standard torsion system with the spring on the outside of the torsion tube
Believe it or not, but when we are quoting service prices, we hate telling people that they are in for an expensive repair. A very common situation when this happens is when a customer calls in for a quote on a broken torsion spring and they find out that they actually need an entire torsion conversion. I’m going to break down the difference and help the most novice customer understand which type of torsion system they have. (This blog is only going to touch on steel sectional doors with overhead torsion systems).
When a customer calls there are a few different questions that we must ask to first assess if they have a broken torsion spring or not. Sometimes it is very apparent because A) The customer heard or saw the spring actually break or B) The customer did not see it happen but can now see the obvious separation of coils in the spring. However sometimes the customer has no experience or knowledge of garage doors or torsion systems and all they know is that their door will not open. If they are home, we usually try to lead them to the garage and help them locate their torsion system, and hopefully their torsion spring. Sometimes they cannot locate their spring because instead of being on the outside of the torsion tube and therefore visible to the customer, it is enclosed inside of the torsion tube. (99% of the time this means that they have a Wayne Dalton torque master.
wayne dalton torquemaster torsion system
Wayne Dalton is a very popular garage door company that, for a short while, manufactured their own style of torsion set up. As before mentioned, instead of being on the outside of the torsion tube which is standard, the torsion spring or springs were enclosed and cannot be accessed without dismantling the entire system. These torque masters caused many problems and were discontinued many years ago which means they can not be repaired, only replaced. This can change the cost from around $250 to around $450. The rise in price not only accounts for a much larger amount of labor, but also many new torsion parts. On a standard spring replacement the end bearings are removed on one side, the broken spring is removed, and a new one is put in its place. This is impossible with a torque master and everything must be removed and replaced. This includes end bearing plates, the tube itself, drums, fasteners, and brackets in addition to the broken spring.
