If you are just like most people, you very likely have paid very limited attention to your overhead door springs. While understandable, this mistake is also a little unfair. There's absolutely no single component in your garage door and overhead door opener that is more important to the raising and closing of the door. That's one good reason for giving some respect to the springs. Here's one more: Garage door springs are hazardous! Very life-threatening, in fact. Do yourself a favor and read through Garage Door Safety Tips prior to thinking about replacements or repairs.
It may be due to some issue with the springs if you are having trouble with your garage door. (For additional information on identifying overhead door issues, see Garage Door Troubleshooting.) Garage door springs often break, and they can be changed. There are specialists on the market who sell replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have securely and successfully switched out their own springs. I won't try to convince you not to use such approach if you need brand-new springs, but I will definitely suggest that you thoroughly weigh the hazards versus the benefits in this project prior to making a decision to do so. And I also suggest that you ensure your medical insurance premium is paid up.
This particular information is not a how-to on garage door spring replacement. It is aimed to familiarise you with garage door springs and a number of the service duties you can execute by yourself.
Two Types of Garage Door Springs
There are two different sorts of springs used in garage doors. Torsion springs are attached just above the closed down overhead door, while extension springs are located over the upper tracks on both edges.
Overhead door Springs and Your Basic safety
(For suggestions on getting an experienced overhead door expert, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). In case your garage door is worn out, or if ever it is revealing symptoms of age, let an experienced contractor inspect your garage door springs.
If the springs are only squeaking and otherwise producing a lot of noise, there are a couple of things you might wish to do prior to calling in the troops. A small squeak does not inevitably mean a huge issue, any more than an aching head indicates a brain tumor. In case it makes any difference, apply some garage door lubricant to the springs and see. In case it doesn't, you might have a significant problem brewing. For recommendations on the most effective lubricants to use on your overhead door, check out this site. For some extra recommendations on minimizing the noise of your overhead door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Overhead door.
Garage Door Safety Cables
The two types of garage door springs discussed above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will have a safety cable on each side of the door running through the spring and attached 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.
Contact a garage door pro and get a pair installed if you have extension springs on your garage door but can't find any safety cords.
Out of Balance Springs
The very best sign of a well-functioning overhead door is that it opens up and closes down easily and silently. The problem can be serious when it quits operating as it should. Try controling the garage door by hand (pull the cord connected to the arm linking the rail trolley system to the door). If the door continues to be difficult to run, the problem could be that the springs are out of balance. In this particular instance, you can be garage door repair calgary sw positive that the issue isn't going to fix itself. And failing to deal with it could possibly lead to an escalating list of broken and worn parts. Call an expert RIGHT AWAY.
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 get more info also under a lot of tension and need to only be readjusted or otherwise serviced by a master. Newer types of overhead door have tamper-resistant brackets that keep the inexperienced but curious among us from getting into trouble.