Modern overhead garage doors rely on springs to help make opening and closing the door safe and easy. Garage doors can weigh between 100 lbs and 400 lbs and would be difficult or impossible to open without the assistance of the garage door springs. In addition, without the springs, a closing garage door could cause serious, potentially fatal injuries to anyone trapped under the door.
Garage door springs store energy as the door closes and releases that energy as the door is opened. Extension springs and torsion springs are the two common types of garage door springs. Extension springs are mounted along the horizontal garage door tracks and store energy by extending as the door is closed. They contract again when the garage door is opened. Torsion springs mount along the top of the door opening. Torsion springs coil and uncoil as the garage door is opened and closed.
When the springs are properly adjusted, even the heaviest garage doors can be manually opened with ease. To check if your garage door springs are properly adjusted, disengage the door from the automatic garage door opener and manually open the door halfway. When you release the door, it should remain in the half-opened position. If the door continues to open, the spring tension is too high. If the door starts closing, then the spring tension is too low.
In either case, have the garage door springs adjusted by a qualified garage door technician. Garage door springs are under tremendous tension and can easily cause a serious injury. Your garage door technician will have the training and experience to safely adjust your garage door springs to the proper tension.
