Broken Garage Door Spring?
Garage Door Torsion Spring Repair
San Diego County, CA
Your torsion springs or side extension springs are among the most important features of your garage door system. Without them, your door could not open or close.
For this reason, when your garage door is not opening properly, the first suspected culprit is often your garage door’s torsion spring.
When it comes to spring repair in the San Diego area, the company you can rely on is family-owned Easy Open Door.
Types of Garage Door Springs
Many parts work together to make garage doors operate, including springs. There are two different kinds of springs that garage doors use to function — torsion and extension.
If you’re having a difficult time opening your door, check the springs to see if any are damaged and need professional garage door spring repair or replacement. Knowing which type of spring your door uses will help you decide between your available replacement options.
Torsion Springs
The torsion spring is most common for garage doors because it is sturdy and can last a long time compared to other springs. The springs are typically above the garage door opening on the metal shaft. Standard torsion springs have a lifespan of around 7-10 years or 10,000 cycles. High-cycle springs can go for around 20,000 cycles.
Torsion springs open and close the door using torque, or how the springs rotate when using force. When the springs twist, their rotation equally distributes force along the shaft and allows the door to operate.
The number of torsion springs your door uses will depend on its size and weight. If your door is on the lighter side, one to two springs are needed. A bigger, heavier garage door may have up to four springs to ensure it works reliably.
Extension Springs
It is more common for garage doors to use extension springs when there is limited space overhead. These springs are generally on the sides of garage doors and follow horizontal tracks.
When extension springs are under load, they stretch and become tense. This tension is the force used to keep doors open, as it creates a counterbalance to support the door panels when the springs are extended.
Torsion vs. Extension Springs
The type of spring your door needs depends on many factors, including the type of door you have, the door’s size and weight, and the amount of space the garage has overhead.
Other factors that may influence your decision about which spring to use include cost and safety.
Torsion springs don’t have exposed parts, which helps them last longer and provides smoother opening and closing action for your door. These springs tend to cost more, but they are safer due to their relative simplicity and lack of external components.
Extension springs are more cost-effective, but they may not have as long a life span as torsion springs. Extension springs also have more parts to them to ensure safety measures.
As always, you can rely on Easy Open Door to assess and take care of all your garage door and broken garage door spring repairs. If you think your door or its components need service or replacement, reach out for a quote.
How Do You Know If You Need Garage Door Spring Replacement?
Broken Garage Door Spring Warning Signs
- A loud snapping sound coming from your garage
- Slow opening and closing
- Unsmooth operation
- Unbalanced, angled rising and lowering
- Snapped cables
Your garage door torsion springs are responsible for lifting a door that probably weighs hundreds of pounds. When a spring breaks on your garage door, it puts extra stress on the opener and can cause additional damage to other parts of the door. Trying to replace a broken garage door spring by yourself can be very dangerous and cause injury, so if you do suspect your spring is broken, you should call a professional with experience in safe garage door torsion spring repair right away. If you know that one of your torsion springs is broken, you should call for a replacement immediately.
While your door may still open and close with one good spring, it’s extremely unsafe to rely on that one spring. If it broke, your door could come down suddenly and cause serious damage or injury. If you’re not sure whether or not you have a broken torsion spring, look for the warning signs described above.
Broken Spring Replacement
If your door is not working as it should and you suspect a broken torsion spring, call Easy Open Door if you are in or around the greater San Diego area. Our highly trained technicians will assess your situation and determine if you need a new torsion spring. If so, we have plenty of brand-new springs that we can use to get your door back into top shape.
Typically, we replace both torsion springs to make sure you are unlikely to have a problem in the near future. Good torsion springs usually last about 10,000 to 20,000 cycles, a cycle being one opening and closing of the door. Brand-new torsion springs should last you around eight to 12 years depending on how frequently you go in and out of your garage.
We also recommend you schedule annual garage door maintenance with us to make sure your door is working optimally. During regular maintenance, we identify worn-out parts and replace them before they break and cause problems.
Contact Us, Your Broken Springs Specialists
Easy Open Door is located in Lakeside, CA and has been providing quality garage door services for homeowners in neighboring communities like El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee and surrounding cities throughout the greater San Diego area for over 40 years, and we have the parts, tools and expertise to make sure you can rely on your garage door day after day, year after year. To learn more about our services, contact us today.