Who knew that a little thing like a spring would be so important to your garage door, but if you have ever heard one break then you know this to be true! The noise alone is enough to send even the toughest among us running the other way. Once the dust settles, you might be tempted to go out there and replace that little spring on your own. Your thinking is that something so small surely can’t be that dangerous. You might want to think again before you go about adding this to your weekend list of chores.
You might wonder how something so small could possibly be so dangerous. Keep in mind that this little spring is designed to carry the weight of your door, which can get up to a whopping 300 pounds when taking into account any added windows. Something designed to support that much weight, and to keep it from crashing back to down to earth, deserves a bit of respect.
Consider the Type of Garage Door You Have
While there are main types of garage doors in use today, both require a spring action in order to work properly. Let’s begin with a torsion type of door. This will have a spring situated over the door itself. Look up and you will see it. It is the tubing you see up by the ceiling. It looks nice and controlled up there, until it breaks that is. If it does break, the spring will stay suspended there, coming out from the tube. It looks like an easy fix – but, as they say, looks can be deceiving.
A second type of door is the extension, whereby the spring will actually placed right over the tracks that run horizontal to the door itself. If this type of spring were to break, hopefully there is a safety cable attached to it. If so, the cable will keep the spring in place, meaning that it will not fall to the ground. This will need to be replaced quickly in order to maintain safe operation of your garage door.
No matter which type of door that you have, the spring has a vital function. Somehow you need the weight of your door to be reduced to about ten pounds in order to be safely operated in the absence of an automatic garage door opener. The spring does this by acting as a counterweight. If it is not working properly, you run the risk of the door slamming shut on your foot, or even worse.
Spring Durability
Something so vital is meant to be durable. That is true. Springs are designed to last for about 10,000 cycles. This gives the average residential garage door about five to seven years of good use. If you have one of our double-life springs installed, then you can plan on ten to fourteen years of use. That is great news. You do want to keep the spring properly maintained and lubed in order to give you the best possible life. We can help you with that, so be sure to contact us for your routing garage door service needs.
Your Role in the Process
Many people wonder what they should do in the event that the spring to their garage door breaks. This is a perfectly normal question, and the fact is that your spring will eventually snap. When it does, the best thing you can do is unplug your electric garage door opener, if you have one, from the socket. This prevents you and others from inadvertently trying to open or close the door, creating an unsafe situation. After you have done that, contact us as soon as you can get to the phone. We will come out for an emergency repair.
You have your own livelihood, and the safety of everyone in your home, to consider. It is not worth trying to fix a spring on your own. Too much can go wrong. You also want to ensure that it is replaced properly in order to prevent the door from closing on you.
Wait… Won’t My Opener Open It and Keep It Open
Kind of…the openers do lift around 250 pounds (110kg) or more. Some have enough strength (thanks to their (½ or ¾ HP) motors) for more, but they also push down with that same force as the doors are lowered. This can make a single broken spring a dangerous issue.
Prevention Is Key
The garage door is often the most overlooked component of a home. It is viewed as a part of the home’s structure, but it provides an entry and exit point that is depended upon by everyone in the family. At the same time, there is a great deal that goes into this one door that warrants some tender loving care. Metal needs to be lubed. This includes all of the rollers, springs, and hinges that you might never even notice. This should be done before the cold weather hits, and again as spring approaches. These are the times of the year that a garage door is used the most.
You can apply a little oil for metal from time to time on your own. Just wipe down any of the residual effect and you will be good to go. This will help prevent rust from forming as well. In the end, this will go a long way towards helping your springs live a long and productive life.
Our Services
We will gladly come out to your home and replace a broken spring. We do this quickly so that you can get back to enjoying regular use of your door. We also offer a complete maintenance program for residential customers. During our visit, we will inspect every aspect of the door, provide lubrication to critical areas, and make any adjustments as needed. If anything does need to be replaced, we will let you know and go over the cost ahead of time. There will be no surprises. This is the peace of mind you need from your garage door repair company, and we strive to provide that to you with each and every visit.
No matter what type of service you are in need of for your garage door, you can always schedule a service call online, or call us as 815-657-8173. We will get you a free and no obligation quotation as soon as possible.
Add new comment