If you are like the majority of people, you most likely have paid really little attention to your garage door springs. While easy to understand, this oversight is likewise a bit unfair. There’s no single part on your garage door and garage door opener that is more vital to the raising and lowering of the door. That’s one reason for paying some regard to the springs. Here’s another: Garage door springs threaten! Really unsafe.

If you are having difficulty with your garage door, it might be due to an issue with the springs. The garage door springs break and can be changed. There are suppliers who sell replacement springs for DIYers, and there are DIYers who have changed the springs or performed a garage door spring repair safely and effectively. Carefully weigh the risks versus the rewards in this task before deciding to tackle this project.

This short article is not a how-to on garage door spring replacement. It is meant to familiarize you with garage door springs and a few of the maintenance tasks you can perform yourself.

Two Types of Garage Door Springs

There are two different kinds of springs used on garage doors. Torsion springs are attached just above the closed garage door, while extension springs lie above the upper tracks on both sides.

Garage Door Springs and Your Safety

Garage door springs are tightly wound, meaning they are under a lot of stress. When they break or when some unwary DIYer attempts to fiddle with them, they can cause a whole lot of discomfort. Wise DIYers understand that this is one home chore that is finest delegated the pros. If your garage door is old, or if it is showing indications of age, let a skilled contractor check your garage door springs.

But if the springs are simply squeaking and otherwise making a great deal of noise, there are some things you might wish to do before contacting the troops. A little squeak does not necessarily indicate a big issue, anymore than an aching head suggests a brain tumor. Apply some garage door lube to the springs and see if it makes any distinction. If it does not, you might have a major issue brewing.

Garage Door Safety Cables

The two kinds of garage door springs talked about above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will have a security cable television on each side of the door running through the spring and connected to the wall or ceiling. These cable televisions are a crucial safety function. Extension springs are under a lot of stress, and if one was to break, it might cause major injury. Security cables assist manage a broken spring.

If you have extension springs on your garage door however can’t find any safety cable televisions, call a garage door pro and get a pair installed.

Out of Balance Springs

The very best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens and closes smoothly and silently. When it stops working as it should, the issue can be severe. Try operating the garage door by hand (pull the cord attached to the arm connecting the rail trolley system to the door). If the door continues to be challenging to run, the issue could be that the springs are out of balance. In this case, you can be confident that the problem isn’t going to repair itself. And stopping working to fix it could lead to an escalating list of used and damaged parts. Call a professional ASAP.

Garage Door Spring Brackets

Garage door springs are attached to brackets on the bottom of the garage door. As with the springs, these brackets are also under a great deal of tension and must only be changed or otherwise maintained by a pro. More recent designs of garage doors have tamper resistant brackets that avoid the curious but inexperienced from getting into difficulty.

Is it quick and simple to replace garage door springs? – San Diego