The extension or torsion springs on your garage door may require replacing a few times over the lifetime of the door. Replacing them yourself can be tempting as a money saving option. It can also be a dangerous option, as the replacement of the springs does have some risks. Learn the best way to stay safe while you replace your springs to ensure you don't end up with a bigger problem on your hands than what you started with.

Why Replacing Garage Door Springs Is Dangerous

The cables and springs that hold the garage door in place and help it move are under enormous amounts of pressure and tension. If a cable or spring were to snap, the recoil could hit you if you are nearby. Depending upon where it hit you, this could cause lacerations or worse. When the springs snap, the door may also come down quickly, which could hit a person standing in the wrong place.

As you remove the cable and spring to change them, they may also fall, hitting something below them, like a car or items being stored there. This could cause damage to the item, and if you haven't secured the door properly ahead of time, it could also send it crashing down.

Always assume that the cables or springs could break at any time, and use care when removing them to ensure they do not damage the items below.

Safety Tips When Replacing Your Own Springs

While you may be able to change your springs without mishap, always take precautions when changing the springs.

Just because you've changed them without a problem before, does not mean this will always be the case.

Use High-quality Springs

You might be tempted to save money by using the cheapest springs you find, but if manufacturing shortcuts were taken the springs could break. Use springs with a high cycle life that are built to last and are made out of quality metals and materials.

Stay Out of Their Path

When the door is being operated, or is in the closed position, stay out of the path of the cable and springs. Assume that they could snap at any time, and the spring could fly off and hit you.

Make Sure the Door Is All the Way Up        

When the door is in the fully raised position, there is little to no tension in the cables and springs. This is the safest position to work in. Do not try to replace the springs with the door in a closed or half-closed position.

Hold On to the Safety Cable

To remove the spring, you will have to loosen and remove the safety cable from the wall or angle iron it is attached to. Once the cable is loose, the spring could fall, which could cause damage below, or harm a helper standing nearby. Hold on to the safety cable as you loosen it to prevent a sudden drop. This will give you time to catch the spring and prevent its fall.

Make Sure the Garage Door Holds

During the spring replacement process, you may need to vice grip the track below the bottom roller to hold the door in place. Gently test this by letting the vice grip take the weight of the door a little at a time. Don't assume it will hold, because if the vice grip isn't in the right position, or not holding firmly enough, the door will not hold and will crash down. If a person were below it, this could cause injury. If tools or other items were left in the path, this could potentially damage the door.

Replace Both Springs at Once

Springs generally come in sets of two – one on either side of the door. If one spring has broken, the other one may not be far behind. Additionally, the old springs may have lost some strength over time; putting in one new spring can cause the door to be uneven on the tracks, which could cause more problems, including another broken spring.

Play It Safe

Garage door springs have the potential to snap and send a door toward the ground at any moment. Always play it safe when replacing the springs to ensure you or your helper do not get injured and change the springs successfully every time.