The garage door coil springs in your garage door are easy to overlook, but they’re an essential part of keeping your door closed safely. Without the springs, you’d have to manually push your garage door open by hand. The problem is that the springs lose their elasticity over time, and this can cause the loosening and binding of the door. The best way to extend the life of your springs is by installing new coil springs in them every couple of years. If you’re not sure how often to replace them or whether you need to call a professional at Johnsons Mobile Garage Door Repair, follow along with our guide below. Here we’ll explain what your spring needs are, how often to replace the garage door coil springs on your garage-style garage doors, and where you should get replacement parts if yours are broken.
What is a Garage Door Coil Spring?
Garage door coil springs contract and expands under tension to support a load. Most garage door systems use a coil spring system to open and close the door. This type of spring made of a steel coil wrapped around a rubber or plastic form. In a coil spring, the coil wrapped around a continuous rubber form to create a dual-action coil system. The garage door coil spring slowly extends and compress until the rubber is compressed, then the rubber expands, allowing the door to open. Inside the garage, the coil spring is protected by a vinyl sheath.
The rubber form of the door seal placed against the coil to create an airtight seal that resists air leaks, keeping air and water inside the garage and preventing mildew from forming. When you close the door, the coil expands against the rubber form, creating resistance. This action is also what holds the door closed.
How Often Do You Need to Change Your Garage Door Springs?
For most residential garage doors, you can extend the life of your coil springs by replacing the springs every two to three years. If you have heavier use of your garage door, or if it used frequently outside on a sunny day, you may need to change the garage door springs more frequently. Before you begin, be sure to suspend any projects in progress while you’re in there. If you don’t have a place to put everything after the installation is complete, you’ll have no place to put everything.
Also, make sure to put a piece of painter’s tape on the door frame so you remember which side you were working on. For garage doors that are less than 10 years old, you can extend the life of the springs by about five to ten percent by just changing the tension on the springs. For any old-style doors, you can replace the springs along with the track. This will help to keep your door operating at peak efficiency for longer.
Wear and tear on your springs
If your springs suddenly become less able to support the door, or if the door stops closing completely, you might have a broken spring. You can check this by putting a paint roller or other large object under the door as you open it. If the door swings freely and closes without any resistance, it’s likely that the springs have broken. A door that has worn springs and no longer provides enough support will sag in the middle, even if they aren’t broken. This means that you’ll have to use the door more often to compensate for the excess weight of the door. At the end of the day, the door will sag enough to close properly. If this happens, it’s time to get new garage door coil springs.
How to Install a New Garage Door Spring
Most homeowners with basic mechanical skills can install a new garage door spring. If you’ve never replaced a garage door spring before, don’t worry it isn’t hard at all. The most important thing to remember as you install a new garage door spring is that you need to do it right the first time. If you make a mistake, such as putting the wrong size or type of spring in the door, you could damage the door, the door track, or both.
There are lots of things that could go wrong while you’re working on the door, so make sure you have everything you need before you start. If you do have a question while you’re installing or doing the work, make sure to write it down and make sure anyone who is there with you knows what you’re doing. If you’re working alone, make sure to put a note on the door and on your body so you don’t forget where you’re at.
Call Johnsons Mobile Garage Door Repair!
Johnsons Mobile Garage Door Repair is one of the most respected and trustworthy companies in the area. Their quality services and competitive prices are just a few of the reasons why so many families rely on them for all their garage door repair needs. We can help with garage door torsion spring replacement. We are the experts in garage door torsion springs services.
The team at Johnsons Mobile Garage Door Repair is excellent and trained in all aspects of garage door repair. Plus, they have all the necessary parts and equipment on hand to get the job done right the first time.
Whatever your needs may be, we have the expertise and experience to meet them. That means you can trust their work to be of the highest quality.