The garage door spring is one of the most important parts of your garage door. If you’re having problems opening and closing it, that’s a sign that the spring needs to be replaced.
A garage door spring will sometimes need repair or replacement over the years. Understanding when a garage door spring needs repair is key to protecting the safety of your door.
In this article, you will discover how to repair a garage door spring.
A Note On Garage Door Spring Safety
Before getting into replacing the garage door spring, it’s important to note how dangerous these springs can be. They hold a lot of tension, which they need to open that door for you when you use it. If that spring were to break, then it can ping away at high speeds. That can cause damage to your car, or worse, injure you or a loved one.
These days, you’ll see more and more springs have cables running through them. These are safety devices that allow the spring to break safely without coming away from the door. Even so, they still present a danger to you.
If you’re considering replacing the spring, you’ll need to take great care of it and wear the appropriate safety gear. In most cases though, it’s usually better to call in a garage door spring repair company to handle it for you. They have the expertise and the equipment needed, to replace the garage door spring safely.
When A Garage Door Spring Needs To Be Replaced
There will be several signs that your garage door spring needs to be replaced. These include:
- If the garage door won’t open when you use the remote, then that’s a sign the spring is either broken or worn out. There are other reasons why this is happening, such as dead batteries in the remote or the opener being disconnected, so check for these before you replace the spring.
- The garage door spring has broken. If you’re at home when it happens, then you’ll hear a loud bang coming from your garage. If you have cables on your garage door, then they should be holding the broken parts of the spring still.
- A good test is to open the garage door and leave it about halfway open. If the door stays there, your garage door springs are fine. If they’re wearing out, they can’t hold that tension and so the door will begin to close.
- Your springs may need to be replaced if they’re coming to the end of their life span. If they’re between 7 and 12 years old, they’ll need to be changed out. Check them to see if they’re showing signs of wear
- When you open the door manually, you may hear it straining, and it’ll feel heavier to move. That’s a sign the spring has broken, and so you’ll need to replace it.
How to Repair A Garage Door Spring
Now that you’ve identified there’s a problem with your garage door spring, you’ll need to replace it.
Here’s how to repair a garage door spring.
Identify spring type: There are two main spring types that are used on garage doors: torsion and extension springs. Torsion springs are the most common, being installed directly above the door opening, on the metal shaft. There will be around 1 – 4 springs, depending on the size and weight of the door.
If you have extension springs on the other hand, you’ll have two that run parallel to the door’s horizontal track. It’s important to know what kind of springs you have, so you can get the right ones when you head to the hardware store.
Get the right safety equipment: It’s vital that you use the right safety gear when replacing your garage door spring. If you don’t, you can easily get injured. You’re going to need eye protection, leather gloves, a sturdy ladder, and winding bars. The winding bars are important. Many try to use things like a screwdriver or pliers to wind a spring, and that’s incredibly dangerous.
Clamp the door: Before doing anything to the springs, clamp your garage door to the track. That stops it from shooting up during the repair and causing you injury. Also, ensure you unplug the garage door opener before you start work.
Loosen and unwind the broken spring: You’ll need to remove the old spring, and you do this with the winding bars. Place the end of them into the winding cone on your spring, and slowly unwind it. Even with the proper equipment, this is dangerous, so take care.
Disconnect the spring from the center bracket, and then remove them. You should now be ready to install your new springs.
Installing new springs: When buying new springs, it’s usually a good idea to buy a full new set of them. That means you won’t have springs that are unevenly worn, and so have to do more repairs in the future. When you buy your new springs, they should come with instructions on how to install them.
Typically, you’ll need to install the center bearing first, and then install the springs on each side as needed. You’ll next need to replace the bottom brackets, rollers, and lift cables. Thread the cables through the slot on the rollers. So it’s ready to go.
Tighten the springs: Now you’re using the winding bars again, this time to tighten the springs you’ve just installed. Turn the spring a quarter turn at a time. You’ll need around 30 quarter turns for a 7ft tall door, and 36 for an 8ft tall door. Finish by lubricating the springs with a lithium grease spray.
Now you can test the garage door. Reconnect the power to the opener, and remove the clamp from the track. Lift the garage door up about three feet and then let go. If properly installed, your new springs should hold the door in place.
Now you can replace the springs on your garage door, should you need to. If you ever need help though, don’t hesitate to call your local garage door repair team. They will be more than happy to help you.