Garage Door Broken Springs
Ever wonder what’s behind your garage door screen? While some parts of your garage door are visible, there are other parts that have a very important job. These parts are bust working behind the scene aiding in the opening and closing of your garage door, they are your garage door springs. And while they may not be easily seen they have the important task of hoisting and closing your garage door. It’s not the motor doing the work here, it’s your garage door springs. The motor simply uses the energy of the springs to move along the track. During that process the door is opened and closed. In fact, your garage door opener uses a small ½ HP motor. The rest of the hard work is performed by your garage door springs.
How many types of garage door springs are there? There are two types of garage door springs: Torsion springs and Extension springs.
Torsion springs are wound up on a rod over the garage door opening. These springs are wound tighter than a drum and because of this they are the ones that will have problems. With heavy use they tend to get cracked and unwound. When this happens replacing them can be tricky. Unless you happen to be an expert, this may not be a job you want to tackle. If you want to tackle the problem head on then you can purchase a do-it-yourself garage door opener kit. Word of warning- Torsion springs are not toys! Unless you are 100% confident you can do the job, and then don’t attempt to adjust or replace them! Home owners have been injured trying to adjust their garage door springs. It makes better sense to call a professional to repair or adjust your broken garage door springs.
Extension springs are the second type of garage door spring. This kind of garage door spring is usually located on the door tracks. Just like the name-these are the springs which extend to close your garage door or spring back to their original position to open it. You will have either extension springs that are mounted on top or left/right mounted depending on the position of your tracks. If your extension springs break they won’t be as difficult to fix or repair as your tension springs. However, you may want to proceed with caution if you aren’t trained or you don’t have the proper tools. It may easier not to take that risk and call an expert to get the job done.
Important tips on adjusting garage door springs:
If one spring is broken, you’ll want to replace the other one! If one is broken, the next spring is probably right around the corner from breaking as well. So save yourself time and money in the long run and replace both garage door springs at the same time.
Before you adjust or unmount your garage door springs it is important that the tension in the springs be released all the way. Even the slightest bit of tension will wreak havoc to you and your garage. To release the tension in your extension springs completely, open your garage door completely until you hear a click. This means that your door is completely open.
More than likely it will be your torsion spring that needs adjusting. And this type of spring can only be adjusted when stretched fully (when the garage door is in the down position). It is not recommended that you try and fix this yourself. Give us a call and we’ll be glad to repair your torsion spring.
Today’s automatic garage doors are built stronger and made to last. It is rare to have any major problems with garage door spring adjustment. Common problems such as clinking, or creaking sounds can be adjusted by a garage door specialist in just a few minutes. Your garage door springs go through more wear and tear than any other parts of your garage door. So once again, it is vital that you check your garage door springs at least once a month. Prevention is the key!
