A broken spring is one of the main reasons why your garage door will stop working effectively. With the best garage door spring, operating a door weighing 400 pounds is effortless. However, heavy garage doors contribute most to the breakage of these springs. Operating a door with a broken spring is hazardous. Opening and closing it leads to more damage, and it can also lead to personal injury. Additionally, broken garage door springs need professional attention. The springs are in high tension; hence they need specialized tools for replacement or repair.
How to Understand When Garage Door Spring Is Broken?
There are different signs which show when your garage door spring is broken. Firstly, your door isn’t operational. A broken spring will not lift your garage door anymore. Secondly, your door shuts with a loud banging sound. The reason is that the spring will not hold any tension. It’s safe when there is a cable running through it. Thirdly, your spring is broken when the door is bent. The spring will no longer be able to support the door’s weight, and the excess weight causes the door to curve outward.
However, when the garage door isn’t opening, it’s not automatic that there is a faulty spring. Other causes include;
- Rusted garage opener remote or battery contacts
- Rundown battery
- Radiofrequency issues
- Unplugged opener
- Manual locking of the door
- Misaligned garage door track
What Causes Garage Door Spring To Break?
A door spring will spoil due to a variety of reasons. These include;
- Overuse
Too much usage of a garage door spring makes it vulnerable to breaking. The torsion spring will averagely last after 10,000 uses before breaking. Thus, you’ll probably need to substitute your springs after 13.5 years of use.
- Rust
This is another reason why a door spring breaks. Rusting makes the structural flexibility and integrity of the spring die. Thus, the fragility of rusty metal makes the door springs break. Your spring will corrode if your home is a humid place.
- Wrong Equipment
Several manufacturers make garage door springs. Thus, you will have most residential garage doors springs with different tension. If you utilize an incorrect spring type and size that doesn’t suit the setup of your garage door, it will break quickly.
- Poor Maintenance
Maintenance practices to your residential garage doors spring affect its lifespan positively or negatively. The typical maintenance practice is lubricating the springs. Also, check the garage door balance. During the winter, spring fails due to tension and cold, the atmosphere has more moisture, and there is water damage. For balance checking, you need to place your garage spring door in manual mode by pulling the emergency cable. After that, lift the garage door halfway and let it go. The door will remain still if the springs are in appropriate condition. However, if the door will sag or fall, that’s an indication that the springs are worn out and need replacement or adjustment.
Fixing Damaged Garage Door Springs
Before you begin working on a broken door spring, always check on your safety since a broken spring is a piece of risky equipment. They have more tension behind them as they break; hence they can quickly spring off in any direction. Use the cable running via the springs for your safety. This will hold the door when the spring snaps. If your garage door spring doesn’t have a cable, add it as you repair the spring. Moreover, always wear the appropriate safety equipment, including eye protection.
- Measure the Spring’s Diameter and Length
For replacing garage door springs, one must get the spring’s measurements. You don’t have to loosen the tension or remove the garage door tension springs to do this. Some springs are a bit flexible. Thus, you don’t need to get an exact measurement.
You can improve to a two-spring system if you use a one-spring system. The two-spring system makes the springs long-lasting because it balances the door weight on two springs instead of one. Also, check if the lift cables need replacements. When buying springs, check for dual-life springs since they are more robust, unlike regular springs; hence they will last longer before they need replacement.
- Order the Requirements
Get the best quality garage door springs from the leading manufacturer. There are several springs available at online stores.
- Hold Your Garage Door Down
Always ensure the garage door will not shoot up while repairing the spring. Therefore, use a C clamp or locking pliers to hold the garage door. It’s also good you unplug the door opener for safety reasons.
- Unwind the Broken Door Spring
Use winding bars to unwind the broken garage door spring. You can also use other tools like screwdrivers to carry out this job, although it’s unsafe. Using a ladder, stand at the spring’s side and ensure you aren’t standing head-on because something may go wrong.
- Disconnect All The Broken Hardware And Replace It With The New
Disconnect the bolts and nuts which hold the spring. After that, you’ll slide them off and set them for replacement. Get the excellent door extension springs, and reassemble the brackets, making them ready to rejoin the garage door. Immediately they’re in an inappropriate position to wind the torsion springs. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines on how tight the spring needs to be. If there are no guidelines, do 30-quarter turns and 36-quarter turns with a 7-foot and 8-foot tall garage door, respectively.
- Lubricate the Spring
Place cardboard in between the door and the extension spring. After that, apply garage door lubricant to the spring. Then check if the garage door opener closes and opens appropriately.
Concluding About Garage Door Springs
Garage door torsion springs replacement is a tough job though you can do it yourself. Moreover, all you require is taking the appropriate precautions. If unsure of what to do, call a professional to do the job. Extension springs are easier to replace but require a lot of precaution because they’re dangerous. The door can easily cut you or someone else. You can find professionals at Garage Door Renovation to replace your garage door springs in no time.