garage door springs

went into the garage this morning, and one of my doors wont open.....one of the damn main springs broke on both ends, so the cable and spring are all piled up. guess it just got too weak over time.

lowes has some springs....but whats the best way to figure what weight rated spring i need? im guessing i can go with the heaviest one they have(140#)...but not real sure.

 

Torsion spring or extention spring that broke?
This might help. http://www.factsfacts.com/MyHomeRepair/springs.htm

 

Make sure you get the right size spring. Get one too stout, it won't close. One too light, the door will be hard to lift.

 

measure your old one for wire diameter and number of coils. also look for direction of wind (r or l). you should be fine with that.

 

usually the spring ends are painted with a colos. different colors = different load/weight of spring. if you know the original manufacturer, you can usually get a replacement. always replace both, even if only one broke