If you are like the majority of home owners, you probably have paid very limited attention to your overhead door springs. There's truly no other part in your garage door and overhead door opener that is as essential to the opening and closing of the door. Here's yet another: Garage door springs are dangerous!
It may be due to some issue with the springs if you are having trouble with your garage door. (For more details on diagnosing garage door issues, see Garage Door Troubleshooting.) Garage door springs often break, and they may be changed. There are specialists on the market who sell replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have safely 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 advise that you carefully weigh the dangers 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 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 carry out by yourself.
Two Types of Garage Door Springs
There are two various styles of springs used on garage doors. Torsion springs are connected right above the closed down overhead door, while extension springs are located above the upper tracks on both of these edges.
Overhead door Springs and Your Safety
(For ideas on choosing an experienced garage door pro, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). In case your overhead door is worn out, or if ever it is revealing signs of age, let an experienced professional examine your garage door springs.
In case the springs are only squealing and otherwise causing a lot of noise, there are a number of things you may wish to do prior to calling in the technicians. A little squeak does not necessarily mean a big problem, any more than an aching head indicates a brain tumor. Use some garage door lube to the springs and look if it brings in any change. In case it doesn't, you might have a significant complication brewing. For recommendations on the most effective lubricants to use on your garage 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 overhead door springs reviewed above work in different ways. A garage door using extension springs will have a safety cord on every edge of the door running through the spring and secured to the wall or ceiling.
Get in touch with a garage door professional and get a pair mounted in case you have extension springs on your garage door but can not locate any safety cords.
Out of Balance Springs
The very best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens and closes down easily and quietly. When it stops working as it should, the problem can be serious. Try controling the garage door by hand (pull the cord connected to the arm connecting the rail trolley system to the door). If the door continues to be difficult to operate, the problem might be that the springs are out of balance. In this particular situation, you can be positive that the problem website isn't going to take care of 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, get more info these brackets are also under a lot of tension and can only be readjusted or otherwise serviced by a pro. Newer versions of garage doors have tamper-resistant brackets that prevent the curious yet not experienced among us from getting into trouble.