Replacing a garage door spring is a difficult and dangerous task best left to the experts
Garage door springs are a very important part of any garage door opener system because they provide the mechanical force needed to raise and lower your garage door. Without functional springs, your garage door will be essentially out of commission until you can get them repaired. You might be tempted to try to make this repair yourself in order to get the job done faster or cheaper. However, bear in mind that this is a very difficult and dangerous repair for a layperson to do. Carroll Garage Doors employs expert garage door technicians who can respond promptly to your request and complete the repair in a safe and affordable manner, so why not leave it to the pros? Here are 6 reasons you’ll be glad you did.
1. Unwinding broken springs can cause serious injury. Garage door springs have to be under tremendous tension in order to provide the power for moving heavy garage doors. Even when broken, parts of the spring coil can remain under pressure. They may suddenly uncoil and potentially cause serious injury or property damage if you don’t know how to handle them.
2. It’s easy for amateurs to buy the wrong replacement spring. There are many different types of garage door springs. You need to select the one with the right length, wire size, inside diameter, spring wind, and end type. While you can take all these measurements yourself and/or bring the old spring to a store to help find a matching replacement part, with so many numbers to work with you may make a mistake. Working with the wrong spring is a waste of time, money, and effort.
3. Replacing garage door springs requires special tools. Unwinding old broken springs to remove them and installing new springs requires special tools. You won’t find these items in your average handyman’s toolbox. While garage door spring repair can be done with other tools, it makes it more dangerous.
4. Experts know how to calibrate spring tension properly. Getting the new spring into position is just part of the challenge. It also needs to be calibrated to have the proper tension and balance. Experienced garage door technicians know how to do this, and there will be no guessing or jerry rigging involved.
5. Improperly installed springs can damage your garage door. If the new garage door springs are not installed correctly, you will not only face poor performance issues but also potential damage to the garage door itself. For example, in a two-spring system, unbalanced springs can result in uneven motion that may twist the rails and eventually warp the door.
6. Experts know that if you have a two-spring system, both springs need replacing. One of the most common amateur mistakes is not replacing both springs at once in a two-spring system. In order for the springs to remain in balance as they age, they need to start from equal footing. Two new springs will age in sync, but a new spring and an old one will quickly get out of balance.
