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Last night we heard a huge bang at the front of the house


team scooter

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$195 dollars and our garage door is functioning again. The door guy says 15 years is a long run for a set of door springs. Especially since we use it as our primary entrance to the house. He said usually they only last 7 or 8 years with heavy use.:wacko:

Uh oh, that's the type of spring we have and we use it several times a day.  It's at least 8, I suspect a lot older.

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The doggies went ballistic! When I went out to investigate I found nothing. Just now my wife went to go shopping and the garage door wouldn't open. The overhead door spring is broken. Proof positive they only build houses to last fifteen years. Add it to my list... :angry:

 

I had the same thing happen a few months ago, but the spring was over forty years old. 

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Our spring broke a couple years ago - I think it's a torsion spring but I guess I'm not sure.  Since then, I'm a little wary walking under them.

We have a single door for a 2-car garage - it's well insulated but that means it's incredibly heavy.  We had to replace our opener earlier this year too.

Our house is (I think) 53 years old.  Took a tree to the roof during Sandy - it snapped a few joists and the ridge beam, but didn't come through.  I am convinced that a modern house would have been bisected.

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It looks like the new spring is not as stout as the old one either.:unsure:

The house is getting to that age where all the mid grade stuff the builder used is starting to let go. Floors, counter tops etc. Most of that stuff we had planed on changing out anyway, but never got around to it. The Mrs is already working on her third coat of paint throughout the house. Luckily all the appliances have already been replaced. Our roof and siding still looks OK but the roofs on the houses that were built a few years before ours are starting to look a little rough. And the siding on the houses a few more years older is starting to fade. :whistle:

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One of the items that came up on the home inspection of our old house was the garage door opener.  It didn't have the safety beam sensors at the bottom of the door.  The opener dated pre-1992 so it didn't come with them and any retrofit kits wouldn't match up.

As part of the contract, we weren't required to replace it.  But the family moving in had two small kids.... So I bought a new opener and installed it.

As I was tacking up the wiring up high on the wall for the new safety beam, I leaned over the garage door spring (linear type).  Just as I did BANG!  The spring broke at the far end and collapsed toward the door.  Since my arm was resting on the extended spring at the time, as it collapsed it caught my skin between the coils, and took bits of it away in its travel towards the door.

That stung a bit.

Made me really mad, because now I had to buy TWO replacement springs and install them to make sure the door was balanced and operated properly.  Another trip to the big box store.  :rolleyes:

The door did work well when I got done, though...

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Ours went a few years ago. I looked online for tutorials on replacing it. The only thing I could find were admonitions that the average home handyman should not attempt this, that calling the pros was the only course of action.

 So, like any true red blooded card carrying man, I ignored all warnings and proceeded to fix it.

 Fortunately, our garage has a rear entrance. My neighbour's does not. His broke about a month ago, and while he also is a red blooded card carrying man, he is not of the handyman persuasion, so he did call the pros.

 My cost, about 60 bucks for a new spring. His cost, about 500.

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Ours went a few years ago. I looked online for tutorials on replacing it. The only thing I could find were admonitions that the average home handyman should not attempt this, that calling the pros was the only course of action.

 So, like any true red blooded card carrying man, I ignored all warnings and proceeded to fix it.

 Fortunately, our garage has a rear entrance. My neighbour's does not. His broke about a month ago, and while he also is a red blooded card carrying man, he is not of the handyman persuasion, so he did call the pros.

 My cost, about 60 bucks for a new spring. His cost, about 500.

it cost $170 to have it replaced(torsion spring). 

The guy that paid $500 must have had other problems too. 

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It looks like the new spring is not as stout as the old one either.:unsure:

The house is getting to that age where all the mid grade stuff the builder used is starting to let go. Floors, counter tops etc. Most of that stuff we had planed on changing out anyway, but never got around to it. The Mrs is already working on her third coat of paint throughout the house. Luckily all the appliances have already been replaced. Our roof and siding still looks OK but the roofs on the houses that were built a few years before ours are starting to look a little rough. And the siding on the houses a few more years older is starting to fade. :whistle:

Exact same boat here.  I have replaced roof, HVAC, floors, windows are due now, deck needs it, driveway... Lovely.

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