Overhead Door offers a variety of services including consulting, installation, and the repair of garage doors. Here is what you need to know about garage springs and the process of garage door spring repair.
How do you know?
Most people don’t realize that a spring is broken unless they regularly observe the opening or closing of their garage door. When springs break, it will typically make a loud sound and that can be the first sign that something is broken. If the automatic door opener makes more noise than usual or does not move smoothly, it’s likely that a spring is broken. Garage doors can weigh up to several hundred pounds, so when a spring breaks, it makes the door feel even heavier than usual. This can also hinder how the garage door opens and shuts. It can be jerky and uneven, it may close quicker than usual, or it may render it completely out of service and only open a few inches.
Safety
If one or both of your springs are broken, you must take the proper safety precautions. The first thing that you will want to do is get the cars out of the garage and out of the way. Then you will want to make sure that everything else is out of the way of the path of the door. When closing, do not disconnect the opener from the door while the door is open. This can lead to the door crashing down with nothing to stop it. You can try to close the door by either using the opener or enlist the help of a few people who will be able to withstand the weight of the garage door to guide it closed. Once the door is closed, don’t try to operate without the assistance of a professional.
Types of Springs
When considering residential garage doors, they can use either torsion or extension springs.
Torsion springs are tensioned with a twisting action. When the door closes, the cables attached to the bottom corners of the door pull on pulleys attached to the ends of the metal rod that the springs are mounted on. The pulleys turn the rod, creating tension, and the springs unwind to open the door.
Extension springs are long, lighter-weight, and run perpendicular to the door. They are mounted above the horizontal parts of the door tracks. Extension springs are tensioned by stretching out the cables and pulleys. They are suspended between two brackets and must have a safety cable running through each spring.
DIY or Professional?
The process of repairing a garage door spring is simple, but it involves many steps. Due to the weight of the garage door and attention to detail required, it’s not recommended to fix a spring yourself. Always hire a professional from Overhead Door for all your garage door spring repair needs.
Contact the friendly staff at Overhead Door for quality residential garage door spring repair available 24 hours a day, every day.