C & E wrote:

"Jake" wrote in message ...
so these springs apparently break about every 5 to 7 years and one of my 2
springs went sproing over the weekend.

from scouring sears, home depot and lowes, they sell everything I need,
except the torsion springs (they sell the vertical type, not the
horizontal type that runs on the bar across the garage)

from reading a few online sites, it appears many people have written
excellent descriptions and have successfully replaced their own springs
without dying or getting maimed or blinded - a few even have excellent
step-by-step videos, though some of these clearly sell parts online.

what say you ? at issue is why should I pay someone close to 300 for a job
where the parts cost 30 to 65 ?

easing the tension on the spring is no laughing matter but it's no more
dangerous than lifting your car on a jack and replacing a tire.

You can do it yourself, Jake. You already understand that it's not a cake
walk but at the same time, there are plenty of things that are just as
dangerous if not more so. Afterall, the spring isn't going to jump off the
axle and cut a carotid artery.

Having replaced one, I can tell you that they certainly are no fun to do
solo. With a helper teaming it would be a lot more manageable. As for
getting the springs, you have to go to a "real" door place like Overhead
Door to buy them.

At least one manufacturer has a new design that uses a worm gear
arrangement to replace the old bar-in-hole tensioning setup, which makes
it a heck of a lot easier and safer.