A garage door will break down for quite a few reasons, but one of the repeat offenders that I see most often is the garage door springs. The springs operate as a balance that makes even a 300-400 pound door easy to move, but unfortunately the weight Aluminium Garage Doors Cape Town of a garage door does take a toll on the springs over time and causes them to break. It is imperative that you get your springs replaced as soon as they break down because it will cause a whole headache of issues that you don’t want to deal with.
Spring Cycles
Springs for garages use are typically rated in “cycles” – which means how many times the spring will be usable before it breaks. The best quality springs – such as many contractors use while doing a spring replacement – are rated for 30,000 cycles or more. Assuming that you have a properly operating garage door that is opened and closed about 6 times a day, you can expect to get about 11 years of use before the spring breaks.
Spring Types
There are two common types of springs used on residential garages: torsion and extension springs. A door that uses torsion springs typically has one torsion spring mounted above the door with a spindle running through it. When the door opens or closes, the torsion spring clamps down on the spindle or uncoils – releasing tension or generating tension to help move the door. Garage doors with extension springs typically have a spring mounted on either side of the door that stretch out and bounce back as the door moves – much like a Slinky.
Spring Repairs
You may be asking yourself – how do I know if my Swing Up Garage Door Hardware springs are broken and what do I do about it?
Some potential telltales of a broken spring include: The opener strains to lift the door; you heard a loud snap or similar noise while the door was operating previously; the door is hanging at an angle, etc.
If you have a broken spring, I strongly suggest that you contact a licensed, experienced contractor for assistance. In particular, the torsion-type door springs are under high tension that needs to be released properly to avoid turning the spring into a potentially lethal projectile if it breaks loose. Additionally, the door needs to be balanced properly on the springs to avoid causing additional wear on the springs or the garage door opener.
