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The garage door’s spring is one of the most heavily abused components of your garage door.
They support a lot of the door’s weight and at the same time lifts it during operation.
With this being said, it is no surprise that your door’s springs are one of the earliest things to break down.
All that load and burden will eventually leave a significant effect on your garage door spring.
Malfunctioning overhead garage doors can be dangerous if left unattended.
Your garage door is malfunctioning for a good reason and if you leave it as it is, it is possible that the involved part just breaks down resulting in property damage and even accidents.
This being said, how exactly can you repair or attend to your garage door when the spring breaks down and will need replacement?
Here are some of the things you should look out for and what you can do when attempting to repair your garage doors springs.
How do you know if your spring is no longer functioning as well as it should?
There are a lot of reasons as to why your spring is no longer functioning as it should.
Depending on the type of spring we are talking about, the causes and approaches can be very different.
Let us start with Torsion Springs
Torsion Springs are located on the top side of your garage doors.
They are responsible for supporting your garage door’s weight and exerting enough torsion to open your garage door.
They can be a little hard to notice as they are not in direct sight so it is important to make time from time to time to check them out.
Torsion springs are designed to last a good four to nine years of service at best conditions.
It can be lower depending on the factor it is being exposed to.
But how do you know if your torsion spring is still in good condition?
There are two ways to do so. Both methods involve disabling your door’s automatic features and having it operated manually.
The first thing you can do is manually open the door to its full capacity. Make sure that it is completely open.
During the process of doing this, try to observe the door’s behavior. Was it easy to open the door?
Were there occasions where it was harder to lift the door? Was the door able to support itself up with less to no movements at all?
These are just some of the things you can ask yourself to know if your garage door’s spring is still okay.
If there does not seem to be any problem, try applying force on the door.
Move the door and see if it can hold itself for a long time without any signs of giving in.
If not, then maybe it is time to have that spring checked and replaced.
You can perform regular check-ups to see if how your door’s spring is doing.
Next, we have Extension Springs
Unlike torsion springs, extension springs support the weight of the gate from the sides instead of from the top of the garage door.
However, in terms of functionality, both are pretty similar.
The big difference between these two types of spring is that it is easier to check extension springs as it is at eye level.
Meaning, you can easily observe and notice if the spring’s physical condition is starting to wear out or not.
However, simply checking on the spring’s physical condition does not solve the problem right away.
The spring may be damaged in an area inaccessible by the human eye.
To prevent extension springs from suddenly breaking down, here are some things you can do to confirm if your extension spring is still in good condition.
First things first, start simple. Check the spring for any noticeable gaps in its coils.
If gaps are starting to show, this could mean that the spring is starting to wear out.
After doing the visual examination on the springs, try to check the symmetry of your garage door.
Is your garage door still perfectly balanced? Are both the left and the right side still aligned?
This is done to make sure whether both springs are still lifting the garage door’s weight equally.
If the springs are no longer aligned, this could mean that one of the springs is subjected to more weight than the other.
These are clear signs that your door’s spring might break down any time soon.
Conclusion
Proper preventive maintenance will always be better rather than waiting for the springs to give in.
Commit yourself to regular tune-ups and you should not have this problem at all.
If your springs are starting to wear out, do not attempt to tinker it by yourself.
Seek professional help as fixing your door’s spring alone can be dangerous if done wrong.
There are lots of companies out there who will be more than happy to cater and provide you with the emergency repair service that you need.
However, if you are looking for someone you can trust and at the same time close to the area you live in, not just anyone will do.
If you live in Los Angeles then GDR Los Angeles Garage Doors can be the perfect fit for you.
This company has been providing quality same-day repair services for quite some time now.
They are available 24-hours a day which makes them a good choice for your garage door repair needs.
Being in the garage door industry for 12 years now, the mastery and skill of their technicians when it comes to their craft can certainly be relied on.
Serving both residential and commercial customers alike, they will certainly not disappoint.
Do not wait for your overhead door’s spring to break down before attempting to fix it.
Do not let your broken garage door spring to ruin your day.
Contact us now and let us satisfy your garage door needs.
