The garage door on your San Diego, CA home will not only protect your vehicles and stored items, but it can also add to the overall security of your home as well. When structurally sound and locked, your garage door can prevent intruders from gaining access to your residence. Also, your garage door can impact the curb appeal of your home. Of course, this is all assuming that your garage door is functioning properly. There will come a time when repairs must be made, such as replacing your garage door springs. Let’s look at some of the signs that indicate it’s time for garage door spring replacement.
What Are Garage Door Springs?
The springs on your garage door are long metal coils that help open and close your garage door. This is accomplished by counteracting the weight of your garage door, which is substantial. Most homes have one of two kinds of garage door springs. This includes extension springs and torsion springs. Extension springs function using expansion and compression. Torsion springs will twist during operation. These springs are almost always made of steel, regardless of which type you have.
Signs It’s Time to Replace Garage Door Springs
You will see signs that will indicate when you need to replace your garage door springs. Some are obvious and will result in your garage door not working properly. Others may require you to look closely to spot an issue. Having a professional inspect your springs is a great way to spot issues early on.
Loud Noises
When your garage door is in motion, listen for loud clanging or squeaking sounds. These sounds can indicate an issue with your springs. You may also need to lubricate your garage door tracks to reduce friction.
Difficulty Closing Your Door
Your garage door should open and close with ease whether you’re using a garage door opener, or you are manually moving the door. If there seems to be tension that is keeping the door partially open or closed, your springs may need to be replaced.
Garage Door Is Unbalanced
Your garage door should move up and down level all the way across. If one side appears to be higher or lower and the door isn’t flush with the ground when closed, your springs may be preventing the door from moving correctly.
Spring Damage
The springs on your garage door should be inspected routinely by a professional. We will look for signs of damage, rust, or corrosion. This is a job that’s best left to the professionals. Dealing with damaged springs that have the potential to break can be dangerous.
Sagging Springs
Your springs should appear to be tensioned correctly. They shouldn’t sag in any spots. This would indicate that the springs are stretched out and need to be replaced.
Garage Door Moves Too Quickly
Your garage door should always move at a safe pace. If you manually try to close your door and it moves too quickly, you may have a broken spring that is no longer providing appropriate tension. If your door moves too slowly or there is too much tension when you’re trying to open or close it, this can also indicate a spring issue.
Garage Door Won’t Open
If your garage door closed with ease but now you can’t seem to get it open more than a few inches, your garage door spring may have broken. Don’t attempt to force the door open. Call our team to assess the issue and provide repairs or replacements.
How Long Do They Last?
Garage door springs will last anywhere from 7 to 10 years if installed and maintained correctly. This is approximately 10,000 to 15,000 cycles of opening and closing your door. If you forgo having a professional inspect and maintain your springs, this neglect can dramatically shorten the lifespan of your springs as well as your garage door. We can clean your springs and lubricate them, if necessary.
Other factors can impact how long your garage door springs last. The weather conditions that a garage door is exposed to can affect its integrity. In areas of the country where the weather shifts between freezing temperatures and warmer conditions, this can place additional wear and tear on your springs.
The quality of the springs on your garage door can also determine how long they last. We only use high-quality materials for all our jobs, ensuring that your garage door will be safe and secure for many years to come.
We also recommend that you have your garage door balanced every few years. You may not notice your door is unbalanced, but this scenario can place additional wear and tear on your springs and other garage door components.
You can protect your garage door springs by ensuring the weatherstripping around your garage door is in good condition. If it is cracked or damaged, this can allow moisture into your garage. This moisture can lead to the premature rusting and corrosion of your garage door springs.
The Dangers of DIY Work
If you have noticed that your garage door is damaged in some way, you should hire a professional to do the work for you. When it comes to garage door springs, this is a dangerous scenario for someone who isn’t professionally trained to work on garage doors. The spring may not be completely broken, which can result in the spring being under a lot of tension. If you were to incorrectly remove or move this spring, this could result in bodily harm as the spring snaps or breaks away.
Ensuring the correct and safe placement of a new spring can be an issue for a homeowner who doesn’t have professional garage door experience. Not only do you want to ensure that you and your family are safe during the installation process, but you also want the new springs to be installed correctly. Otherwise, you could be setting the stage for disaster in a few weeks or months when the springs snap or break.
We usually recommend that a damaged spring be completely replaced rather than undergo some type of repair. A spring that shows signs of wear or damage is a liability. We want to restore the functional order of your garage door to provide a safe method of securing your home. If one of your springs breaks, we often recommend that you have both springs replaced at the same time. One broken spring usually means the other one is going to break soon. It’s a good idea to have two new springs installed so that your door is functioning in a very balanced way that is safe and efficient.
ADS Automatic Door Specialists can assist with any garage door spring issues that you have. Our team also provides new garage door installation and emergency repairs. We offer commercial and residential garage door services and gate installation to businesses in the San Diego area. Contact ADS Automatic Door Specialists today to schedule an appointment with our knowledgeable team.
