HELP! Road Runner in prison, or any garage door repair guys out there?

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billccm

billccm

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Hello All:
Two weeks back I was pulling out my Mustang (I know) and as I closed the garage door it came crashing down. YEP, broken spring.
Really long painful story that I will keep short is I live in a town controlled by a garage repair mafia. Regardless of who I call, they all get their parts from the same shop. This shop has more than enough business it can handle, and since it has monopolized the garage spring business in Tucson they are in no hurry to help the customer, contractor, or repair guy. I've been without garage access for two weeks and it really hurts that I cannot get my Road Runner, or Grand Marquis out.
Details are commercial 18x9 garage door, two springs, and both broken. I've called 8 repair shops, 3 came out and won't touch it, and I'm trying to get the local mafia guys to handle the repairs. It seems they are just stringing me along.
Got to fix this on my own, and I realize it is dangerous. I was a volunteer fireman many years ago and made a fatal call for a garage door spring replacement gone bad.
I measured the wire diameter at 0.295, inner diameter at 3 3/4, and length at 34.75. I need both left and right wound.
So I am looking for advice as I tackle this; found Northshore web site that seems to be the best DIY place. Looking at the door is seems so simple, but yet I know it is complex.
Thanks for any advice, or sympathy.
 
My recommendation is to NOT try it yourself. It is extremely dangerous. I have a friend who does garage door work, and he has been hurt several times.
 
harrisonm said:
My recommendation is to NOT try it yourself. It is extremely dangerous. I have a friend who does garage door work, and he has been hurt several times.
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I agree. Like I said I made a fatal call back in day when I was a volunteer fireman.
I am at the mercy of garage repair mafia and may never get this fixed...........
 
It is a very dangerous job, I was an overhead door serviceman for a short time, until a nasty injury from a ladder fall left me with 2 broken wrists, 3 broken teeth and a serious concussion. If you haven't done it before I really recommend not trying it DIY. I would gladly help you out, but being on the north side of the border prevents that from happening. It is also critical to have the exact measurements of the wire size, diameter, and overall length to ensure you get the correct replacement spring for the size and weight of your door. Sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear.
 
My advice is get a door with no spring.
 
RustyRatRod said:
My advice is get a door with no spring.
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That is the plan, but even 'roll up' doors have a spring. In fact, all garage doors have a spring. Believe me I am looking at any options. I am desperate.
 
missing linc said:
Curious why the 3 shops that came out won't touch the job? Because they can't get the replacement springs?
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The excuse was 'residential springs are 2 inch ID and I do not do commercial, or large ID springs" for two guys. The third guy gave me some of the Mafia Story. I got the low down today about the Mafia from a semi retired garage guy.
 
billccm said:
The excuse was 'residential springs are 2 inch ID and I do not do commercial, or large ID springs" for two guys. The third guy gave me some of the Mafia Story. I got the low down today about the Mafia from a semi retired garage guy.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get it, those bigger diameter springs are a BEEEYOTCH to wind for 1 man, and lifting them is no picnic either. If you get desperate enough maybe the best alternative would be a new install.
 
missing linc said:
Yeah, I get it, those bigger diameter springs are a BEEEYOTCH to wind for 1 man, and lifting them is no picnic either. If you get desperate enough maybe the best alternative would be a new install.
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New install is EIGHTEEN WEEKS lead time.
I might as well take an axe to the garage door and go without.
 
Money talks. Why not pay a little more and get someone out of Phoenix? It'll cost more, and take a little longer, but it'll bypass your mafia problem.
 
billccm said:
Hello All:
Two weeks back I was pulling out my Mustang (I know) and as I closed the garage door it came crashing down. YEP, broken spring.
Really long painful story that I will keep short is I live in a town controlled by a garage repair mafia. Regardless of who I call, they all get their parts from the same shop. This shop has more than enough business it can handle, and since it has monopolized the garage spring business in Tucson they are in no hurry to help the customer, contractor, or repair guy. I've been without garage access for two weeks and it really hurts that I cannot get my Road Runner, or Grand Marquis out.
Details are commercial 18x9 garage door, two springs, and both broken. I've called 8 repair shops, 3 came out and won't touch it, and I'm trying to get the local mafia guys to handle the repairs. It seems they are just stringing me along.
Got to fix this on my own, and I realize it is dangerous. I was a volunteer fireman many years ago and made a fatal call for a garage door spring replacement gone bad.
I measured the wire diameter at 0.295, inner diameter at 3 3/4, and length at 34.75. I need both left and right wound.
So I am looking for advice as I tackle this; found Northshore web site that seems to be the best DIY place. Looking at the door is seems so simple, but yet I know it is complex.
Thanks for any advice, or sympathy.
Click to expand...

I did my installation by myself , changed from rolling doors to a used overhead.
REMEMBER , it is of great importance to use a cheater bar and a back up (both , while winding the spring , long and strong enough to control the spring while winding and "to hold it while getting another bite" in the winding process. Best if u let the ceiling hold it while getting another bite to tighten , be sure it wont slip out !.
 
Ha, this just happed to me this morning,,,this was my fix till I get new springs.
It also happened to the other spring about 3 years ago,but my Rube Goldberg repair is still holding.
image.jpg
 
I replaced my cheap 16' with an insulated (R-13) door recently. It was not difficult, just time consuming. A Menards sold Ideal door. Has the easy wind system.

The winding is done like this.........
upload_2021-3-27_8-20-32.png
 
First question, do you know what brand your door is? Usually there is a tag or a decal of some sort. If you can identify it, get hold of the vendor and ask for a parts list. If you can't identify it, start going by comparison, most of the hardware is pretty universal. As to installation, if you have an 8' x 10' or smaller, you can do it your self but you HAVE to have the proper winding bars and you HAVE to follow the procedure exactly. I've installed a number of smaller torsion spring doors using a ladder with no problems. I installed a 10' x 10' once and used a manlift, no ladder for that one.

If you can't identify the vendor but you can get the springs, the biggest problem you'll have is how much each spring is to be wound. This is something that is better done correctly the first time. One door I did I didn't wind it enough and you could barely open it. Another I wound too much and the door flew open like a rocket ship. But having a plan and working carefully, you can get it done.

As a last resort, buy a new door with the easy wind springs like Daves69 mentioned. There's always more than one way to get to Rome.
 
Get the bumper jack out of the trunk and hook it on the lower center hinge! Then use progressively longer jam boards to work the door up to car height.
 
OK, here is a common procedure to open an overhead door with broken spring(s).
First, let's assume that you do not have a forklift at your disposal, that would make most of what I'm about to post irrelevant.

- Realize and understand that an overhead door will weigh anywhere from 150 pounds to close to 1000 pounds, depending on size and construction material, (wood or steel) and whether or not it is insulated. In this case, the OP stated that his door is a commercial unit, measuring 18x9 feet, but did not mention what it is made of. I will assume that it is steel, non-insulated, and estimate it's weight at approximately 350 pounds.
-Typically a commercial door will utilize a chain hoist for lifting and lowering the door at minimum, an electric operator is also common, but again, in this case I don't know if one is installed or not.

-Tools required for this task:
2 or more good strong pairs of vise grips
2 lengths of 2x4 or 4x4, (need only be as long as the height needed to get the cars out once the door is open, so 5 feet should be plenty in this instance)
2 good quality ratchet straps, 1000 pound working load limit minimum
A helper if you have one available
1 or 2 ladders, tall enough to reach the top of the door.

Let's get started

First step is to disconnect the electric operator from power, then from the door as it will not lift the door by itself, and will only increase the load you are going to lift.
Do this by pulling the smaller chain if the operator is mounted to the side of the spring shaft, and looks something like this:
door operator 1.jpg
door operator 2.jpg

You should be able to pull the small chain down and lock it into a bracket, this releases the clutch mechanism inside the operator and allows the door to operate freely. If there is no sass chain, or it is not properly adjusted, you will need to go up to the operator and remove the gear sprocket from the shaft, typically they will have a set screw.

If the operator is mounted from the ceiling, like a typical residential style, it will look like this:
door operator 3.jpg

This type requires removal of a pin from the door face bracket usually to disconnect it, meaning you will need to get up on the ladder.

Now, the easy part, using the chain hoist if so equipped, slowly raise the door up, it's going to be f'n heavy so take your time. If the door lifts relatively straight, you can proceed with the chain alone. When you have raised the door a short distance, have your helper clamp the vise grips on each track, below a roller, as tight as possible, this will support the load as you go.
If there is no chain hoist present, or the door lifts on an angle, you will need to use the ratchet straps, attach one end to the lowest roller, the other to a good anchor point about 6 feet off the floor on the outside of the track, and slowly crank the ratchet up, again stopping to clamp the vise grips on each track to prevent the door from dropping, keeping in mind that you have effectively created a heavy guillotine that will maim or kill anyone it falls on.
Once you have reached a height adequate to get your cars out, clamp those vise grips down again, and place the wood blocks on either side as an extra measure of support before attempting to drive out or walk under the door.

I cannot stress enough how potentially dangerous this can be if not done correctly!! If you are at all unsure, please do not attempt!

If you want to close the door again after you have liberated your cars, simply reverse the procedure, lowering the vise grips a few inches at a time to control the descent of the door, as letting it drop from any height above a few inches will result in significant damage to the door itself.

Hope this helps, and again do not attempt if you are at all unsure.

Here is a link to the procedure from a professional repair consultant, and it include how to determine spring sizes and how much they will need to be wound once replaced.

https://www.metrogaragedoor.net/how-to-open-a-garage-door-with-a-broken-spring/#:~:text=Your average garage door weighs,being saturated by heavy rain.

Average Steel Garage Door Weight (With Quick Reference Chart)
 
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Daves69 said:
I replaced my cheap 16' with an insulated (R-13) door recently. It was not difficult, just time consuming. A Menards sold Ideal door. Has the easy wind system.

The winding is done like this.........
View attachment 1715714406
Click to expand...
When I worked as a serviceman we had a prototype of something similar to that for winding commercial springs, didn't work very well unfortunately but has hopefully been improved since then.
 
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