking at to determine that you need to back off and just how much? I didn't quite understand that part, but maybe I need to go watch the video again.
This is the best video well done
Great job.
important to stretch spring out ward holding hub like 2" then screw hub to rod otherwise spring wire get squeezed and rub.
There should be a tool that clamps rod with lever handle to hub and pulls on spring, locks it from turning so screwing the hub down is simpler.
Informative video great tips example of which way the strings are wound \. I would not of though of losing at my fist!
Springs are considered a wear component that need replacement periodically.
I’m in my forever home… and I hired it done, because they came with a lifetime warranty. Next time they require replacement, I assume I’ll be too old to tackle it.
Quick question, so when you measure the length of the spring you measure the new one and you said 36” but the label that you showed before was 18.5 did you upgrade the spring for the extra weight of the insulation? So if I have a 16x7 that weights about 154 pounds and has a .0875x2x16 should I upgrade if I’m putting insulation in the future? And how do I find the right spring for the future weight? Thanks great video!
They do make 8-point sockets that are a better fit for a square-head bolt. That is my preference. [3/8 8-point socket]
Great video! Thanks a ton. Also in Utah👍
Thanks for the helpful video. You discussed this in the video, but I'd like to make the point as well. You're saying hundreds of dollars by doing this yourself, so there's really little point in savings tens of dollars by choosing cheaper springs. The absolute minimum in the table shown at 17:35 should be the 34,000-count springs and even the 77,000-count springs are only $30 more for more than twice the expected lifetime; they should last the life of your garage door and, in fact, that might be the only overruling consideration if you don't expect the garage or house to survive that long.
There is a point of diminishing returns, of course, but it's generally a better investment to get the most durable option and in this case the better springs might be conserving the resources it would take to manufacture, transport, purchase, and install replacement springs in the future. This also saves either yourself or a future owner of your home the hassle and potential injury of a spring failure and replacement that might not even occur if you install better springs today.
From the table shown at 17:35, we see that:
13,000 cycles at 4 cycles per day is 9 years for $47 + shipping + tax
77,000 cycles at 4 cycles per day is 53 years for $97 + shipping + tax
The budget springs may need to replaced 5 times by the time the expensive ones fail, though these are all *expected* lifetimes, of course.
Shipping is likely the same, regardless, further reducing the relative difference. Considering the parts cost versus the labor and risk involved, just get the best or second-best springs in the table and be done with it. Cheaper is usually more expensive.
I unwind and wind my torsion springs by hand 💪
Spring change in SLC UT: $375 (Arrow Door)
Winding bars can be fatal. DIY floors or paint, not seatbelts or springs.
Great video. I wish this came out before I paid over 700 for my new springs. Question: Why did you leave the ends of the springs unlubricated? I'm pretty sure my installer lubricated the whole spring.
The idea is to prevent lubrication from effecting the set screws, so they don't slip out.
I understand the “don’t do it, leave it to a professional” message but I think the price is what leads many to try to do it themselves. I understand the inflation but I had to have a single spring (on a 1 car door) replaced 7 years ago and it cost $120. Now the spring broke on my other single door and it cost almost $500. Quite a jump it price in 7 years!
Best video I have seen, definitely if not mechanically inclined leave it to a pro. Otherwise he is spot on with this video.
What I have done on mine was to wind the spring with the door open, which takes very few winds and much less winding pressure to deal with.
I've heard of people doing that and there are definitely different schools of thought on whether that's a good idea but I can see the advantages.
How did you get access to the springs when door is open? Unless, you push door all way back! So, what determine how many winds you do?
I do push it past the normal stopping point and it takes very little effort to give it a few turns. Not all doors will need the same, but I have 3 of them, so I give them the same winds as the others in the up position. It may take a little trial and error to get it to where you want. I just think that it is saver and easier to let the door going down to do the hard and dangerous part. All of the springs I have came with a straight line that runs from on end to the other in the unloaded position that makes it easy to count the turns.@@ImportedFromSerbia
Lost the spring tension to my door. ( My own fault ) Not sure what tension should be on it so I equally adjusted both springs. Ended up being 24 ...one quartes turns. Lifted door half way and it stayed in place. Did I miss anything. Seems to work fine.
Excellent video. One thing I'm curious about though -- If you're going to loosen the set screws when you're getting ready to unwind the old springs, why not remove them completely? If the spring does get away from you, at least the hazard of ripping open your hand is reduced.
That's a great point - I don't see why you wouldn't want to do that.
I followed your instructions, every step. Still got my fingers, teeth and eyes. And the garage door is now fixed. $150 later (two springs and spray) How often do you recommend spraying everything?
Thank you. Saved me a couple hundred dollars by not having to hire a repair company.
Can I just use 220 for the door weight in calculations, even if my door is lighter?
Awesome video. The spring on my garage door are .243 28, I made a mistake and bought .243 33, does that matter. Thanks
A steering wheel and gas pedal are far more dangerous. Thanks for all the time spent breaking this down. I wonder why they dont just use counterweights.
We have to make sure tension is released from both sides before moving to the center bolts? I know yours is broken but it wasn’t mentioned to unwind the other side if needed to.
Yes, that’s correct. All tension has to be relieved before removing the center hardware for sure.
Abundance of caution is free.
I was noticing that the springs are connected in center through the open mouth bracket. One of yours was broken so you could unmount the first one after the tension was relived from it. That said, for someone who is just replacing them for any other reason other than having one that was broken wouldn't they need to make sure they remove the tension from both springs before unmounting either spring from that center bracket? I know you mentioned this scenario at the beginning of your video but for someone who may not have done this before they may not have put that together. Unless i am just completely wrong about this which is possible but this is just my two cents for safety concerns.
You're absolutely correct. I could have been more clear on this but yes - if you're replacing two tensioned (non-broken) springs, you have to ensure that the tension is removed from both springs before removing any center or end hardware. Great point.
@@LRN2DIYpin this!
Hi! Can you review the mobile drill stand that you ever used in one of your videos?
I'm not sure what you're talking about here - what mobile drill stand?
My new Cloplay door came with only one LW Spring. Should I buy a RW spring?
1 car garage door comes with only one spring, torsion.
Most people take their cars to a mechanic but there are a lot of DIY's that enjoy doing the work themselves and find it very rewarding. I'm the latter and working on cars is much more dangerous. You can literally die if you do something stupid while working on cars. Point being, you have to access the risk for your capabilities.
The left-wind spring spirals in the same direction as the threads of a left hand screw.
Good point!
So the addition of 15ish lbs. of insulation weight will require replacing the springs unless you verify that weight with the insulation falls within the springs' limits? Given that my springs are almost 20 years old, replacement seems likely if I want to insulate my door.
That's correct. Basically anything that requires more than 2 quarter turns of increased tension (which is often anything over 7-10 lbs but this will vary) should result in spring replacement to the proper springs.
The one thing I noticed that you didn’t cover the older garage doors that had the pulleys attached to springs but also had a safety cable throughout the springs.
I've done it twice. Not that difficult but you do need to be careful and fully understand what you need to do. Definitely not something for someone who isn't handy.
How much weight did the insulation add to the door? Very thorough video. Well done.
Thanks so much. Each sheet of 1.5" Formular NGX weighs 4.41 lbs (2 kg) and this used around 3.5 sheets, so about 15.5 lbs (7kg). It's enough that new springs would be required.
@@LRN2DIY Thank you!
When this happened to my parents door I just lifted the door from the ground to get in /out. It was heavy
It really is heavy. On mine it was really tough to open by myself even with one spring still engaged.
My garage door has a battery backup do I need to unplug it or what ?
Great question! Yes, I'd recommend temporarily disabling that or just removing the battery. It's unlikely that it would move on its own but even someone pulling into the driveway without knowing you're working on it and hitting the opener button could be a real problem.
As long as you make sure that the garage door opener is in the manual position by pulling the red cord thats hanging from the carriage, and you'll be fine.
Obs. Make sure the door is in the closed position before pulling the red cord, otherwise the door will come crashing down like a guillotine.
Keep in mind, the garage door is the heaviest moving object of the house.
Or just keep it safe and leave it to a licensed professional.
Even for a single-width garage door, I recommend two scales. Using one and not properly centered can cause the door to bind on the tracks leading to misleading weight. Another related issue is to consider the slope of the garage floor where the scale/door meet the floor-make sure all of the scale's feet are firmly on the floor.
Both very good points!
I watched a video from a technician and they claimed that it's not important to do the whacking part to spread out the spring after winding and is in fact a safety hazard to do so.
My door is the same width as yours but only has one spring on the right side. Is that normal?
Yes. My house built in '92 only used one spring for this size door. When I added insulation, I upgraded to two springs.
One tip would be to never stand in front of the spring like you’re doing when doing any winding or unwinding, you should be standing on the opposite side away from the spiring
I was specifically instructed to stand there by a garage technician, actually. The spring itself is captive so it's not going to go flying. Worst case scenario is that it will snap or unwind and in either case it'll scare me half to death but it won't fly off the shaft.
Wow, a set of DRY springs, (reason they broke)
And a very light thin metal door.
My door is 16x7 all wood with industrial type hardware, it weights roughly 900 lbs you can't lift it even with 2 people
Your door is a tin can its only about 150 lbs 175 max with the closed cell insulation.
Yes i paid a grand to hire a pro to change the whole system it was worth it. My biggest risk was picking up the pen. I almost dropped it.
Why did you not create this video 2 years ago? I paid around $500 for my spring replacement.
What is the purpose of using two scales? I weighed my door with one scale - does everyone think this is sufficient?
I almost killed myself and launched the garage door through the back wall of the garage when I ordered the wrong springs online.
I am a garage door pro also. As with anything, yes it can be done DIY but should it? 7ft garage door springs are wound around the tube 7+ times. If something goes wrong or it breaks while working on it, that means the spring is going to unwind itself in a matter of a few seconds. Breaking springs often sound like a gunshot, it is very violent. DIYers should have a healthy respect for springs and cables. But there is so much nuance here that is missing. So much of what pros do is based on feel and know-how. Here are some glaring issues I saw in your video.
I would never be standing on the inside of the spring unless I have to. If it breaks while you are unwinding your hand and your arm are very close to the spring. Stand on the outside looking at the cone with the set screws. The entire spring is a potential danger zone, not just the one isolated area. The springs are called right hand & left hand wound for a reason. The spring on the left (red) is be wound with your right hand while standing on the outside. Vice versa for the black spring.
I would always use a socket with the 7/16 multi point socket, not an open-ended wrench. To much risk of slips. You have more control over it if the entire socket is around the set screw. No amount of eye protection is going to stop a wrench being thrown at you with that speed. I also would not use power tool to release the set screws.
I would not put the drums in the exact same location as before. You can see the tube is pinched and you had to file it down. This means it is a weak point. I would shift the tube one direction or the other so the drums and the new springs do not go in the exact same location on the weak point of the tube. So your markings are irrelevant. Setting drums needs to have equal cable tension on both sides. Otherwise door will be crooked or the cables will go slack when open and potentially cause it jump off usually resulting in the cable wrapping around the tube or an off track door. Again cable tension is based on feel and should be nearly identical on both sides which is hard to pull off considering you have to use different hands with different strength.
For the checking for balance, the door should be able to hold up its weight at ¼, ½, & ¾. Should be able to give it a gentle push and it should settle back at those points. Should be able to lift with 2 fingers. Windows on the top can throw this off sometimes. Again, all based on feel. Changing the set screw locations multiple times is not ideal since that weakens the tube, and also makes future changes much more difficult.
After changing the springs you may have to reset your motor’s force limits. Separate topic
You did a good job but those are glaring mistakes. Just look on Reddit and there are some images of people with hand, finger, or arm lacerations from messing with this stuff.
Anyway, when hiring a pro you are not paying for our time. You are paying for our knowledge, expertise, & professionalism. A spring change takes me 20-30 minutes because I do 10+ a week. Pros get paid for the knowledge, tools, & parts to get it done right. Just make sure you work with a reputable company. You can often get pricing on the phone since it is usually a pretty standard job. Around $400 is good for high-cycle springs. Hopefully that helps.
We have gotten three quotes here in Las Vegas and they are wanting to charge $800+ for two high cycle springs on a 7' door. They are ripping people off here.