A week of trying to fix my own garage door spring

Last Tuesday, I decided to save some cash and replace the broken torsion spring on my garage door myself. I watched a few videos, bought a pair of 18-inch winding bars from the hardware store, and figured it was a two-hour job. By Thursday, I had a huge dent in the door from a bar slipping, a sore shoulder, and I was out about $120 in parts I messed up. The worst part was the constant, loud twang every time I got it wrong. I finally called a pro on Friday, who fixed it in 45 minutes and told me I was lucky I didn't get hurt. It really made me think about which jobs are worth the risk. Has anyone else tried a repair that just got way out of hand?

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2 Comments

claire9996mo ago

Oh man, that twang sound is the worst. I once tried to replace a bathroom sink faucet, which seemed easy enough. Ended up with a slow leak I didn't catch for days, ruined the cabinet underneath, and had to pay for water damage. Sometimes you just have to know when to quit.

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simono906mo ago

@claire999 That slow leak problem is why I always test with paper towels now. They show even the smallest moisture spots right away. It's saved me a couple times after feeling sure I'd fixed it.

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