Have you noticed that your garage door opener is working harder than it used to? Does your garage door seem heavy and hard to open by hand? Your garage door rollers may be binding up, but the more likely cause is weak garage door springs.
There are two types of garage door springs. Torsion springs are mounted across the top of the door opening and coil and uncoil as the garage door opens and closes. Extension springs are mounted along the upper garage door rails extend and contract as the door opens and closes.
Garage door springs help keep the garage door balanced by assisting with opening the door. Garage door springs are coils of heavy duty metal that carry some of the weight of a closed or closing garage door. Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds and without these springs they would be very difficult to open and hard to control while closing.
As a garage door spring gets older, it starts losing its strength which causes the opener to work harder and the door to seem heavier. If your garage door springs are more than 7 to 10 years old, it may be time to replace them. Each garage door spring will only work for a certain number of “cycles” of opening and closing. For a garage door that opens and closes twice a day, the springs should last at least 7 years before showing significant sings of agin.
If you have newer springs, your garage door technician may be able to adjust the spring tension so that the door opens and closes properly. Older, weak springs are due for a replacement.
Your local garage door service company can help you with a spring adjustment and determine if that will solve the problem Otherwise they can safely install fresh new springs that will last for years.
