Complaints, accusations and a few defenses flew in September after PDD reported on a controversial blog about DIY torsion-spring replacement. Click here to read the original story.
In response to this DIYer’s adamant claims that the garage door industry is using scare tactics to deter the average Joe from repairing his own equipment, we asked readers the following questions:
- How often do you receive calls from the public wanting to purchase and install their own springs?
- How many attempted DIY jobs have you been called in to fix?
- Have any of these DIYers been injured in the process?
- In his blog, does Kinch sufficiently warn against the dangers of DIY garage repairs, or is he too caught up in bad-mouthing the industry?
Here, a sampling of the reactions from the industry to Richard Kinch’s “How I Replaced Deadly Torsion Springs ... And Lived to Tell the Tale.”
“I have been in the business for more than 24 years,” says Larry Edwards, former operations manager for Dayton Door Group of Dayton, Ohio. “Several customers would want to purchase torsion springs. After the sale, we would receive calls from the wives asking us to come finish the job because their husbands received broken hands/arms/fingers.”
Edwards, now a salesman for Dayton Door Group, notes that his company requires customers to sign a waiver when purchasing springs or doors they plan to install or repair themselves.
“We quote torsion spring prices every day to consumers who often say that they know how to safely and properly install them,” reports Mark Silverstein of Roanoke, Va.-based Dixie Building Products Inc. “We always recommend professional installation, and more often than not, customers hire us to do the work and are truly thankful for it.”
Silverstein, who has not installed in more than 10 years, says he now gladly pays professionals to do repairs in his home because, “until you have had a winding bar slip out of your hands, you have no idea how scary a torsion spring can be.”
Penn Central Spring simply refuses to sell to direct to consumers, says Allison Mancuso, vice president of the spring manufacturing company. “It is not a matter of trade restraint; it is a matter of self preservation — my company’s and the general public’s,” she says. “We get about one to two calls a week from the general public, that range from wanting pricing on a specific spring to wanting pricing on ‘whatever the standard spring is for an 8-foot-high door,’ or even asking, ‘How do I wind the spring?’ Every single one of these questions scares me, and I refer them to a reputable door dealer in their area.”
Rob Ellefsen, director of sales and marketing for Lincolnwood, Ill.-based Advanced Plastic Corp., has 25 years experience in the industry. Ellefsen points out that while springs may be available to some consumers, there is “an immediate hidden danger that exists with a loaded garage door spring that many homeowners are unaware of.”
Still, a few dealers call Kinch’s blog extremely informative — so much so that one professional printed out the instructions and posted them for customers to review. “I came across this Web site a couple of years ago,” says Joshua Pettiette of Phoenix-based Smokey II’s Doorman Inc. “I downloaded his entire manual and had it available to the public at my showroom. I think his directions, without the commentary, were pretty good — except when he stacked wood to stand on.”
“I must admit, I’ve run across the Web site you referred to,” says Ted Newman of Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Ole and Lena’s Garage Door Service. While Newman found it thorough, he “...finds it difficult to believe that the average Joe homeowner would sit down and spend the time reading this. Fortunately, most of society does not have the desire, experience or time to find the springs and install them themselves. We are safe.”
But does commonsense prevail?
Silverstein recalls an incident where a homeowner refused the offer to have his springs professionally installed. When one of the screwdrivers he was using to wind the springs slipped, he grabbed the spring with both hands. Silverstein then received that aforementioned call from a panicked wife — who could not transport her badly injured husband to the hospital because the door was not repaired. His company, of course, rushed out to repair the springs and free the wounded DIYer.
Closing remarks
“In the time it takes an individual with a lack of knowledge to gather proper procedure and instruction information and the tools required for this project (that only comes up once in a while), they’d be dollars ahead going with a professional,” Ellefsen adds.
“Manufacturers are protecting the consumer by selling only to professional service companies,” Silverstein says. “Restraint of trade? Not a chance. It is simply a prudent and truly responsible act on the part of all involved.”
“In conclusion, Mr. Kinch, when you are a few feet off the ground, on a ladder, twisted in an unnatural stance and the screwdriver you are using to unwind or wind the spring decides it can’t handle the job, flies out of your hand at an alarming rate of speed and causes you bodily injury, do not call me,” Mancuso warns.