The main consideration for a garage door spring replacement is whether to do the job yourself or hire a professional. Depending on your area, the price to replace garage door spring – done by a professional garage door technician – will run anywhere from $275 – $550 depending on the parts needed and your degree of urgency.
Professional Installation Versus Do It Yourself
Installing the parts yourself can reduce the cost to the actual purchase of the springs, usually around $100 – $150, and a set of “turning” rods for about $25. The process is not difficult if you can follow a set of instructions but shortcuts are not advised as the springs can pack quite a wallop if not handled properly. Improperly handled springs can cause damage to the door as well as inflict grave bodily injury to the installer.
Do not attempt a garage door repair unless you are completely confident in your abilities and equipment! It can be extremely dangerous!
Determining and Finding the Right Garage Door Springs
Identifying the right replacement spring for your garage door is relatively simple. You need to make three measurements on an UNWOUND spring. The first measurement gives you the length. The second measurement is the inside diameter of the cone. Lastly, count twenty coils and measure their length.
With these three measurements, a garage door spring company will be able to provide a spring of the proper length, diameter and wire size. You can even order springs online from Amazon or any of the big box retailers if you feel confident in your measurements.
DIY Installation
For starters, by its very nature, a DIY installation is essentially free as it only costs you time and a little aggravation if the process does not go as smoothly as you hope. Unfortunately, there is a safety risk in performing this repair that could end up hurting you severely and cost you a significant amount of money in hospital bills. Be sure to get competent advice from a home repair professional before even starting.
Professional installation
If a homeowner would rather dispense with the time and effort – as well as the aggravation – of installing new garage door springs, they can hire a professional company to do the job instead. Of course, they will need to be compensated for their time but a professional installation is still quite affordable if you are concerned about the job being done right and without any worries.
In particular, the price to replace garage door spring by a professional garage door company will be in the neighborhood of $500-$600 to supply and install a completely new set of springs. This replaces both springs and not just the damaged one as most DIY projects do – not a bad idea as the undamaged spring is likely to fail within a short period of time and will probably need to be replaced soon. They will also stock a number of different size springs in the case that the current springs are incorrect, thus eliminating wait time for new springs.
A professional installation will also usually include an inspection of the rest of the system – motor, motion sensor, rails and everything else. This proactive process will identify any potential problems. They can be affordably solved immediately or left for a later date but at least, the homeowner will not be surprised if a problem occurs.
The springs on a garage door are not particularly difficult to replace but the task should not be undertaken lightly as there is some degree of risk involved. For the best results, consult a pro and then continue. For more information on the going rate for garage door spring replacement or on other garage door related repairs, contact Garage Door Medics today! Be sure to ask about our warranty on our repairs for parts and labor.
