There are any number of reasons why homeowners call us for garage door repair in Loveland or Broomfield. Among the most common reasons is that something is wrong with the torsion or extension springs. Since it is the springs and not the “opener” that actually open the door any malfunction with the springs can leave you out in the cold. If the springs are malfunctioning you may not even be able to disengage the garage door opener and lift the door manually. That’s how important the springs are. In this article we’re going to take a close look at some of the reasons why the springs on your garage door may be malfunctioning - and a few common mistakes to avoid.
Your garage door is a tough customer. It will still operate even if the tracks are dirty, a roller or two is messed up and it’s missing panels. Heck, you can even open it if the “opener” fails by simply disengaging the motor and opening the door manually. If the springs go however, you’ve got real problems and will need the help of your local garage door repair company. But what are the reasons torsion and extension springs fail and require you to fix the garage door? That’s what we’re going to look at now.
Rust is perhaps the number 1 reason garage door springs snap. Over time, if not regularly lubricated, the springs will accumulate rust. Rust is a sign that the integrity of the steel is breaking down. Once that integrity breaks down enough the stress brought upon the weakened spring by the constant coiling and uncoiling will cause the spring to snap. If you have an older door it may only have a single torsion spring. So when it snaps you’ll have no way to open the door.
From time to time dirt, grime and debris can accumulate within the track of the door. When this detritus reaches a critical level it can block the roller and cause the door to jam. When the door jams the spring is left in a state of limbo, unable to either release its energy or coil up and store more energy. This has an enervating effect on the springs, causing them to lose the ability to hold a “charge”. Next time you call on them to open the door they respectfully decline. Or they work sluggishly and don’t open the door completely. If your garage door isn’t responding with the same vim and vigor you probably don’t need garage door opener repair, you need to have a spring or springs replaced.
We touched on the subject of maintenance just briefly above but need to expand on it a bit more. The importance of proper maintenance cannot be overstated. The garage door, while resilient, is still a precision device that, like a car, requires periodic maintenance. And, again like a car, one of the most important aspects of proper maintenance is lubrication. If you don’t change the oil in your car engine it will eventually seize up. If you don’t have the torsion or extension springs on your garage door lubricated they will rust up and eventually snap. The best idea is to have A Better Garage Door's experienced team perform periodic maintenance on your door. They’ll not only make sure the springs are properly lubricated, they’ll also ensure other things aren’t impeding the smooth operation of your door and putting undue stress on the springs.
Everything from cars to refrigerators to computers to garage doors suffer from the ravages of time. Constant use puts a lot of stress and strain on the door as a whole and on the springs in particular. These objects are infused with massive amounts of energy when they’re made and they spend their entire useful life discharging and recharging by opening and closing. While you can postpone the day of reckoning with proper maintenance there is no way to completely avoid the eventual need to call for garage door repair in Boulder, CO and have the springs replaced. The point is that if the door is old enough, it won’t matter anymore how much you lubricate the springs. They’ll need to be replaced.
It’s often tempting to pay someone from the neighborhood who seems like they know what they’re doing to install your new garage door. But this is a practice fraught with perils. First, because if you have a non-professional (that would include yourself as well) install your new garage door you will, in all likelihood, invalidate the warranty. But beyond that we get calls for Broomfield garage door repair all the time that turn out to be problems with the springs caused by a faulty installation. Sometime those problems can be resolved fairly easy. While other times the springs will need to be scrapped and new ones installed. Don’t take a chance. If you need someone to install a new garage door call the pros at A Better Garage Door and get the job done right.
It’s understandable that most folks think the garage door opener opens the garage door. After all, it’s called the “opener” for a reason, right? Well, yes and no. It’s actually called the opener because calling it the “garage door starter and motion regulator” just wasn’t going to work from a marketing perspective. But that’s actually what it does. It plays a role in opening the door but doesn’t actually do much of the heavy lifting. Instead, it sets the door in motion and then regulates that motion to ensure it’s nice and even all the way up and back down again. But if the opener isn’t actually opening the door then what is? The answer is; the springs.
Because the proper role of garage door springs in Northglenn is so often either misunderstood or simply overlooked homeowners have a tendency to make a few common mistakes in dealing with them. Some of these errors are relatively harmless but some could have dire consequences. Here are 5 of the biggest:
Garage door springs are the beating heart of your garage door system. Despite their essential role, they're likely the least understood component of the entire door mechanism. Don’t let them fall victim to neglect, poor maintenance or problems stemming from other parts of the door system. Poorly maintained garage door springs could jeapordize the safety of your loved ones. Have your garage door springs instected annually by the pros at A Better Garage Door and sleep a little easier.