The garage door on your home will have one of two different springs on it to help open and close the door. These springs are critical to the proper operation of the door, and if the garage door springs fail, you may not be able to open or close the door until they are replaced.
Inspecting Your Garage Door Springs
it is a good idea to check the garage door springs on your door from time to time, and there are some things you should look for to determine the condition of the springs. Breaks in the springs are never good and indicate a need for a replacement door spring.
A door that is hard to open or feels heavy may indicate worn springs, and springs that look stretched or oblong need to be checked by a garage door company. If you are not sure what to look for, you can have a company that installs garage doors come and inspect the entire assembly for you, and they will be able to determine if the garage door springs need attention.
Life Of Door Springs
Garage door springs typically last about ten-thousand cycles, so on a door that is only opened twice a day, the springs should be good for twelve to fourteen years. Most garage doors are opened and closed multiple times a day, so that number can quickly fall to five or so years, depending on the door weight, the spring type, and if the installation was done correctly.
The type of garage door springs can affect the life of the springs, but torsion springs are becoming the most common springs used in most situations. These garage door springs are mounted above the door and look like a long coil. The springs help pull the door open efficiently, but they can break over time.
Replacing The Springs
Breaks in torsion-style garage door springs appear as a gap in the spring where it does not belong. Replacing these springs should be left to a professional because they are under extreme tension, and if you do not know how to remove them, they can rapidly uncoil and cause injuries.
The extension-style garage door springs that run along the side of the door are easier to work with, but getting the correct springs for your door is sometimes tricky. The garage door repair tech will be able to identify the springs on the door and replace them with new springs if yours are worn and no longer lifting the door correctly.
While you can get both style springs at most home centers or a hardware store, if you are not familiar with how the doors work, you may want to hire a professional and let them source the springs and install them for you.