You most likely have paid very little attention to your overhead door springs if you are like most home owners. While understandable, this mistake is also a little not fair. There's actually no other element on your garage door and overhead door opener that is more important to the raising and closing of the door. That's just one reason for paying some recognition to the springs. Here's another: Garage door springs are hazardous! Very life-threatening, in fact. Do yourself a favor and read through Garage Door Safety Tips prior to thinking of repairs or replacements.
If you are having problem with your overhead door, it can be a result of some problem with the springs. Garage door springs do break, and they can be changed. There are dealers out there who offer replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have correctly and successfully replaced their own springs.
This post is not a how-to on overhead door spring replacement. It is aimed to familiarise you with overhead door springs and some of the upkeep duties you can execute by yourself.
Two Kinds Of Overhead door Springs
There are two different types of springs used on garage doors. Torsion springs are connected right above the closed down overhead door, while extension springs are located over the top tracks on both sides.
Garage Door Springs and Your Safety
Garage door springs are tightly wound, meaning they are under a lot of tension. The moment they break, or when some naive DIYer attempts to tamper them, they are able to induce a whole lot of pain. Wise DIYers understand that this is one household task that is best left to the professional. (For suggestions on choosing an experienced garage door expert, see How To Find the very best Overhead door Installers and Repairmen). If your overhead door is old, or if it is showing signs of age, let an experienced professional examine your overhead door springs.
Use some garage door lubricant to the springs and watch if it makes any impact. For suggestions on the best lubricants to use on your garage door, check this site. For some further suggestions on minimizing the noise of your overhead door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Garage Door.
Overhead door Safety Cables
The two kinds of overhead door springs reviewed above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will garage door repair calgary sw have a safety cable 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 damage. Safety cables aid deal with a broken spring.
In the event that you have extension springs on your garage door but can't find any safety cables, get in touch with a garage door expert and get a pair mounted.
Out of Balance Springs
The best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens and closes down easily and quietly. Try controling the overhead door manually (pull the cord linked to the arm attaching the rail trolley system to the door). If the door remains to be hard to operate, the problem could be that the springs are out of balance.
Overhead door Spring Brackets
Overhead door springs are affixed to brackets on the bottom of the garage door. As with the springs, those brackets are also under a lot of tension and can only be readjusted or otherwise serviced by a pro. Newer models of overhead door have tamper-resistant brackets that keep the not experienced but curious among us from getting into trouble.