If you are like most home owners, you probably have paid very limited attention to your garage door springs. There's actually no single part in your overhead door and garage door opener that is as essential to the opening and lowering of the garage door. Here's another: Garage door springs are hazardous!
It may be due to some issue with the springs if you are having trouble with your overhead door. (To learn more on pinpointing garage door issues, check out Garage Door Troubleshooting.) Garage door springs often break, and they can be switched out. There are service providers out there who offer replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have safely and successfully changed their own springs. I will not try to convince you not to use that approach if you need brand new springs, but I will strongly recommend that you properly weigh the risks versus the benefits in this particular project prior to deciding to do so. And I also suggest that you make certain your health insurance premium is paid up.
This particular information is not a how-to on garage door spring replacement. It is meant to familiarise you with garage door springs and a number of the repair and maintenance duties you can complete yourself.
Two Types of Overhead door Springs
There are two various kinds of springs used in overhead door. Torsion springs are attached just above the closed down garage door, while extension springs are located above the top tracks on both of these sides.
Garage Door Springs and Your Basic safety
(For recommendations on finding a trained overhead door expert, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). In case your overhead door is worn out, or if it is showing indications of age, let an experienced service provider inspect your garage door springs.
In case the springs are only squealing and otherwise making a lot of noise, there are a few things you may wish to do prior to calling in the troops. A little squeak does not always mean a huge issue, no check here more than an aching head means a brain tumor. If it makes any difference, apply some garage door lubricant to the springs and see. If it doesn't, you may have a significant complication developing. For ideas on the most ideal lubricating substances to use on your garage door, check this site. For some additional recommendations on minimizing the noise of your overhead door, see How more info To Quiet a Noisy Garage Door.
Overhead door Safety Cables
The two types of more info garage door springs reviewed above work differently. A garage door using extension springs will have a protection cord on every side of the door going 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 inflict major damage. Safety cables aid deal with a broken spring.
Call a garage door pro and get a pair installed if you have extension springs on your garage door but can't locate any safety cables.
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 issue can be significant when it quits operating as it should. Try operating the garage door manually (pull the cord attached to the arm connecting the rail trolley system to the door). If the door continues to be difficult to operate, the problem could be that the springs are out of balance. In this situation, you can be positive that the issue isn't going to repair itself. And failing to repair it might result in an escalating list of broken and worn parts. Call a pro ASAP.
Garage Door Spring Brackets
Garage door springs are connected to brackets on the bottom of the garage door. As with the springs, these brackets are also under a lot of tension and can only be readjusted or otherwise serviced by a master. Newer types of overhead door have tamper-resistant brackets that keep the unskilled but curious among us from getting into trouble.