Garage doors are an integral part of the whole garage setting. A garage door comes in various systems. Each system has different components in them, which are essential to the operation of the garage door.
One such type of garage door is the overhead garage door. These are the most common mechanical doors on the market. They offer space utilization and easy operation in a garage.
Overhead-garage doors get their name from their mechanisms of opening the garage doors. When fully opened, they are stored overhead, near the garage ceiling.
Various mechanical systems accomplish this operation. The most important might be the spring on the sides. Mainly the tension from the spring is used to pull the door upwards and then downwards. A flexible system like spring helps the operation to occur smoothly.
Being a component that faces constant tension and works on the torsion mechanism, springs are often damaged. As a matter of fact, among the garage door components, springs are the most susceptible.
This article will offer a basic idea of what the garage door spring is. Then it will try to explain how you can analyze if a spring is broken or damaged.
Garage door springs
Garage door springs are the curled mechanical component that helps pull the garage door up and down. Firstly, there are two types of garage door springs that are used in each system.
The first type is the torsion spring. This spring is set up above the closed garage door. When it’s shrunk, it pulls additional mechanisms on the door sides to pull the door up.
The second type is the extension springs. These are the springs that are set on the side of the garage door. Extension springs pull the lever that lifts the door.
Both of these springs together perform a total effect that pulls up or pushes down the garage door. As a result, these springs must remain fully functional for the door to do its work.
Because they are very tightly wound, the springs face a lot of tension. As a result, they are accident-prone and tend to wear off quickly, and they need to be changed. But sometimes other factors could weigh in, such as- the ineffectiveness of a garage door opener. For garage door opener installation, you should contact the relevant pros.
Another external factor that could affect your garage door’s effectiveness is the garage space. Utilize the space in your garage correctly for your garage door to function correctly.
Sometimes people try to use D.I.Y. methods to fix the issues. While we highly recommend that you leave spring-related work to the pros, you can try out some tricks if you want to replace the spring.
But, for now, we will stick to detecting the problems in springs.
Signs that there is a problem with your garage door spring
Firstly, the unmistakable sign is are the physical ones. Check your spring for wear or tear if you face problems opening your garage door. A visual inspection may reveal a lot.
Secondly, take a close listen to the garage doors. If your garage door gets stuck in the middle of opening or closing and you hear a loud mechanical noise when it gets stuck, there’s a possibility that your spring may have torn off. That happens mostly when the tension in the spring reaches the highest level during door operations. Users usually ignore the sound and regard it as tools clattering inside the shade. But it shouldn’t be ignored as it might inform you about your spring problems. Always check your spring after such an incident, to be sure.
When we try to open or close the garage door, it may get stuck midway. In this case, the first thing we do is look for the emergency cord. If the emergency cord has zero effect on the situation, we can conclude that the problem lies with the garage door spring.
Another visual sign could be the situation of the garage door. If you see the top of the door bending as you close or open the door, immediately cease operation and check the springs. The doors could get bent if the spring does not operate properly. In this case, instead of expanding or shrinking, the spring stays in a suspended position, and the mechanical pull bends the door. The door could get bent for other reasons too. But if this situation occurs, do not mess with the door. Instead, change the spring as soon as possible.
Another clear sign of a problem with the spring of the garage door is the door feels shaky. Whenever you open or close the garage door, you will notice the door isn’t running smoothly, as it is supposed to. You will see it’s jerking and making abnormal sounds that are not coming from the motor. When you notice something like this, check your garage door spring. It could be that the spring has lost its tension and is not expanding or shrinking as it is supposed to. Anyway, if you see such an issue and fail to recognize the problem from visual inspection, take help from a professional.
The panels on the wall, around your garage door that holds the spring inside, also has a bulk of wiring that helps run the operations. If your spring is broken, then it will displace the wirings. You will see these wires coming out of the panels, and some might even hang loosely. If you see this type of situation, do not open or close the door. Check the springs first for signs of damage. If you see any damage, call a technician.
Garage spring doors are a vulnerable part of the system. If you see any sign of damage, do not try to force the door to operate. It might intensify the situation further. Instead, call in help or if you are qualified- replace or fix your spring.