Thinking about repairing your garage doors springs? Learn about the garage door springs and why you should not avoid fixing it.
Did you hear any cracking or squeaky sound from the garage? Then it’s time to repair your garage spring. You may think it is a simple DIY job. But it’s too dangerous for you to install it. Spring changing is critical, and you need to get it done smoothly. If you are not experienced in such work, we recommend you to hire an expert technician.
The garage door spring always goes up and down so it can have failure or breakdown. A sudden spring break apart can cause severe damage. The broken garage door needs to fix it as soon as possible. You should rely on experts especially if you are a newbie at this type of task. A garage door repairs service can be found anywhere at any home improvement store.
Why Garage Door Springs Crash Down?
Wear and Tear
The simple wear and tear are known as one of the biggest reasons for garage door spring failure. Most of the garage springs are rated for 10k cycles. It seems a lot of a life span. But if you use the spring two times a day, it won’t take that long for the spring to get weared out. Getting increased lifespan torsion springs with 20k cycles can solve the issue.
Rust
If rust happens to develop in the spring, it will lose its lifespan sooner. Rust causes more friction between coils while the spring moves. Even the corrosion will downgrade the coils just for the rust. Just spray silicone-based lubricant 3-4 times each year to ensure you won’t be facing rust anytime sooner.
Improper Maintenance
Every garage door is not vulnerable. The springs will get useless at some point. But if you can increase the lifespan of it just by doing some maintenance. You can easily avoid the explosion of the spring. Add white lithium grease with the lubrication of the spring. This lubrication process is mandatory a few times a year. Make sure you are aware of the garage door balance once a season. To check the balance of the spring,
- Switch the door to manual mode with the emergency release cord.
- Open the garage door and check if the springs are working correctly, and they are entirely straight. But if the door goes down a little bit, then you should not wait. It needs to have a proper replacement of springs to make it work smoothly.
Importance of Two Types of Garage Spring
There are two kinds of garage door springs. Down below, I will discuss their importance.
- Extension spring systems installed on either part of the garage doors track. When the door is moving, the cables and pulleys are connected with the extension spring. It allows them to expand and move swiftly.
- A torsion spring system is a tight spring that can use one or two(depends on the door size). These springs are situated parallelly on a steel handle and have cable drums at both sides. It is installed on the header wall on top of the garage door. Frequently it has a three-pronged support system in the center and two end bearing plates at both sides.
Most importantly, garage door springs help the door to expand and shrink. When you raise the door, the shrink gets free to assist with the lifting. When your garage door is closed, the spring has the most shrink position. Most garage door spring breaks while it is closed. Sometimes when the spring breaks when you are opening the door, it may fail to open and come down. That is why never walk under an operating garage door to maintain safety.
Extension Springs Dangers
Garage door springs help the door to move positions. So, a DIY attempt to replace the garage spring can be dangerous, like putting your life at risk. Spring snapping can happen anytime, and it can put you in danger. And any type of significant destruction can cost you a lot of money. To repair the door, you need to keep it open as a result, and it can break down. For this, it brings significant concern to repair the door on your own.
Anyone who was repairing the underneath of the open garage door to repair or install extension spring can put themselves at risk. There is no guarantee of life in such work. So, you need to get help from a professional hand to do the extension spring replacement.
Torsion Springs Dangers
Torsion garage door springs are the most dangerous. It also has the risk of putting someone with several injuries, even death. Because broken garage doors spring goes worn out by expanding and shrinking the doors for over the years. This torsion spring’s lifespan is around five to seven years or 10,000 cycles, which depends on your usage level. It is quite challenging for you to replace these springs. You should resist the idea of taking that risk and get professional help.
You need to be professional and have all types of tools to install torsion spring. It is dangerous to install torsion springs. The real risk comes when you are going to replace the springs. It can break your hand and severe injuries might happen.
Garage Door Safety Tips
Whenever it is about garage door springs, you need to be conscious of you and your family safety measures.
- Always call for professional help to ensure your garage maintenance is done correctly without any risk.
- Make sure the cables are clean and in perfect shape. Check if there are any fraying, rust, unnecessary wearing, or any other issues.
- If you keep your cables in perfect shape, then these springs will not damage anything even if they snap. If you do not have any safety cables, then consult with an expert.
- Lubricant the springs over time if you hear any squeak sounds. That will notify you that springs are in rusty shape.
- If you replace springs, then replace them at the same time. Because if one breaks down, others will break down soon. So, it’s better to replace them both.
Conclusion
Only an expert should repair and replace garage door springs. It’s too dangerous for newbies. A simple error in this can lead you to break bones in your hand instantly. For professionals, they can handle this job without any concern. But whatever the price it can be, it is not worth putting your life in danger.
Leave a Reply