Tips to DIY Installation of Garage Door Springs

Garage door repairs are inevitable because of the heavy usage they experience. It should be noted, though, that only a professional contractor who is licensed and certified at handling garage doors should deal with severe malfunctioning. If you do decide to install a garage door spring on your own, there are a few things that you will need. These include new springs, a helper and some vice grips.

Secure the garage doors

Before you begin installing the garage door spring, you will need to get someone to help you lift the door and hold the door open for you. Once the door has been lifted, use the vice grips to secure it in place to ensure your safety as you go about the task of installing the garage door spring. The vice gips should be placed beneath the roller that the door slides on to ensure that you remain safe throughout the exercise.

Take out the worn out garage door spring

The next step would be to get rid of whatever is left from the initial spring. You may be installing new springs due to the old one being broken or malfunctioning. Make sure you also inspect the sheaves so you can figure out whether they need to be replaced as well. Also, inspect the bearings as well as the section where the cables came into contact. If your sheaves or cables are worn out, make sure you replace them too.

Install the replacement spring

Install the new spring exactly where the old spring used to be. Ensure that the new spring is not overly stretched when it is opened fully. This is because it will not provide the appropriate tension for the garage doors to open and close properly. If for some reason the new spring stretches excessively, you will have to adjust it as well as the clamps that secure it.

Release the garage doors                                                                                    

The next step would be to remove the vice grips. You should first ensure that there is nobody standing under the door or anywhere in close proximity to the springs. Take note of the new garage door spring as well as the sheaves when you close the door. You will have to ensure that the sheaves are not in contact with each other and check that the new garage door spring is not loose. In case this happening, you will need to adjust them as required until they are installed to perfection.


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