Many people use their garage door more often than their front door. As the main entry and exit point of your home, your garage door goes up and down several times a day. Even so, it’s only natural for you to neglect its importance in your daily life.
However, what happens if one morning, you can’t open your garage door? You’re late for work and you can’t back your car out. What are you supposed to do about this? You might wonder, “Can I replace the spring on my garage door?”
What Are Garage Door Springs?
Without understanding how dangerous broken garage door springs are, many homeowners try to fix them on their own. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, there are about 2,000 people crushed by garage doors every year.
If you don’t want to be part of the statistic, you should leave your garage door repair to professionals. However, even if you’re not fixing your garage door, it won’t hurt if you know the basic mechanics of the system.
The garage door spring holds the entire weight of your garage door. Since it is the largest moving part of your home, your spring is holding more or less 300 lbs of weight that makes your garage door lighter. This enables you to easily lift your garage door in case of emergency and during a power outage.
Your spring also distributes evenly the weight throughout your garage door. This allows your door to have a more balanced movement whenever it is being used.
The two types of garage door springs, torsion and extension, look like any regular spring. Basically, they are long metal coils that lift the entire garage door. However, what’s different between the two is how the garage door springs operate. Torsion springs twist while extension springs expand and compress.
You typically find the torsion springs wrapped around a bar above the door. Meanwhile, extension springs are secured by safety cables and they are on both sides of the upper track.
For some time, extension springs were the standard for most garage doors. However, these days, it’s more common to find torsion springs in newer garage doors. In most cases, if anyone’s getting work done on an older garage door, professionals recommend replacing extension springs with torsion springs.
The Importance of Garage Door Springs
Without springs, garage door openers are practically useless. Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds and the springs are responsible for lifting them.
As extension springs expand and as torsion springs twist, they support the door’s weight by providing a reliable counterbalance. This mechanism controls how the door opens and closes. Without the springs, the opener wouldn’t have the power it needs to lift the door.
Why Do Garage Door Springs Break?
There are several reasons why garage door springs eventually break. Here are some of them:
- Rust
For some reason, rust can develop on the springs. When this happens, a garage door spring lifespan will dramatically be reduced. While the coils move back and forth, rust can increase the amount of friction on the parts. What’s more, corrosion on the spring can weaken the coils and eventually cause them to snap sooner than they’re supposed to.
- Daily Wear and Tear
Garage door springs eventually fail because of the daily wear and tear. The common lifespan of most springs is about 10,000 cycles. One cycle is equivalent to the garage door going up and coming back down to close.
10,000 cycles may seem a lot, but consider that you use your garage door at least twice a day. If you’re not the only one coming in and out of the garage, then the daily cycles can quickly add up. Extended lifespan torsion springs have been engineered and rated to last for at least 20,000 cycles. However, if your garage door doesn’t have one, then expect your springs to snap sooner.
- Lack of Proper Maintenance
It’s only natural for garage door springs to fail. Even so, you can still prolong their lifespan with proper maintenance. Your trusted technician will let you know if the springs are getting close to breaking. As a result, you can avoid unexpected and destructive accidents.
Besides, with A1 Garage Door Service’s regular tune-up and inspection, you can ensure that your garage door will stay in good condition. We can lubricate the spring a few times a year and check the entire system’s balance at least once every season.
How Can You Make Garage Door Springs Last Longer?
There are a lot of scenarios that may lead to the breaking of your springs. There are factors such as usage, aging, corrosion and it having wear and tears that have not been properly taken care of. This is why it is a must that proper maintenance service and inspection is given to your garage door springs regularly.
Watch out for signs that your garage door spring is not working anymore as it should be – sounds, physical evidence of wear and tears, shaky doors, and the likes. These may signal that your springs already need attention. When you encounter these, call A1 Garage Door Service immediately to assist you on what to do.
Your garage door springs also need lubrication. This could be done twice a year using silicon-based lube. Just put it across the spring until it seeps into the inside. This would maintain the smooth movement of your spring whenever it is being used.
For more tips on how you could prolong the life of your garage doors, you can contact A1 Garage Door Service for help.
How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?
Many people think that garage doors last forever. However, as we’ve mentioned, the springs eventually fail once they reach the end of their lifespan. So, it’s important to understand their life cycle.
Garage door springs, among all other garage door parts, have limited lifespan. There is no assurance on how long it would last. But depending on the quality, the brand, the frequency of usage, the average garage door spring could last up to 7-9 years. This is assuming that it is made up of 10,000 cycles and being used just 2x a day.
The more it is being used, given the same cycle, the lesser the years it will last. For instance, your garage door is being used for more than 2x a day, or it has another function aside from housing just your vehicles that require more times of usage, then you can expect the life expectancy of your spring to decrease.
But what is important is that when it breaks, you do not attempt to fix it on your own.
How Long Do Torsion Springs Last?
You will find torsion springs at the middle and top of the garage door. They’re responsible for lifting the door and holding it in place. Once they’re damaged, they have to be replaced by a qualified technician. Usually, torsion springs last between 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. If you calculate their life expectancy, you’ll determine that they last between 7 to 12 years.
Do Extension Springs Wear Out?
Instead of twisting, extension springs expand and compress. They can last between 15,000 to 20,000 cycles which are also equivalent to a life expectancy of 7 to 12 years.
What Happens When Garage Door Springs Break?
Your garage door is probably the heaviest moving part of your home. It may look sturdy because of its size, but it’s definitely not unbreakable. Most of the time, you’ll only know that its springs are damaged when the door stops operating. So, what can you expect when garage door springs break?
- You’ll Hear a Loud Noise
You may hear a loud noise coming from your garage. Even if you don’t see anything sprawling on the ground, you should check your garage door and take a closer look. A sudden unwinding spring may have caused the sound you heard. Most of the time, a loud crashing sound occurs when springs break. That noise happens even when the door hasn’t fallen.
- You’ll See a Gap in the Spring
The easiest way to identify a broken spring is by checking if there’s a gap. Springs are supposed to be connected from end to end and they should also be tightly wound.
- You’ll Notice a Bend at the Top of the Door
When you try opening the door, you may see the top panel bending. This is a tell-tale sign that the spring on your door is already broken. With damaged springs, the door opener’s power is inadequate for lifting the panels’ weight.
- The Garage Door Will Fall Quickly
A garage door with a functioning spring and opener will smoothly go up and down. Once the spring breaks, the door will fall quickly or come crashing down. This happens because it no longer has a counterbalance for the gravity’s pull on the panels.
- The Door Will Be Crooked
The door will probably still open even if it has a broken spring. However, when it moves up or down the track, you will notice that it has become crooked. After all, the weight of the door is no longer distributed equally.
- There Will Be Loose Cables
Once a spring breaks, it will lead to a domino effect of problems. Most of the time, broken springs loosen cables. So, when you look at the ceiling, you may notice hanging slack cables.
How Much Do Garage Door Spring Replacements Cost
The safest and most efficient way to replace your springs is by hiring an expert. On average, the cost for garage door spring replacement starts at $400 including parts and labor. Also, remember that most garage doors have two springs. Usually, you’ll have to replace them both at the same time.
Garage Door Spring Repair Near You
Don’t attempt to fix your broken torsion spring on your own. Help is nearby. If you need a garage door spring repair or garage door spring replacement, call the expert technicians of A1 Garage Door Service.
Since 1998, our clients have always prioritized customer satisfaction. We work hard to provide efficient and reliable service for our clients. Our dedication to quality is evident in our Yelp 5-star ratings, BBB A+ rating, and Angie’s List Super Service Award.
For your peace of mind, we are fully insured and bonded. We are also listed in the Arizona Registrar of Licensed Contractors. When you hire us, you’ll work with technicians who have passed strict background checks and rigorous training.
- Durable
- 24 hours, 7 days a week availability
- Lifetime warranties on purchase of garage door springs
- Experienced technicians
Experience A1 service now! Call us at 844-214-2724,
Take Advantage of Our A1 Service and LIFETIME Guarantees.
If you’re in a pinch, don’t worry because A1 Garage Door Service offers round-the-clock service to address your garage door problems! Just call us at 844-214-2724.
When you choose us, you can benefit from our decades of experience in installing, repairing, and maintaining garage doors. We have a team of fully qualified and expertly trained technicians who can handle your broken garage door springs safely. Rest easy knowing that we’re equipped to resolve any torsion spring issue.
What’s more, we want our clients to get the best value for their money. A1 springs are durable torsion springs that come with LIFETIME warranties. Expect the warranty to cover all the labor fees for adjusting or replacing the door springs.
When you are looking for garage door spring repair near you, call our technicians any time of the day and any day of the week. We take pride in ensuring that our clients can rely on us for help whenever they need it. We will get your garage door springs working ASAP. So, for 24-hour emergency garage door service, contact us at 844-214-2724.
Customer Reviews
Josh H. in a true asset to A1 Garage Door Service. Prompt arrival and a hard worker. He did an excellent job installing 2 new openers, springs and sensors. He was clean and attentive to detail. He was very patient and answered all my questions in helping me to install the APP on my phone, and how to use the APP. They are so quiet and smooth closing I hardly hear them. Kudos Josh! I will definitely pass your name along.
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