If you are like most people, you most likely have paid very little attention to your garage door springs. There's absolutely no single part in your overhead door and garage door opener that is as important to the raising and closing of the door. Here's one more: Overhead door springs are dangerous!
It can be due to some problem with the garage door springs if you are having trouble with your overhead door. (To find out more on pinpointing garage door problems, check out Garage Door Troubleshooting.) Garage door springs do break, and they could be switched. There are companies on the market who offer replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have safely and successfully changed their own springs. I will not try to influence you not to take this approach if you require new springs, but I will strongly recommend that you properly weigh the risks versus the benefits in this particular project before making a decision to do so. And I also advise that you make sure your health insurance premium is paid up.
This post is not a how-to on garage door spring replacement. It is aimed to familiarise you with overhead door springs and some of the routine maintenance tasks you may perform yourself.
Two Kinds Of Overhead door Springs
There are two various types of springs used on overhead door. Torsion springs are secured right above the closed garage door, while extension springs are located over the top tracks on both of these sides.
Garage Door Springs and Your Safety
(For tips on finding a qualified garage door professional, view How To Find the Best Overhead door Installers and Repairmen). In the event that your garage door is old, or if it is showing indications of age, let an experienced specialist evaluate your overhead door springs.
In case the springs are only squealing and otherwise causing a lot of noise, there are some things you might want to do prior to calling in the technicians. A small squeak does not necessarily mean a big problem, any more than an aching head means a brain tumor. Use some garage door lubricant to the springs and look if it brings in any change. In case it doesn't, you might have a significant complication developing. For suggestions on the best lubricants to use on your garage door, check out this site. For some extra recommendations read more on decreasing the noise of your overhead door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Overhead door.
Garage Door Safety Cables
The two types of garage door springs discussed above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will have a safety cable on each side of the door running through the spring and attached here 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 cause serious injury. Safety cables help deal with a broken spring.
Get in touch with a garage door expert and get a pair mounted in case you have extension springs on your garage door but can not locate any safety cables.
Out of Balance Springs
The best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens and closes smoothly and quietly. The issue can be significant when it stops functioning as it should. Try operating the garage door manually (pull the cord attached to the arm connecting the rail trolley device to the door). If the door remains to be tough to control, the issue might be that the springs are out of balance. In this case, you may be sure that the complication will not be going to repair itself. And failing to take care of it might result in an escalating list of damaged and worn out components. Contact a professional As Soon As Possible.
Overhead door Spring Brackets
Overhead door springs are affixed to brackets on the bottom of the garage door. As with 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 models of overhead door have tamper-resistant brackets that keep the curious yet unskilled amongst us from getting into trouble.