Is It Time to Consider Garage Door Spring Repair in Torrance?

A malfunctioning garage door that is less than 10 years old usually does not need to be replaced entirely. Typically, you are dealing with a broken component. If your garage door is giving you problems, you may need spring repair in Torrance. This guide will help you understand what your garage door springs do and the process that garage door technicians will go through in repairing your garage door springs.

Identifying Various Garage Door Spring Types

Your garage door might seem like a simple device that goes up when you push a button and comes back down when you push the button again. The truth is that your garage relies on a complex, well-balanced system of springs and pulleys to operate smoothly and safely.

Garage doors have various spring types. Each spring type has its unique replacement process. The most common springs on the market are torsion and extension springs.

If you know the brand of garage door you have, it’s easy to determine what springs it uses. If you see long springs that run parallel to each other on either side of the garage door, these are extension springs. They are usually thin, long, and suspended in the air.

Torsion springs are thicker in comparison to extension springs. They connect to a metal rod and sit next to your garage door opening.

The primary difference between an extension and a torsion spring is how they release their stored energy. A torsion spring will twist as the door lowers and then untwist as the door opens.

How Do Extension Springs Work?

When your garage door closes, the extension springs transfer the weight of the closing door into stored energy. When the door opens, they release the energy to lift the door. Since the garage weighs several hundred pounds, the garage door motor may not be able to raise the door independently.

Most garage doors will have two extension springs. One will be on each side of the garage door track sitting perpendicular to the door. If you have a light door, it may only have one spring.

The benefits of having two extension springs on your door include reliability and safety. If your garage door has one extension spring and it breaks, you have to rely on safety measures built into the door to prevent the door from falling on your car or your loved ones. However, two extension springs mean that one could fail and the other will catch the door, preventing it from crashing on you. Therefore, if you have two extension springs and one breaks, the garage door will open unevenly and could put a strain on other garage door parts.

The best way to maintain your garage door springs is to have garage door technicians conduct regular checks of the entire door. This ensures that you will get the most out of your extension springs. Professionals will be able to identify minor issues and prevent them from becoming larger problems.

How Do Torsion Springs Work?

Torsion springs became popular on garage doors shortly after the Second World War. Now, you can find them on as many garage doors as you do extension springs.

Torsion springs sit parallel to the garage door on the wall above the door. They are more powerful than extension springs and are more durable. Some homeowners argue that they are quieter. Their downside is that they are more expensive. They are dangerous to work on if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s not recommended that homeowners try to repair torsion springs themselves. They should leave the spring repair in Torrance up to garage door technicians.

Torsion springs are found on more expensive garage doors. In years past, garage doors came equipped with one large spring. However, newer doors are being installed with two smaller springs. This way, if one torsion spring breaks, the door will not come crashing down. However, it is not recommended to continue using your garage door if one of the torsion springs is broken. It will lead to uneven force being applied on other garage door parts, which could lead to damage.

Torsion springs can be left wind or right wind. If you have two torsion springs, the one on the left is the right wind, and the one on the right is the left wind. It is good to know this when shopping for replacement springs.

How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?

Although designed to last a long time, garage door springs don’t last forever. Typically, they will have lifecycle ratings ranging from 10,000 to 50,000. You will need to replace your garage door springs long before you need to do a complete garage door replacement.

One cycle equals opening and closing the door. It is difficult to say that your garage door will last for “X” amount of years. If you open and close the garage door two times a day and have springs rated for 10,000 cycles, they will last for approximately 13.6 years. If you open your garage door four times a day, the same springs will last for a little longer than 6.5 years. Some garage doors have springs that were installed three decades ago that still function because the homeowner rarely goes in and out the garage door.

Those might sound like large numbers. In the United States, though, most people use the garage door to enter and exit their house every day. They open and close their garage door more than a thousand times each year. That opening and closing action puts strain on the garage door springs. The pressure becomes worse with poorly calibrated door systems or in an area with harsh environmental conditions.

When Should You Seek Spring Repair in Torrance?

If garage doors in Torrance have rusty springs, they may need to be replaced. If you have kept up with the spring maintenance, which involves having them oiled regularly, and the rust issue is new, it may be enough to have professionals clean off the rust and lubricate the springs. However, if the corrosion has been there for some time, it may have compromised the structural integrity of the spring, meaning that you need to replace them.

If rollup garage doors are lifting unevenly, especially if they have two springs, this could indicate that one of them has snapped or that a spring is defective. This may be an indication that it is time to replace your garage doors springs.