The garage door is an essential structure of the house. Typically, you open and close your garage door several times in a day. With time, this could cause wear and tear of the garage door. As a result, there could be a broken spring on your garage door. If you are not careful, the broken garage spring could cause further damages to your garage door. Garage door problems could cause irritating inconveniences especially if you need to operate the door very fast and swiftly move your car out. In some other cases, it could cause safety hazards for you and your family.
There has been increased reports of injuries from damaged garage doors with broken springs. Therefore, it is crucial to address issues concerning your garage doors today. Some signs will help you know if your garage door spring is broken. In this article, we would explain the function of your garage door spring and the common signs of a broken spring on garage doors.
What Is The Role Of Your Garage Door Spring?
Garage door springs have the primary responsibility of maintaining the tension necessary for your garage door to open and close at a controlled speed. They help to support the weight of the garage door and maintain a steady speed. The garage door spring connects to the cables that roll up when you activate your automatic garage door opener.
Torsion Spring vs Extension Spring
Torsion spring – Image Source
There are majorly two types of springs used for garage doors today – Torsion springs and extension springs. However, torsion springs are more common due to specific reasons.
- Torsion springs do not fully extend when your garage door is working.
- Torsion springs last longer with 15,000-20,000 cycles.
- You get a controlled motion with your torsion springs.
- Torsion springs cause less wear and tear on your garage door.
However, all these benefits would be lost if you have a broken torsion spring on your garage door. Although they last longer, garage doors of 10-15 years most likely have a broken torsion spring. Therefore, taking the necessary steps is crucial in maintaining the garage door. Looking out for signs of a garage door spring failure would enable you to ascertain that your garage door spring broke.
Signs That Indicate That Your Garage Door Spring Broke
Once you notice that the functioning of your garage door has drastically reduced. The next thing is to inspect the garage door spring. A broken torsion spring is the most common problem after a long period of using garage doors. Are you wondering if your garage door opener spring broke? Use these signs for your assessment. If you do a thorough inspection, you would quickly identify a broken garage spring. A significant problem that causes garage doors with broken springs is balance issues.
- Loose Cables on Garage Doors
If the cables are free, this could mean that your garage door spring broke. Although it is easy to assume that the cables are faulty immediately the garage doors start malfunctioning. Most times, the cables are not at fault. When the spring breaks, it makes the wires to slip out of place.
- The Garage Door Opens Half Way
Your garage door opening halfway around the six-inch mark is a sign that there is a broken torsion spring. The way it opens and closes will provide clues that point out whether or not your garage door has a broken spring. Perhaps, you can still open your door, but you notice the movement is not regular. Besides, the in-built safety mechanism involves sensors and automatic openers. They prevent garage doors with broken springs to open all the way and crash into the ground.
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- A Visible Gap In The Spring
A torsion system has one or two torsion springs tightly wound around the garage door. A broken torsion spring unwinds leaving a noticeable gap. Gaps occur with torsion springs that have more room to stretch during regular operation. As a result, they have more room to separate when they break. The gaps could be several inches wide and are easily noticeable.
- A Loud Bang From Your Garage Door
Immediately your garage door spring snapped, you must have heard a loud bang. The loud noise is due to the release of pressure from the spring. The sound is a significant sign that your garage door torsion spring broke. The sound is loud and distinct. Therefore, you would not miss it or mistake it for something else. However, if you missed your garage door spring breaking and did not hear a bang, you could use other signs. It is possible the tension broke while you were not at home.
- Garage Door Falls Fast
A working torsion spring would give you a controlled motion when you operate your garage door. A broken torsion spring would cause your garage door to fall fast. The fast movement is because the spring is not able to bear the weight of the garage door. When your garage door falls too quickly, it means that your garage door coil spring broke. The coils are in turns, and a break causes the coil to unwind very fast.
- Rusty Springs
When you inspect the springs, you would see noticeable damages that point to a broken torsion spring. Although a rusty spring might not mean a damaged spring, noticing it early could help to prevent impending damage.
- The Garage Door Opens Slowly
Garage doors do not move fast; they move at a steady rate. However, a prolonged movement is a sign of garage door spring failure. Broken torsion spring on garage doors would affect the automatic opener and slow down your garage door movement.
- The Garage Door Opens In A Crooked Manner
A broken spring on a garage door often causes a bent garage door. Usually, there are two springs affixed to your garage door. If one is not functioning, the side of that door does not move. As a result, the garage door becomes crooked while opening or closing. If the door works in a crooked manner, it is probably time to replace the broken garage door springs.
- Regular Noises From Your Garage Door
Squeaking and creaking from garage doors could indicate that your garage door spring broke. These noises can be easily heard while opening or closing your garage door.
- Trouble Lifting Your Garage Door Manually
Garage doors are designed to be lightweight when lifted manually. If you notice that the garage door is unusually heavy and you cannot lift it, your garage door spring is broken. You will need to manually raise the door with the help of 2-3 three people. However, be careful not to injure anyone during the process.
Next Step To Take After Confirming Signs Of Broken Springs
Hiring a professional is the next thing to do after assessing your garage door, and you notice a spring is broken. While you might want to do it yourself, it is relatively safer to hire experts. The garage door is heavy, and a broken spring on the garage door is dangerous for you and your family. Although doing it yourself would save you cost, you might not do it right. At Rollaway Garage Doors, we provide quality repair services for your broken torsion springs on garage doors. We have vast and extensive knowledge about garage doors.
How To Open or Close A Garage Door With A Broken Spring
While it is necessary to hire a professional to fix the problem immediately, there might be a need to open or close your garage door before an expert arrives. Perhaps, your door still opens and closes even when your garage door coil spring broke. The following tips would help you safely open or close your garage door while preventing hazards.
- If the garage door is open, do not try to override the garage door to close it manually. If you deactivate the automatic opener, the broken torsion spring on the garage door will cause the garage door to come crashing down. Trying to catch the door could harm you. Also, leaving the garage door to hit the ground could further damage the door.
- If you need to close the door manually before the arrival of an expert due to safety issues, you could try by placing something that would prevent crashes. Choose something that could take the weight of the garage door.
- If your garage door is closed, the best thing is for it to remain closed. However, if you need to move your car outside urgently, make sure you have a capable helper to assist before you try to open the garage door manually.
To conclude, garage doors are significant and maintaining a good garage door is vital. A garage door with a broken spring could cause problems and safety hazards. The signs listed in this article would help you prevent the long term problems that are related to broken springs on garage doors. Therefore, it is essential to schedule the repair of a broken torsion spring immediately. For comprehensive garage door services, you can trust Rollaway Garage Doors.
