Your garage door system relies on one or a couple of heavy-duty springs in order to operate properly. Unfortunately, these units will wear out with time. No matter how strongly they’re manufactured, the intense strain of hauling a 150+ pound door up and down even as little as twice a day eventually causes them to weaken and break. There’s no telling exactly when this will happen, but when your springs start showing signs of weakening it’s essential to have them replaced as quickly as possible.
When Will They Break?
The quality of these components usually determines how long they will last. A cheap extension spring might only last 3,000 cycles, while a top-quality torsion unit might not begin to weaken until it's seen over 10,000 cycles. Regular maintenance is also a factor, since these devices, torsion springs in particular, require regular lubrication and tension adjustment to ensure they’re operating as efficiently as possible. The only way to know when these units will fail is to know what to look for.
The Warning Signs
As garage door springs wear out, they grow weaker. This weakness can often be visible when the door moves; if the panels start to sag or wobble noticeably, then you’ve got a problem. You can test this, if you have a torsion spring, by checking the door’s balance. If you disconnect the opener and open the door halfway, it should remain steady. If it drops or keeps rising, then tension adjustment is required, and you should contact our technicians to have this fixed.
Safe Replacement Work
Worn units need to be replaced before they end up breaking, which can be extremely dangerous. If you have extension springs but only one of them breaks, both units will still need to be swapped out in order to ensure an even distribution of stress. While torsion springs are considered the safer option, they too can be dangerous. Regardless of the type of unit involved, broken spring replacement is something that only a professional technician should perform.
We Can Help
Our team at Garage Door Repair Willowbrook is always ready to help local homeowners avoid spring related problems. Contact us today and let our experts safely take care of these dangerous components.
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