Identifying garage door spring issues
Are you experiencing spring issues with your Powder Springs, GA garage door? Are you sure it’s your springs that are damaged or worn? Maybe your garage door opener or cables are acting up instead. How can you really know for sure? Were you hesitant to call a garage door repair technician for fear of cost or what you might find out? You are not alone in this; many also are afraid of the possible high cost of any garage door repair issue and hesitate to call or don’t know who to call. Relax; Powder Springs Garage Door Repair has the answer! We have the experience, training and skills necessary to diagnose the problem and fix it, all at your convenience and at the best rates, too. You can learn to recognize spring issues on your own and we’ll outline some of the main symptoms of spring problems right here.
Not what you think!
Your garage door issue may not be spring related at all! Read on and see how to tell if it is or not. We’ll give you some simple tasks that can quickly tell if the problem is in fact your battery. Other possible culprits are blocked safety sensors and clogged garage door tracks. Don’t worry; you can do these simple and fast do it yourself checks without any experience or training. If your remote’s battery is low, it can send a random signal to your opener or it might not send any signal at all. A blocked safety sensor can send your garage door back up again and again, giving the impression that something is wrong with your springs. The same goes for a clogged garage door track. Movement of your rollers inside your tacks is impeded with a blockage and this, too can send your garage door back up or down.
A little about your springs
Garage door springs come in two main varieties and you have one of them installed on your garage door. These two types of springs both do the same job; lifting and lowering your massively heavy garage door up and down each time you use it. Many folks think that the remote or the opener is the main mover of garage doors but in truth, the springs do all the heavy work. Torsion springs are the most used in residential garages today. They are the ones most installed by home builders as they are generally safer and last longer than their counterparts. Torsion springs attach to your garage door horizontally and are found at the top of your door on the inside. Their life cycle usually lasts for 15 to 20,000 cycles with each full cycle representing one opening and one closing of your garage door.
The other main type of garage door springs are extension springs. These are usually found in older homes but are still sometimes installed by contractors. They mount on the sides of your garage door on the inside and are attached in a vertical position. They cost less but also don’t last as long as their torsion counterparts. 10,000 life cycles are about average for these springs. They are also a bit dangerous when they break and we highly recommend that you don’t do any spring repair or replacement on your own as they pack quite a punch and can actually travel through drywall and windshield glass when they snap.
Do your springs show any of these warning signs?
See if any of these signs of spring damage are present in your garage door:
- Does your garage door rise slowly at first and then suddenly start lifting rapidly?
- Does your garage door start to rise but then stop completely about half way up?
- When your garage door is closed, does it look lopsided or squashed to one side?
- When your garage door is rising, does one side look like it’s going up faster than the other side? Does it look like the slow side is struggling to keep up?
- Does your garage door make loud snap or bang sounds when in operation?
- When you tapped the garage door wall button or remote, was your door unresponsive? Is your car trapped inside the garage because your door won’t open?
These are not the only symptoms of garage door spring issues; there are others but these are some of the most common. Does your garage door sound like any of these? If so, call our shop and schedule spring service at your earliest convenience, but don’t wait too long; spring repair can turn into spring replacement if you do!
No do it yourself spring repair!
As stated earlier, do not attempt repairing or replacing your garage door springs on your own. This is dangerous and unpredictable work and best left to the professionals that have the tools, training, experience, and knowledge to do the job safely and correctly. You don’t want bodily injury or property damage from a mishap and both can happen if something goes wrong. You can also void your warranty and cause real delays in getting your garage door fixed by wasting time trying to save a few dollars. Please call our shop or if you don’t live in the area, call a full-service garage door repair technician in your locale.
Double check
Did you check your remote’s battery? Was it good? If you don’t have a home tester, you can take your battery to any of several local stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s for free testing. Did you check to see if your garage door tracks are clean of debris like mud, spider webs, chewing gum or twigs? These items can block the movement of your rollers and send your garage door back up or down. Make sure your safety sensors are clean and unobstructed. If they are not aligned right or if the lenses are dirty or unable to send signals, your garage door will not work as it should and will act like spring issues are at hand. If all checks out and you still have issues with your garage door, call your favorite garage door technician.