Garage – Page 2 – Make Your Home Safer

You probably don't spend too much time thinking about your garage door and even less time thinking about the garage door spring. The tightly wound spring is fastened above the garage door and enables you to manually open a garage door weighing 85 pounds or more with one hand as the tension of the spring and opening mechanism makes the door feel like it's much lighter. Although it may seem like a DIY project, garage door spring repair or replacement is a job best left to a garage door professional due to the tension involved in winding the spring. A garage door spring is tightly wound in the proper direction a number of times based on the size of the garage door and size of the round drums at each side of the door. Due to the torque and tension involved, the spring can cause injury or death if not handled properly. Garage door opening mechanism facts A garage door operates with a counterbalancing mechanism to easily lift a garage door that can weigh 85 lbs and up so repairing or replacing the spring should only be done by a professional. Replacing a spring costs around $180 to $350 installed. A garage door spring is tightened according to a certain number of full turns which is then typically converted to quarter turns so that it's easier to keep track of as it's being wound. So if a garage door spring was required to be turned 7 times, that equates to 28 quarter turns. A door that requires 8 3/4 full turns requires 35 quarter turns. Garage door pros use a chart that takes into consideration the height of the garage door to determine how many turns to load the spring. The lifespan of a garage door spring is measured in cycles where one opening and closing of a door is considered to be one cycle and is determined according to important spring design factors including wire size, spring diameter and spring length. Can I repair a garage door spring? A garage door spring is tightly wound according to various criteria including the garage door height and diameter of the drums at each end of the door. While you can view this information online with various charts that are available, the actual work itself is what makes it dangerous. The garage door spring is under significant torque for the purpose of helping you lift a garage door that can weigh 85 lbs and up for a single door and up to 225 lbs for a double door. The garage door opening mechanism uses a counterbalance to help you lift the door with one or both hands along the garage door tracks, something you wouldn't be able to do with the opening mechanism. It also helps your mechanical garage door opener if you have one as without the spring under tension, the opener would also face significant stress opening a garage door of that weight even with its motor. In that regard, repairing or replacing a garage door spring is best left to a garage door company that is experienced with the work. Types of garage door springs While there are a number of styles of garage doors spring such as extension, open-looped, clipped ends, early set and steel rolling spring, they are generally classified as either torsion spring or extension spring: Torsion spring A torsion spring is installed directly above the garage door on the inside of the garage wall. Torsion springs operate as follows: When you close your garage door, the spring winds up and tightens which energizes the system. When you open your garage door the spring unwinds and uses the energy transferred to make lifting the door easier than if it were done completely by hand. So the spring winds and unwinds with use and charges and discharges energy accordingly. Benefits: Torsion springs tend to be stronger and more durable than extension springs. They also last longer and a typical lifespan of 15,000 - 20,000 open and close cycles can be expected. When to replace: Other than when the lifespan has been reached, you will want to replace your garage door torsion spring when the garage door becomes heavier to open and close by hand or when the door bangs loudly shut when closed. Extension spring The extension spring system is fixed to garage door brackets and runs along the horizontal tracks of the opening mechanism. It's an older spring system and tends to be found on older houses. An extension spring system works differently than a torsion spring as it stretches as the garage door closes and loosens as the garage door opens by using a pulley system with another spring attached. It requires balancing and it can be difficult to do if only one of the springs is replaced. Benefits: Extension springs may only last for 10,000 open and close cycles but they are cheaper than torsion springs. Since they are an older technology there really aren't any other benefits and people are likely to want to replace an old extension spring system with a torsion spring system. When to replace: The extension springs should expand and contract evenly. When the springs begin to stretch and look oblong, look asymmetrical or look broken, they should be replaced. How long do garage door springs last? As mentioned above, a torsion garage door spring system may last 15,000 - 20,000 door opening and closing cycles. If you open and close your garage door twice per day (2 cycles daily) you could expect the torsion spring to last around 20 years if we use the lower figure of 15,000 cycles as the lifespan ie. 15,000 cycles / 2 cycles per day / 365 days per year. An extension spring is expected to last around 10,000 cycles so using the same 2 cycle per day usage, one could expect the spring to last around 13 years. Why did my garage door spring break? As with any moving part and one that is under pressure and weight, things break and your garage door spring is no different. The most common reasons for a spring breaking or needing replacement include: Age and use over time. This is a natural occurrence with regular garage door usage and the more you open and close your garage door the sooner replacement will be required.Rust which is especially hard on torsion springs. Using WD-40 to lubricate your spring can help extend its life by preventing rust.Incorrect tightening in the case of the torsion spring. If the spring is incorrectly tightened it can have an effect on lifespan.Incorrect spring usage. If you have a double or two-spring model, it tends to last longer than a single spring due to the increased stress on a single spring model. Why are garage door springs so dangerous? Garage door springs are tightly wound and carry significant risk of injury during installation and if they are installed incorrectly. They also require skill when installing them to ensure they open and close correctly. Remember that an actual garage door typically weighs 85 lbs - 225 lbs each but you don't realize it when opening them by hand because of the garage door opening mechanism, which includes the spring, as it helps to carry much of the weight for you. If you overwind the spring, the garage door will stay open and will not reach all the way to the ground. If you underwind the spring, the garage door will be heavy to lift and won't open without being supported by you. You also have to choose the correct spring size and ensure you don't pick one that is too strong or too weak. The last thing you want to is have the garage door crashing down or being too difficult to open because the spring or other aspect of the opening mechanism was incorrectly installed. Your best bet is to get a professional to install your new garage door spring for you to install it safely and use the proper equipment. Can I open my garage door with a broken spring? If you manually open and close your garage door, your best bet is to call a garage door company and tell them your problem to get it fixed rather than opening and closing the door yourself. If you have an electric garage door opener, don't attempt to open or close it with a broken spring either. People forget that a garage door - especially a larger than average one or a double garage door - is heavier than they think due to the opening mechanism and spring which supports much of the weight. This is why we can open and close a heavy door with one arm. But when the spring breaks or otherwise malfunctions the door will be harder to operate which can lead to injury if we attempt to open or close it. Can you replace the garage door spring yourself? As mentioned throughout this article, replacing garage door springs is a dangerous task that also requires skill. It's better to get this work done by a professional to ensure it is replaced and wound correctly. Here is a short video which illustrates how tightly wound the torsion spring is and what happens when it flies loose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrUIN6hClB4