When it comes to garage door mechanisms, your garage door springs are the unsung heroes of the entire system.
When it comes to garage door mechanisms, your garage door springs are the unsung heroes of the entire system. They’re what actually does the heavy lifting, as far as it goes with lifting and closing the door when you need to. When one breaks, most homeowners have no idea why, how to fix it, or even how they work.
Knowing this ahead of time helps prevent potential costly expenses and a disaster scenario where you can’t get your car out because the spring ended up getting damaged. There are two common kinds of springs, extension and torsion springs, but either way, you’re going to know the causes behind your garage door springs getting damaged.
Wear & Tear
Perhaps the most common reason behind garage door springs breaking is unavoidable: wear and tear. Springs are typically rated to last 10,000 cycles, each cycle being an instance of the door either going up or coming back down. Sounds like a lot, right?
Consider that you use two cycles up every time you leave or enter your garage again. Go on a quick errand? Two cycles. Keeping the door open for some spring cleaning? Two more cycles. Those cycles add up quicker than you might think, so if you know you’re the type of person to excessively use your garage, you may want to look for extended lifespan torsion springs which have double the lifespan.
Rust & Corrosion
Rust developing on your garage door springs can make them break down much sooner than they ought to. That’s because rust will actually increase the amount of friction in the coils, causing wear and tear to happen at a much quicker rate than it otherwise should. The corrosion on the spring will also weaken the integrity of the spring itself, potentially causing failures. Spray the springs with a silicon-based lubricant a few times a year and you can help keep rust away.
Poor Maintenance
No matter what, garage door springs are going to fail eventually. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look into doing the right maintenance to keep them functional for longer. You can help stop potentially destructive results that can come from a spring breaking and get it fixed as fast as possible if you’re already familiar with what you’re doing. Cleaning and lubricating your springs helps a lot, but you should also check the balance by pulling the emergency release cord on your garage, lifting it up halfway, and letting go of it. If the springs are good, the door shouldn’t move. If it sags or falls, the springs may need to be adjusted or replaced outright.
Let First Choice Garage Doors Find The Right Door For You
Since 2004, First Choice Garage Doors has been providing quality service in Maryland, Delaware, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We offer services like garage door installation and replacement, as well as maintenance and repair. We specialize in the repair and maintenance of garage doors and their accessories. Here at First Choice Garage Doors, we work with top manufacturers in the industry, including Amar Entrematic, Clopay, Wayne Dalton, and Artisan.