GARAGE DOOR SPRING REPLACEMENT
Did you hear a loud bang? Will your garage door only open a few inches? You might be dealing with a broken spring! A broken garage door spring can be very inconvenient and frustrating. Unfortunately, at some point, your garage door spring will reach its life expectancy and will wear-out and snap.
WHAT NOT TO DO…
If you experience a broken spring, do not attempt to lift the door manually or with the assistance of the electric opener. Without the aid of a proper spring, the door will become extremely heavy and difficult to lift manually. Attempting to lift the door by hand with a broken spring could cause you personal harm. Furthermore, attempting to open the broken door with the electric opener will likely cause further damage. Garage door openers are manufactured to lift doors only with the assistance of the garage door spring. If the spring is broken, continuing to use the opener will likely burn out the motor.
TYPES OF GARAGE DOOR SPRINGS
Extension springs:
Are mounted on both sides of the garage door alongside the track. Typically there is a safety cable that runs through the center of the spring to help prevent the extension spring from sailing around the garage when breaking. The extension springs attach to the track and through a series of pulleys and cables to the bottom bracket on the garage door located on the bottom section. The extension springs provide the energy needed to open the garage door while the cable and pulley system does the actual lifting. If any one of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.
Torsion springs:
Are mounted horizontally on a bar just above the garage door opening. These spring(s) are mounted on a shaft which spans the entire width of the door.
On either end of the shaft, there are drums. These drums are used to help wrap cables which are attached from the drum to the bottom section of the garage door.
As the door moves to the open position, the cable wraps around the drum. As the door moves to the closed position, the cable unwraps to safely lower the door.
Typically, when a torsion spring breaks, these cables will lose tension and pop off of the drums. Again, the spring provides the energy needed to open the door, while the cables, which are attached to the drums, do the actual lifting of the door. If any of these components are damaged or not installed properly, the system will not function safely or properly.
EXPECTED LIFESPAN OF YOUR GARAGE DOOR SPRING
Garage door springs have a limited lifespan. This lifespan is measured in cycles, with the door going up and coming back down counting as one cycle. While there are various lifespan options, most common garage door springs come with a 10,000 cycle life expectancy. Your spring replacement frequency will be determined by your garage door usage. Below you can see the life expectancy of a 10,000 cycle spring determined by daily use:
- 2 times daily = about 14 years
- 4 times daily = about 7 years
- 6 times daily = about 5 years
- 8 times daily = about 3 years
TRUST THIS REPAIR TO THE EXPERTS
A spring replacement is one of the most common repairs required on a garage door.
With so many different spring setups, wire sizes, lengths and more, it’s important a broken spring is repaired with the correct replacement.
A trained professional will ensure your replacement spring balances the garage door weight properly, allowing the door to easily open and close manually or with the assistance of an electric opener.
