If you are like most home owners, you most likely have paid very little attention to your garage door springs. There's actually no other part on your garage door and overhead door opener that is as important to the raising and closing of the garage door. Here's another: Garage door springs are hazardous!
It can be because of some problem with the springs if you are having trouble with your overhead door. (For additional information on identifying garage door issues, check out Garage Door Troubleshooting.) Garage door springs do break, and they could be switched out. There are service providers out there who sell replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have securely and successfully switched out their own springs. I will not try to convince you not to take this approach if you require brand new springs, but I will strongly suggest that you very carefully weigh the hazards versus the benefits in this project before making a decision to do so. And I also advise that you make certain your health insurance premium is paid up.
This particular post is not a how-to on overhead door spring replacement. It is designed to acquaint you with garage door springs and some of the servicing tasks you may complete yourself.
Two Types of Garage Door Springs
There are two different kinds of springs used in overhead door. Torsion springs are secured right above the closed garage door, while extension springs are located above the upper tracks on both sides.
Overhead door Springs and Your Basic safety
(For tips on finding a qualified garage door pro, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). In case your garage door is old, or if it is showing indications of age, let an experienced professional check your overhead door springs.
In case the springs are simply squealing and otherwise generating a lot of noise, there are a number of things you may wish to do prior to calling in the technicians. A small squeak does read more not always mean a huge issue, no more than an aching head indicates a brain tumor. Use some garage door lubricant to the springs and see if it makes any difference. If it doesn't, you may have a serious problem brewing. For tips on the most ideal lubricating substances to apply on your overhead door, look at this site. For some extra recommendations on decreasing the noise of your garage door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Garage Door.
Overhead door Safety Cables
The two kinds of garage door springs reviewed above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will have a safety cord on every side of the door going through the spring and linked to the wall or ceiling. These cords are an important safety element. Extension springs are under a lot of tension, and if one was to break, it could cause serious injury. Safety cables aid deal with a broken spring.
Get in touch with a garage door professional and get a pair installed if you have extension springs on your garage door but can't see any safety cords.
Out of Balance Springs
The very best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens and closes easily and silently. The issue can be serious when it stops working as it should. 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 tough to control, the issue could be that the springs are out of balance. In this situation, you can be sure that the trouble will not be going to fix itself. And failing to fix it could possibly lead to an escalating list of broken and worn out components. Contact a pro ASAP.
Garage Door Spring Brackets
Garage door springs are linked to joints on the bottom of the garage door. Just like the springs, these brackets are also under a great deal of pressure and need to only be readjusted or otherwise maintained by a pro. Newer types of garage doors have tamper-resistant brackets that prevent the curious yet not experienced amongst us from getting into trouble.