Part of our job in the garage door repair business is to educate our customers. Sometimes we’re able to troubleshoot with them over the phone and prevent a service charge and trip to their house. Other times, from asking the right questions, we discover the customer has a broken spring that needs a spring repair. We hear this a lot when taking service calls here at WD Door for garage door repair.
Sometimes we’re able to troubleshoot with them over the phone and prevent a service charge and trip to their house. Other times, from asking the right questions, we discover the customer has a broken spring that needs a spring repair. A typical overhead door weighs approximately 200 pounds. Without the balance weight that the spring provides, your door would not open very easily. Additionally, if you’re operating your door with a broken spring and ceiling mount operator, the motor has to work extremely hard to lift the door, thus causing major damage to the motor. Springs don’t last forever either, they wear down just like vehicle parts do. Being the largest moving object in your home, here are a few helpful points to keep in mind:
There are two major types of springs: Torsion & Torquemaster
A torsion spring looks like a giant, tightly-wound Slinky. It’s pretty easy to see when a torsion spring is broken. There will be a few-inch gap in one or both springs. *It’s highly recommended that you hire a professional to replace any kind of spring, including a torsion spring. The stored-up torque that is behind the spring can be very dangerous and has been known to take off fingers and send people to the ER.
A Torquemaster spring is an exclusive Wayne Dalton product. The spring is inside the metal shaft that is above the top of the door. This is a great safety feature since if and when the spring breaks, the metal shaft keeps it contained since springs have been known to come off. It’s recommended that only specially trained technicians work on or replace these special types of springs.
What is a life cycle of a spring?
The life cycle of the spring is a rating of how many times you can open and close the door before spring breaks. Garage door springs typically have a 10,000 life cycle. Depending on how often you use your door, it can last anywhere from an average of 5-7 years.
How can I increase the life of my current spring?
Oil all moving parts of your door, including your spring, hinges, rollers, and tracks two times per year using a non-silicon-based spray lubricant that is specifically made for garages.
With fall and winter right around the corner, have one of our experienced technicians stop out for an overall inspection, oil, and adjustment of your door. Nobody wants to have their door stuck open or closed in the middle of an Iowa winter! We cover broken garage door springs across the state of Iowa. Call us at 515-963-0989 to schedule today!