Anyone ever replace your own garage door?

[copasspupil]

It depends upon the door itself. Some are a standard spring in the center on top and you use solid pipes to loosen the tension then remove the door. Some swing where the apex is on top. Those are the ones to not do yourself. They are filed with 300+ of weight and would do some serious harm on your frame. Insulated doors are the best for a number of reasons: keeps the garage warmer, has some sound proofing abilities, and I think they are better made myself.

What to look out for: quality doors cost money, springs, how it closes from section to section, want one that goes completely up so the either space is exposed not 3/4 open, and anybody can do it. Even I have done one.

Laurie, I had to change the frame opening for my boat to get in and out and the longest time was dealing with waiting for the door to arrive.

[autoxsteve]

I have replaced the old wooden tilt up garage door (16 x 7) with a home depot stanley rollup door (did this about 20 years ago). Hardest part of that was getting the old one out. Disassembled it piece by piece until I just had a frame remaining. At that point, closed it and removed the springs (careful - this maybe where the term whippersnapper got started!). and then disassembled the 2X3 frame.

Second experience with these was the spring in my existing 2 car roll up door snapped (sounds like a gun going off when it does!) and I bought my own spring and replaced it myself. I had to fabricate a 'tightener' out of 1/2 bar stock. Be careful here - these things are mean!

Good luck......

[imnutz]

Door springs of any kind do demand respect - unwinding them for someone inexperienced is surely more dangerous than winding a new one - never attempt it without winding bars, anyone who loosens set screws without a bar secured in the winding end is looking to have a open end wrench go thru the palm of his hand (I have seen it), if there are two springs on the door, the biggest mistake people make is to assume if one spring breaks, there is no tension left on the unbroken one. Like anything else, take your time, follow directions, and if unsure, call a pro, not your buddies up the street with the cooler.

[buening]

Torsion springs aren't hard if you understand how they work and use basic common sense. This website may help those DIY people Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement

I've rewound mine a couple times after the cable slipped off one of the drums.

[TommyK]

If you have zero experience doing this type of thing I recommend hiring someone.

[GypsyR]

I have two nine foot sectional doors with traditional springs that I installed myself and later replaced myself. I can't recommend geting insulated doors enough. The difference between the old wooden doors and Clopay panels is BIG. I have AC and heat in my garage and with the old doors I might as well have had them open all the time.
When I replaced them I just swapped panels. I assembled the first (top) panel in place and then rolled it all the way up and hooked it to the springs. THen the next and rolled it up to be bolted to the first panel overhead. I would clamp some Vice-Grips on the track to keep it still until I could get it bolted to the first panel. And so on until it was all assembled overhead. Then I rolled it down and back up to see how much I needed to re-tension the springs. Just me and an afternoon and it was done.
My methods probably only apply to my particular door and spring type.

[Blues Power]

I worked a few summers with a garage door guy whenI was a teen/early 20s

when we did a job we also did the tracks regardless of what shape they were in.

it wasent hard, the hardest thing was setting up the hi lo parimeters on the motor.

there was also some carpentry involved for the tops and sides every once in a while as what we took down was a few inches larger in most cases then what went up esp with an older replacmente that was 30 or 40 yrs old.

avg job took about 2-3 hours and we did 3 jobs a day but the guy I was with knoew what he was doing 100%. so they went fast

I guess you can expect 6 hours.

imo check with the mfg as the warrenty may be affected by a self install should something go wrong youll be in the pointing finger syndrome.

at least with a prof install using a auth dealer the mfg cant say anything should the motor blow on hook up or if something dont fit or close right of if one of the sensors are not working.

EDIT: to hire someone youre prob looking at about a $300 bill. well worth it imo if you never did it before

EDIT II Yikes! just realized this thread is 3 yrs old.

[buening]

Yeah I think alen99 was a spammer

[GypsyR]

"Was". Now banished. Feel stupid I didn't catch that one earlier.

[gimpystoy]

I tried it one time (single door two bay). After tusing entire two week vacation without getting it finished I paid a local installer $250 to finish. Took him one day.
Learned my lession. for next time

[Fast68]

Clean and oil the tracks! You may be surprised...

[Boneyfinger]

I have been in the remodeling business for 35 years. I recommend hiring a garage door company to do it. They are a real pain.