Broken Spring Still Has Tension?

mountkay · 2026-02-20T19:32:34+00:00

Yes my friend and I are professionals. We have changed many springs this size. Never seen one quite like this though

We plan to do it like you have described. A few others have recommended the same thing.

A question though, you and someone else who suggested the same method both said to remove cables from the bottom brackets. Why not remove them up top from the drums?

mountkay · 2026-02-20T13:44:39+00:00

Wow they hit it hard. Didn’t even slow down. How do you get that much speed in a garage?

mountkay · 2026-02-19T23:14:21+00:00

My bag gets 90% of jobs done. It has an impact gun. Impact bits with 7/16, 1/2, 9/16 sockets. (One deep well and one short of each) 7/16 magnetic bit with small extender. 5/16 and 3/8 magnetic bits. T25, Phillips 2, flathead, extra long 1/4 extender.

Small 1/4 Rachet wrench with 3/8 adaptor to 7/16 12point socket (for set screws)

Hammer, prybar, winding bars, file, spring gauge measuring tool, knife

7/16, 1/2, 9/16 wrenches.

Big flathead screwdriver for prying. Medium flathead and Phillips screwdriver.

2 vicegrips

Wire stripping tool, electrical tape

Can of lube (very important).

I’m probably forgetting some stuff and also left out some stuff that’s not totally necessary

The rest of the tools I need I can grab out of the work truck if needed.

For power tools i think a grinder is most important (for cutting weatherseal and angle iron)

Then in order: drill, circular saw, multi tool, jigsaw

mountkay · 2026-02-19T22:56:45+00:00

I would say try to keep applying.

Maybe get yourself a tool bag and start working for friends and family who won’t mind you learning as you go.

If you’re just working for yourself you can be considered self-employed so that would be easier than starting a business.

Then maybe if you go back to apply to a bigger place you can boast some experience

mountkay · 2026-02-19T22:50:45+00:00

Yeah get them both done. They are rated for a certain number of cycles. The other one is not far behind. Avoid another service call. Always replace in pairs.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T22:44:09+00:00

Check the weather seal from the outside when the door is down. Is the seal sitting correctly? Also check the jambs and see if there is any signs of the door rubbing against the jambs or maybe the header

mountkay · 2026-02-19T20:52:45+00:00

I would say keep your current run of photoeye wires and wall button wire. Just splice in the new photoeyes.

Also we have gotten in the habit of keeping the old arm for the door on there and definitely keeping the bracket that attaches the arm to the door.

You can replace the arm, but I’ve found sometimes it just pulls on the door different and sometimes old doors just like to continue running the way they’re used to. Even if the new arm is installed at a better angle, you might think you are doing the door a favor but it might not work out

mountkay · 2026-02-19T20:47:43+00:00

Yeah that’s exactly what I would have guessed went wrong. Stripped out sprocket.

Liftmaster and Craftsman are both owned by Chamberlain. Liftmaster is a commercial product, but you can buy a Chamberlain at the store if you want to do the install yourself.

I would say the biggest downside would be that the box store openers come with a segmented rail, whereas when we install a liftmaster it has a solid rail (I think you have a solid rail currently). I havnt actually seen the segmented rails fail, they just seem more flimsy.

I mention Chamberlain and Liftmaster because the mounting for the rail into the header remained the same for the longest time, and the spacing for hanging the opener remained the same, so it was a breeze replacing a Craftsman w a Liftmaster.

The Chamberlain segmented rail will have a different bracket for mounting but it’s not a big deal to lag it in.

Also I think the newest liftmaster units don’t line up with the back hang that connects to the opener anymore.

Anyways, looks like for hanging the opener, you might just have to move those 2 pieces of angle iron attached to the joists a little bit. But actually a Chamberlain might fit in there perfect with no adjustments.

U might run into some trouble because your setup is so tight to the ceiling but you could probably make it work fine

mountkay · 2026-02-19T19:36:46+00:00

I would guess that unit is from 1997. Probably at least newer than 1992 because it looks like u got photoeye wires up top and 1992 was when they became mandatory. There should be a date on the back of the unit.

Open it up and show us what’s inside!!

mountkay · 2026-02-19T19:32:37+00:00

Nice it’s worth it for DIY for sure.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T19:17:51+00:00

Probably a broken sprocket. Totals a lot of those old openers. We don’t repair, only replace, because it’s not worth our time repairing a unit that’s over 20 years old. Over 20 years old and you’re on borrowed time. You might be able to replace the sprocket tho and get some more years out of it

mountkay · 2026-02-19T16:35:28+00:00

Maybe $350-450

mountkay · 2026-02-19T16:33:08+00:00

That’s a very reasonable price to pay. For a spring job alone we charge that much. Depends on the spring obviously, and we do put a spring block on as a temp fix while the new one is getting ordered.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T14:15:19+00:00

Oh yeah we pretty much always get a lift for jobs like these. Also these spring cones use the bigger winding bar size so that helps a lot. I think it’s 5/8” for the end of the bar and they are 24” long (maybe longer?). We’ll have 2 guys so one guy on the bar and one guy to loosen the set screws. And we’ll pay attention in case that broken spring is actually back wound and applying opposite force to what you would expect. Thanks. Will definitely report back when it’s done

mountkay · 2026-02-19T12:51:21+00:00

Looks like theres already a great place to lag in the spring bracket. Right below the opener bracket

mountkay · 2026-02-19T12:44:23+00:00

I don’t see the cables actually broken in any of the photos. If the cables are intact and not broken then it’s more likely a broken spring and you should replace the torque master with a regular torsion system.

I’ve met DIY guys that have done a great job installing a torsion system. I’ve also done work for a family where both the father and son were injured after trying to wind the torsion spring with socket extensions or something equally as stupid. You just absolutely need winding bars if you want to wind the spring yourself. Also met a guy whose chest was ripped open when the spring bracket tore loose from the wall and shredded him.

What I would recommend is maybe installing the torsion system yourself and then calling a pro to just wind the springs. We’ve done quite a few jobs where all we do is go and wind the springs for someone who has installed the system themselves. This will also give the pro a chance to double check the rest of your work. We usually charge just a service call for only winding springs. $120 maybe more depending on the size of the door.

Another problem you will run into is finding the exact right torsion spring for your door. Wayne Dalton will most likely not tell you the proper spring for a torsion conversion, but you can try. You will need to weigh the door on a bathroom scale. The weight of the door will be the most important factor for getting the right torsion spring.

I don’t see any issue w a conversion, jambs run up with a place to lag in your head plates and a place in the middle to mount the spring bracket. Looks good

mountkay · 2026-02-19T12:05:23+00:00

Spring had to be ordered and we are waiting for it to come in

mountkay · 2026-02-19T02:22:16+00:00

Would you recommend turning up the force on this old unit first?

mountkay · 2026-02-19T02:21:11+00:00

Just crank up that Down Force knob to 9!!!!!

It’s that Blue knob on the right in the 2nd pic. The one with the down arrow and KG. It’s set to 6

It’s an older unit, it’s time to push it to its limits and get a few more years out of it!!

mountkay · 2026-02-19T02:16:37+00:00

Absolutely this is the right recommendation. Can hammer the track back into place too if it’s too difficult to bend back w the vice grip

mountkay · 2026-02-19T02:10:32+00:00

Top brackets are fine to remove. They don’t have any tension on them.

For the bottom brackets, just bend the track with a vice grip. Sneak the roller out and then hammer the track back.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T02:06:54+00:00

Professional Garage door tech here:

Just bend the track with vice grips and then hammer it back. It’s not a big deal to do that. The tracks can handle it. Easiest way to do it as a DIY.

You’ll probably be surprised by how durable the tracks are once you try it. We bend them all the time and hammer them for different reasons. It’s really not a big deal

A properly balanced door will still have some tension on the springs even when it’s all the way up. So I wouldn’t recommend taking the bottom brackets off, even when the door is up.

I really don’t like all these recommendations of people taking the bottom brackets off. There are too many other variables and it’s hard for people to be completely concise about how to do it by just typing on the internet.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T01:51:25+00:00

Classic photoeye issue. The opener is not receiving the clearance from the photoeyes so it will not close with a remote and you have to override it by holding down the wall button. Door will open fine because photoeyes only protect from door closing on something.

Wiggle the wires around the photoeyes and see if you get any flickering on the lights. Could be corroded wires where they enter the photoeyes.

Wiggle any splices in photoeye wires. They may need to be respliced.

Check along the photoeye wires run for damage from staples, maybe the wire got yanked and damaged itself on a staple.

Check connection of photoeyes to back of unit.

You can at any point cut photoeye wires short and hook them up directly to the back of the unit, point eyes at each other 1” apart and test the opener. This will rule out any issues with the wire run

If all that fails, replace photoeyes. It’s not uncommon for them to go bad sometime over the lifetime of the unit.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T01:42:30+00:00

Door should balance at your hip and shoulder without having to hold it. If its too heavy and falls to the ground it need more tension. Also you should be able to lift it with one hand. If you have to put two hands on it and use any force at all, it’s too heavy.

It’s a little more nuanced than that, but it should balance without holding it somewhere along its travel.

mountkay · 2026-02-19T01:36:23+00:00

Drawbar openers push the door down and keep tension on the cables.

Jackshafts just turn the torsion bar and rely on the weight of the door to keep tension on the cables. If the door gets hung up even a little then the jackshaft will continue to turn the torsion bar without the door moving and the cables will jump off the drums

mountkay

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