Signs You Need to Replace the Springs in Your Garage Door

You may open your garage more than two times a day, an action that slowly wears out your garage door’s springs. This wear and tear will eventually damage or break the springs, and your garage door won’t operate smoothly.

This blog is about common signs that you need to repair or replace your garage door springs.

Garage Door Feels Heavy

If you notice a sudden increase in the garage door’s weight when you open it, chances are you have a damaged spring. Since the spring supports the door’s weight, the door will feel heavier when opening and descend faster when closing if a spring is damaged.

Garage Door Doesn’t Open Smoothly

Typically, your garage door should open and close smoothly. Therefore, any change, including jerky motions, could mean a damaged spring. In the worst-case scenario, your garage door may only open by a few inches.

The culprit behind the complete stops is not the broken springs, but an inbuilt sensitivity feature that controls your garage door’s motion. Any time your garage door’s spring is faulty, this feature will automatically stop your door to prevent injuries, as well as further damage to the door.

Garage Door Appears Crooked 

A broken garage door spring could be the reason your garage door appears crooked. Once a spring breaks, the cables on the sides lose their tension and will often come off on one side. Be careful not to touch the steel cable as it is usually under hundreds of pounds of tension.

Garage Door Spring Has a Gap in the Middle

If your garage door’s spring is malfunctioning, a gap develops in the middle of the spring due to compression. A spring in such a state can also break if you continue using the door as it is.

Garage Door Can’t Rest in the Mid-Level Position

Thanks to advancements in technology, modern garage doors come with safety features that prevent sudden slams. If you open the door to the middle position and it falls back down immediately, that could mean that the torsion springs are broken or worn out. On the other hand, if the garage door raises on its own from the half way open position, your garage door may have too much tension on the springs.

Garage Door Cables Are Loose or Broken 

A non-faulty garage door should have taut cables to complete the pulley-like opening and closing system. However, these cables can loosen to prevent spring recoil if the extension spring breaks. For safety reasons, you should never use your garage door if its cables are loose or hanging out of place.

Garage Door Won’t Open Even After Pulling the Emergency Release Rope

All garage doors with an automatic opener system come with an emergency release rope. The automated system may fail sometimes, but if you are still unable to open the door easily after pulling the rope, there is a high possibility that the garage door springs are broken. Never pull the red emergency release cord unless the door is in the closed position. Even in the closed position the door may shift or become damaged if the spring is broken and you pull the red cord.

Broken garage door springs can significantly impact the functionality of your garage door or even cause user injuries. You should consider replacing your garage door springs if you notice any of the signs above.

At Plano Overhead Garage Door, we can work on any garage door model. Contact us today and enjoy a free estimate and a lifetime warranty on parts used.

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