If you are like most people, you most likely have paid very little attention to your garage door springs. There's absolutely no single part on your overhead door and garage door opener that is more critical to the raising and lowering of the garage door. Here's another: Overhead door springs are hazardous!
In case you are getting issue with your garage door, it might be caused by some issue with the springs. Garage door springs do break, and they can be changed. There are service providers out there who sell replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have securely and successfully switched out their own springs.
This specific article is not a how-to on garage door spring replacement. It is aimed to familiarise you with garage door springs and some of the servicing tasks you can perform on your own.
Two Kinds Of Overhead door Springs
There are two different kinds of springs used on overhead door. Torsion springs are secured just above the closed garage door, while extension springs are located over the top tracks on both sides.
Garage Door Springs and Your Basic safety
Overhead door springs are tightly wound, implying they are under a lot of tension. Whenever they break, or when some unsuspecting DIYer attempts to tamper them, they are able to cause a whole lot of pain. Smart DIYers realize that this is one home chore that is best left to the professional. (For suggestions on choosing a qualified garage door pro, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). If your overhead door is worn out, or if ever it is showing signs of age, let an experienced specialist evaluate your overhead door springs.
Apply some garage door lubricant to the springs and see if it makes any difference. For suggestions on the best lubricants to use on your garage door, check this site. For some additional guidance on decreasing the noise of your garage door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Garage Door.
Garage Door Safety Cables
The two kinds of garage door springs reviewed above work differently. A garage door using extension springs will have a safety cable on each side of the door running through the spring and connected to the wall or ceiling. These cables are an important safety feature. Extension springs are under a great deal of tension, and if one was to break, it could cause serious injury. Safety cables help control a broken spring.
Get in touch with a garage door professional and here get a pair mounted in case you have extension springs on your garage door but can't locate any safety cables.
Out of Balance Springs
The best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens here and closes smoothly and silently. The problem can be serious when it stops working as it should. Try operating the garage door manually (pull the cord connected to the arm linking the rail trolley device to the door). If the door remains to be challenging to manage, the problem could be that the springs are out of balance. In this particular scenario, you may be certain that the issue isn't going to fix itself. And failing to fix it could lead to an escalating list of worn out and damaged parts. Call a pro ASAP.
Garage Door Spring Brackets
Garage door springs are linked to joints on the bottom of the garage door. Just like the springs, these brackets are also under a lot of tension and can only be readjusted or otherwise serviced by a pro. Newer models of garage doors have tamper-resistant brackets that keep the unskilled but curious among us from getting into trouble.