You probably have paid very little attention to your overhead door springs if you are like most people. While easy to understand, this oversight is also a little unfair. There's definitely no other part in your garage door and garage door opener that is more vital to the raising and closing of the door. That's just one reason for giving some respect to the springs. Here's another: Overhead door springs are dangerous! Very hazardous, in fact. Do yourself a favor and check out Garage Door Safety Tips prior to thinking of repairs or replacements.
In the event that you are having problem with your overhead door, it can be due to some problem with the springs. Overhead door springs sometimes break, and they can be replaced. There are specialists out there who offer replacement springs to DIYers, and there are DIYers who have correctly and successfully replaced their own springs.
This particular post is not a how-to on overhead door spring replacement. It is intended to familiarize you with overhead door springs and a couple of the maintenance duties you may execute by yourself.
Two Types of Garage Door Springs
There are two various styles of springs used in garage doors. Torsion springs are fastened right above the closed garage door, while extension springs are located over the top tracks on both sides.
Overhead door Springs and Your Basic safety
Garage door springs are tightly wound, meaning they are under a great deal of tension. As soon as they break, or when some naive DIYer attempts to fiddle with them, they can easily induce a great deal of pain. Wise DIYers understand that this is one home project that is best left to the pros. (For tips on getting a trained garage door expert, see How To Find the Best Garage Door Installers and Repairmen). If here your garage door is old, or in the event that it is showing symptoms of aging, let an experienced professional examine your overhead door springs.
Apply some garage door lubricant to the springs and more info see if it makes any difference. For suggestions on the best lubricants to use on your garage door, check this site. For some additional guidance on reducing the noise of your garage door, see How To Quiet a Noisy Garage Door.
Garage Door Safety Cables
The two types of garage door springs discussed above work differently. A garage door with extension springs will have a safety cord on every edge of the door running through the spring and linked to the wall or ceiling.
In the case that you have extension springs on your overhead door but can not see any safety cords, get in touch with a garage door expert and get a pair setuped.
Out of Balance Springs
The best sign of a well-functioning garage door is that it opens up and closes down easily and silently. Try operating the garage door by hand (pull the cable secured to the arm attaching the rail trolley system to the door). If the door continues to be difficult to operate, the issue might be that the springs are out of balance.
Overhead door Spring Brackets
Garage door springs are connected to brackets on the bottom of the garage door. Similar to the springs, those brackets are also under a great deal of tension and must only be adjusted or otherwise maintained by a master. Newer types of garage doors have tamper-resistant brackets that prevent the curious but not experienced among us from getting into trouble.