Nice morning, Garge door spring went BOOM Options

[Pat Garvey]

Last night we heard a sound like the world was exploding. Turns out it was only a garage door spring exploding from old age - right over the 914. Funny, but as it turns out the broken spring parts went North & hit that worthless Passat my wife drives (there IS God).

Repairman comes this morning (remeber, this is a garage door repairman) & goes nuts because he has to work above a 914!

Turns out he has an '84 Carrera & a '91 Corvette with 9K miles on it! We spent 3 hours bullshitting about cars. Looked at my collection of vintage posters (gave him one from '84), looked at the 914 really hard & the '73 911T even harder. We yakked & drank coffee wil he did his 30 minutes of work.

Charged me nothing but the service call (39.95). Replaced both springs & all rollers with nylon.

We had a good time, and I made a new friend. Good car guy & does all his own work - on a 911 and a Corvette. Hafta respect that!

He's welcomed here any time! Hell, he's already rebuilt 2 doors, why not the third?
Pat

[VaccaRabite]

Its always exciting when a spring breaks.

Had one bust on me in CA. Thought it was a sonic boom. In the garage.

My wife had one break on her here in PA as she was getting out of the car. Scared the bejesus out of her. Luckily the spring flew into a corner and not into her or the cars.

I ended up fixing that one the next day. Home depot was closed the night it happened.

Zach

[LowGT]

I had one break on a 2 car garage. It was the middle of the night and I spent 30min walking around the house trying to figure out what the noise was. It wasn't until I hit the garage door button in the morning that I figured it out. I've had manual doors before, but that was the first time I ever tried to lift a wood 2 car garage door without sprig assistance. Talk about a PITA!!

[mskala]

I think all of my springs have broken at least once.

Around here we thread a cable through them tied off at both ends.

Without that, if one goes while you're standing there _bad_ things will
happen to you.

[Bartlett 914]

I think all of my springs have broken at least once.

Around here we thread a cable through them tied off at both ends.

Without that, if one goes while you're standing there _bad_ things will
happen to you.

Those springs are damn dangerous. They really need a cable through them. I know of a guy (friend of a friend) that installed a door as a side job. While talking to the owner, the spring broke and just missed her daughter. She was suing him. They don't always break in the night!

[rhodyguy]

car talk got you a smoking deal!! $39.95 for a spring and rollers replacement is crazy. labor and parts would nomally run upwards of $200 if it's non-warrenty work.

k

[BarberDave]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)



Pat, I had one break at night,go thru the convert top and loge IN the back of the passenger seat. So every one since has a cable running thru them. Since then NO trouble!!!!! Dave (IMG:style_emoticons/default/slap.gif)

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

I've had two break on me, one while I was standing there looking up at it (an old one that was suspect looking). I almost lost an eye ball. Definitely lost the underwear I was wearing... The hook on the spring where it grabs on to the post is what snapped so the safety cable running through it was no use in this instance.

All my springs have the safety cable running through it. There's something to be said about those doors with the single central spring. I'd rather have a roll-up so it wouldn't take up my ceiling space. Then I could put in a lift... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[So.Cal.914]

I think all of my springs have broken at least once.

Around here we thread a cable through them tied off at both ends.

Without that, if one goes while you're standing there _bad_ things will
happen to you.

Those springs are damn dangerous. They really need a cable through them. I know of a guy (friend of a friend) that installed a door as a side job. While talking to the owner, the spring broke and just missed her daughter. She was suing him. They don't always break in the night!

I didn't think they sold garage door springs without saftey wires inside. Replaced 8

or 10 and each one had two steel wires manifactured into them that caught the pieces like a cable...Maybe it's a Cali thing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[1bad914]

I had a friend thst was tightening the spring on his and it let loose, it demolished his hand, he still has no feeling in his thumb. I replaced both of my doors with new ones that have enclosed spring/cable units! Releasing the tension was fun on the old ones!

[IronHillRestorations]

Definately a plus to the torsion springs that mount on the header. I've had two break in the last year or so (15 overhead doors here on my property) and they were both torsion spring types that made a BANG with no flying parts.

Have you seen the new door openers that mount on the header without a track? Don't get me started on door openers, I've had to replace all four on my garage.

[Pat Garvey]

"A man should know his limitations" (Dirty Harry).

This isn't the first one I've had break, and since I still don't have full strength with my right hand - I had it done.

Yes, the safety cable is a must. If it hadn't been for the cable I would've had damage to the 914 parked under it.

Also had all the rollers changed to nylon wheels. The door is almost totally silent now. Used to sound like a train on tracks.
Pat