A garage door’s torsion springs offset its weight and allow it to be opened and closed easily either manually or with an electric opener. But, like any high-tension system, they have a limited lifespan and eventually require replacement. While working with torsion springs under tension can be dangerous, this is a job many homeowners are capable of performing themselves with the proper tools and safety procedures. However, there are many reports of people being maimed or losing limbs when trying to garage torsion spring replacement, which is why we recommend leaving it to the professionals.
How many torsion springs does a garage door need?
Before you start replacing your broken garage torsion springs, you need to understand how they work and what makes them break. You also need to be able to correctly measure your springs so you can order the correct ones. It is common for individuals and even experienced garage technicians to mismeasure springs and wind up with the wrong sizes, which wastes time and money.
Begin by loosening the set screws holding the center stationary torsion cones on the top and bottom of the torsion bar and slide them off the ends of the bar. Next, remove the lift cables from the brackets at the bottom of the door by loosening and removing the setscrews that secure them to the cable drums on the ends of the torsion bar.
Use a vice grip to hold the torsion bar in place inside the bearing on the wall bracket and locate the black mark left from the old bearing oil. Line the end of the new left spring up with that mark and the end of the right spring up with its winding cone (red designates right wind).