Note: for those waiting for the Cavendish videos, stick around! I had a couple other projects to take care of (including fixing my garage door), and the weather in my area has been really volatile lately. I am hoping for some time without big shifts in temperature and humidity so I don't have to worry about that as a source of uncertainty.

Garage doors are really heavy. It would be easy to mistakenly think that the motor does all the work lifting the door. If you detach the motor and move the door yourself, you might also get the impression that it's pretty light. This mistaken impression is because of the giant springs that help support the weight of the door. One of mine broke, so in this video I'll show you how the opener works, and how I replaced the broken spring.

Twisting a spring works just like stretching or compressing a spring: it takes force (or torque) to make it happen, the spring tries to get back to its "relaxed" position, and the spring stores energy. The giant springs on your garage door opener get twisted up more tightly as the door closes. Since the door is getting lower, it is losing gravitational potential energy. The energy is primarily being changed into spring potential energy, meaning it can be changed back with a little assistance from the motor.

In this video, I'll show you how all the pieces fit together, explain the role of the springs and why they make the door feel so consistently light, and how to go about replacing a broken spring. I'm no expert on garage door repair, but am fairly mechanically inclined and have a thorough understanding of the physics of the situation. Don't put yourself at risk if you don't have the skillset to complete something like this safely; I am dealing with huge amounts of energy in the springs, which are poised to release that energy right at my face. Be smart and safe, and hire a professional if you have any doubts.

Background music is "dance" from www.bensound.com, a great source for duty-free music.