Have you ever tried to lift a garage door on your own? If you have, you’ll know that most garage doors are quite heavy. The average garage door can weigh anywhere from 120 to over 400 pounds. That is why most garage doors use garage door springs to make opening your garage door easier, not to mention safer.
Read more: What to Do If You Have Broken Garage Door SpringsHowever, sometimes the springs of your garage door can break. When this happens, it’s important to get them replaced immediately. Trying to replace your garage door springs on your own can be dangerous. Here’s what you need to know.
Where Is My Garage Door’s Spring System?
Not all garage doors are the same they come in many different sizes and configurations. However, it’s important that you know where your garage door’s spring system is located and how it works. Most standard garage doors feature one of two different types of spring configurations.
Torsion Spring: A torsion spring is a large spring mechanism installed above the door of your garage. This is a single spring mechanism. This mechanism is popular in newer garage doors made today.
Extension Springs: An extension spring mechanism features two springs installed on each of the upper corners of your garage door. This spring mechanism is commonly found in older garages.
Why Did My Garage Door Springs Break?
If you’re wondering what caused the springs of your garage doors to break, the most likely answer is wear and tear caused by aging. Most garage door springs last anywhere between 6 and 10 years. Depending on the climate in your area, the springs of your garage doors can rust faster, significantly reducing their life span.
How To Tell If My Garage Door Springs Are Broken
There are several ways to tell when the springs of your garage doors have broken. First of all, you may notice a gap in the section of the garage door where the spring should be. However, if there is no blatant visual damage, you may have to look at the behavior of your garage door.
For instance, depending on how bad the damage is, the door may not open at all, or it may slam downward with more force than usual when closing. Sometimes, your garage door may only partially open before closing again.
How To Prevent Garage Door Springs from Breaking
Broken garage door springs can cause serious injuries and accidents. The best way to avoid such unwanted instances is to prevent the springs of your garage door from breaking in the first place. It’s highly recommended that you don’t try to perform maintenance on your garage door springs or fix damaged springs on your own.
The springs of garage doors are installed with tension that can snap with a dangerous level of force. In fact, there are several ways you could injure yourself if you try to fix the springs of your garage door without experience. Instead, hire professional garage door services for Walnut Creek.
