While broken garage door springs can cause a big headache and a terrible inconvenience, it unfortunately does happen. Knowing beforehand what causes garage door springs for breaking, when you are supposed to be replacement them can greatly help ease and even prevent the situation of not being able to get your car out of the garage.
Basically, garage door opener springs only have so many uses before they need replacement. It is estimated that springs last about 10,000 rounds. While that number seems like enough to last forever, people don’t always realize how often they open and close their garage door. It is recommended that people or families that use their garage doors a lot should consider installing extended life springs that are about double the price, however they last four times as long as regular springs. This is the most common reason for why they break, but there are also a few others that often times occur.
Cold winter weather and inclement precipitation including ice and snow can lead to the garage door freezing to the ground, which places tension on the spring. Also, cold weather in general can actually make the garage door spring stiff, thus potentially leading it to snap and need replacement.
As mentioned before, all garage door springs eventually break from normal wear and tear. Proper maintenance, however, can extend the lifespan of your springs. The better maintenance, the longer your springs will last. You should test the balance of your garage door and lubricate the springs throughout the year. To test the balance, all you need to do is lift up the door at the halfway mark and then let it go. If everything is in order, it should not move at all. If the door falls even a little, it definitely needs to be checked out soon.
Rust causes an increase in friction and greatly decreases the lifespan of the springs. Rust can be easily prevented by making sure to spray lubricant about three or four times a year.
While there are a lot of ways to identify by yourself what causes broken springs, it is very important to let a professional help you fix them. It is often times tempting to try to figure out how to fix it yourself, however it is very dangerous and can end up costing much more money in the end. Please contact us today at 219-696-4279 to learn how we can help fix your garage door springs. We deal with both residential and commercial garage door issues in Lowell and the surrounding areas.