When it comes to your garage door, there are many different components that play an important roll in your garage door operating properly. The garage door springs are a critical part in helping the door open and close with out extraneous efforts. The purpose of the garage door spring is to offset the weight of the door, giving you or your opener a lighter weight to lift.
We recommend having your garage door inspected every 6-9 months. This routine inspection comes with a 25 point inspection and lubrication of major parts like your springs.
Types of garage door springs:
There are two types of garage door springs, torsion springs and extension springs. The torsion springs are your more common type of spring and can be found above the garage door (while closed) on a torsion tube. The extension springs are located near the upper tracks and go along both sides of the garage door.
How Do You Know Theres An Issue w/ The Springs
There are many things that can cause an issue with the garage door springs, so it is
important to know what the issue is. All parts of the garage door work hand in hand to assist in lifting your garage door. The opener acts as guide to travel the door up & down, the rollers provide a smooth drag free ride and the springs bear the weight and balance the door.
When a spring breaks, it will first let you know with a loud pop noise, which is the tension being released. There will be a noticeable break in one of the two springs (sometimes both). The extra weight of the door will now be placed on the other spring and the garage door opener (which it isn’t designed for). The possibility of the cables wrapping
around the drum is now much higher, if this happens your chances of a “hanging door” is very probable.
If you notice your garage door spring is broken, call your local professional. The chances of doing more damage to your garage door system is very high and we recommend not using the door at all until it has been inspected. It is much more cost effective to replace your garage door springs, than to fix a hanging door.
Garage Door Spring Repairs
When it comes to repairing or replacing either type of garage door spring, we recommend strongly having a contracted professional do the work. There are a few reasons for this but the biggest concern is the tension the springs are under. There is potentially hundreds of pounds of tension wound up in the springs on your door and without proper care, major injuries can happen. Being in the industry as long as we have, many professionals we know have broken or torn their fingers. No fun.
Besides the health risk of replacing your own garage door spring, another thing to consider is, ‘do I know what type of spring I need and do I have the right materials’. There are many many many types of springs, all springs are gauged on the weight and dementions of your door. A trained professional always will measure your existing springs to confirm the right fit. Once you have the correct springs for your door, there is still the calculation of how many turns it needs to balance the door correctly.
When it comes to your home you want the best for it. The garage door is the largest opening into your home, make sure it’s secured properly. The garage door springs make the whole process of opening and closing your garage door possible. Without proper maintenance the springs can cause damage to other components of the door such as garage door openers, garage door rollers and the cables leading to them.