Do NOT try and replace a broken spring yourself. You could lose a finger. That is NO joke!
Torsion springs are under a high amount of tension and is what is responsible for opening your garage door. While most people think that your Liftmaster or Genie garage door opener is doing all the heavy lifting, it is actually the torsion springs. Each spring is tightly wound and under an extreme amount of pressure.
When the garage door closes, the heavy duty spring rewinds or resets depending on which way the door is moving. When the garage door motor begins to open the overhead door, the spring is activated and the door opens smoothly and effortlessly. When your overhead garage door does not open smoothly and effortlessly, there are many other things that might be wrong. Things such as dirty track or worn out rollers also cause issue with the operation of the overhead door springs.
Regular maintenance is a must to ensure that the overhead garage door opens properly and it will help increase both your garage door springs and keep your garage door opener from being overworked.
Think of the door opener as a guide. The springs do most of the work. If you have had to replace the motor of your overhead garage door opener, then chances are your garage door springs are not properly balanced. Most springs should last around 7 years if it is normal wear and tear, but we have seen where springs have lasted over 15 years. You have to keep your garage door serviced at least twice a year for optimum longevity.
If you open and shut your garage door every day, twice a day, that means up to 4 cycles per day and more than 1456 cycles per year. The average spring is rated to last 10,000 to 15,000 cycle,s so your springs could last as long as ten years, if everything else is well-maintained and in great working condition. To be in good working order, the tracks should be free from dirt and the rollers should roll smoothly and be well maintained by such things as WD-40.
Replacing the torsion springs is more dangerous than most people think. Special winding bar tools to release the tension are needed to do the job correctly. Well trained technicians who have replaced thousands of broken garage doors springs have lost fingers replacing springs. Unless you really know what you are doing, leave jobs like this to a professional. Please contact Southern Home Creations at 770-831-0301. We are glad to help.
