What to Do When Your Garage Door Springs Go Bad
When your garage door is not working as expected, you should always check the garage door springs. Why? Because they’re a huge part of why the door goes up and down at all. The two main type of door springs, the torsion and extension, work to counteract the force of gravity by making your door light enough to lift on their own or to be pulled up by the garage door opener easily.
A torsion spring, when installed correctly, should bring balance to your garage door. This means that the door should take the same amount of pressure when both opening and closing. They’re usually placed/mounted directly above the door or the rear in older homes. Extension springs, on the other hand, use the pulling force of the spring to pull against gravity, bringing the door upward.
The average lifespan of a garage door spring is about 7-9 years under typical usage. For example, your average garage goes through approximately 4 cycles per day with 10,000 cycles. If your home uses the garage more like a front door, you may have springs that last approximately half that time.
In the rare occasion when springs are not properly installed, they can break after only a year or so. Because of this, it is vital to purchase springs from a company with a good reputation as well as warranty options so you know you’re protected. Here are two things to test if you think you might need a replacement:
#1: Pull your garage door into the mid level position and see if its weight is entirely supported by the springs.
#2: Check to see if your garage door stays open when its released from the opener. If you see that the bottom rollers move past the line and stays there, it may be time to get your torsion springs re-tensioned.
When springs go bad, sometimes it may be hard to diagnose because every garage door is helped along with the rest of its components. These include cables, rollers, the track, and the drums. We never recommend DIY repair because there are numerous safety hazards that you may encounter. Torsion springs are incredibly dangerous and it’s important to remember that they work to lift doors that are approximately 400 pounds. Trust us when we say that our professional help will be much less stressful and less expensive than a hospital bill.
If your garage door is experiencing any of these issues and you suspect your garage door springs may need some attention, All Right Garage Door is happy to help. Give us a call today at (714) 726-2225.
