If you own a home with a garage, then you should learn all about your garage door springs and how to keep them in good shape. These springs perform the important task of supporting the weight of your door as you open and close it. Both a typical single-car residential and a double-car garage door weigh a lot. Without these springs, your garage door would be much more difficult for you and your garage door opener to open.
Learn more about garage door springs, the ways to keep them in good shape, and the signs that you need spring repair or replacement.
Know the Types of Springs
You have two main types of garage door springs: torsion springs and extension springs. Both support the weight of your door yet differ in placement and design. Learning about garage door spring types can help you make more educated garage door spring decisions in the future.
Extension Springs
If you see two springs that lie on either side of your garage door along the door track, then these are extension springs that work together to support the weight of your door.
Three main types of extension springs are common: open-looped, double-looped, and clipped-end springs.
Open-looped springs support garage doors light in weight. Double-looped springs are similar to open-looped springs, although they have two coils at the end of each spring that increase their strength. Clipped-end springs are the strongest extension springs and often support doors that weigh considerably more.
Torsion Springs
If you see one or two springs running lengthwise along the top inside of your garage door, then your door has torsion springs. While small, lightweight garage doors only need one torsion spring, doors that are very heavy or large often need several springs to support their weight.
Three types of torsion springs commonly support residential doors, including standard set springs, early set springs, and Torquemaster springs. All are similar yet slight variations on the standard torsion spring design.
Keep Your Springs in Great Shape
While no garage door springs last forever, you can take several steps to help keep your springs in good shape to keep them functioning well for as long as possible.
First, lubricate your garage door springs to prevent rust and other forms of corrosion. Lubricating the springs and other moving parts of your door will also help your door open and close smoothly and extend the life of all of these moving elements. Be sure to use a lubricant made for garage doors, because all-purpose lubricants are not always suitable for use on garage doors.
In addition, take steps to keep the humidity level in your garage low. Metal springs rust and corrode faster in a humid environment. One way to help keep the humidity level in your garage low is to install good-quality weather stripping under your garage door. Weather stripping helps your door form an airtight seal when it closes that keeps humidity and rainwater outdoors where it belongs instead of inside your garage.
Discover the Signs Your Springs Need Repair or Replacement
The average garage door spring or set of springs should last several thousand cycles of your door raising and lowering before replacement is necessary. If you open and close your garage door a couple times a day, your springs should last several years. Keep in mind that you may open and close your garage door much more often than this, and torsion springs tend to stay in good shape longer than extension springs.
Instead of performing calculations to determine when your springs need repair or replacement, watch for the following signs of spring wear and tear or damage:
- Rust or corrosion.
Corrosion will only worsen over time and eventually eat through your garage door springs altogether, so replace your springs at the first sign of corrosion.
- Garage door that opens very slowly.
This sign indicates your garage door torsion springs have lost tension. You may need new springs or a spring tension adjustment.
- Door that opens unevenly.
If one side of your garage door sags as you open it, then this sign indicates one extension spring is worn or damaged and needs replacement.
- Springs that squeak when door opens or closes.
If lubricating your springs does not quiet down their loud operation, then this sign shows that you may need a new set of springs.
Other signs that your springs may need repair or replacement include visible gaps in your torsion springs or a garage door that closes easily yet is very difficult to open.
Your garage door springs perform the important task of supporting the weight of your garage door to help you open and close it with ease. Take good care of your springs, and have a garage door expert repair or replace them at the first sign of damage.
Never attempt to repair or replace these springs on your own, because they are under an extreme amount of tension. If a spring snaps or is removed improperly, this tension can lead to the spring projecting at you with enough force to inflict serious injury.
Contact
the garage door experts at Edgemont Garage Doors to schedule garage door spring inspection, repair, or replacement.
