Your typical garage door will weigh between 250-300 lbs and while there is a motor that pulls the door to open it, the bulk of the lifting is done by the torsion or extension springs. Torsion springs work by twisting and storing energy as the garage door goes down. When the door needs lifting, the spring releases the stored energy to help lift the garage door. Extension springs will expand and contract to help open the door. Considering your average garage door will open and close over 1500 times during a year, it’s not surprising that these springs can wear down and even break over time.
If you’ve ever had a spring break on your garage, you quickly realize what an important job they do. Unless you want to lift a 300 lb door every time you need to leave the house, you are going to need to have your broken garage door spring fixed.
Because of the high tension nature of these springs, it’s our recommendation to have a professional do any repairs needed. Many things can go wrong if a spring in installed incorrectly and can even be a potentially dangerous situation. You certainly don’t want your heavy door to come crashing down if you make a mistake trying to repair your garage door spring, especially if you have children or pets nearby. Your door can also become unbalanced and off-track as well if the springs are not properly installed.
It’s worth noting, however, that squeaky springs do not necessarily mean the need replacing. If you are experiencing noisy or squeaky springs, you may want to apply a lubricant to see if that will fix the problem. If you suspect there is a bigger issue with your springs, please call the experts at Parker Garage Door.
