What Is the Lifespan of a Torsion Spring?

December 2nd, 2017 Posted in Garage Door Torsion Springs
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Have you ever had a spring break on your garage door? It can happen at any time – while you are leaving for work or even in the middle of the night. Once the spring breaks, you may not be able to open your garage door, trapping your vehicles inside or out. If you have a torsion spring on your garage door, it is best to replace it before it breaks unexpectedly. So, how long is the lifespan of a torsion spring and when should you replace it?

Torsion springs are common in garage door opening systems. Without a working spring, the opener cannot do its job. Since torsion springs are extended when the door is closed, it is more likely to break when the door is shut. When it snaps, a loud cracking sound will occur, and your garage door will not open. The spring is used to easily move a door that weighs hundreds of pounds. Without it, the door is not mobile, and the spring will need to be replaced.

The lifespan of a torsion spring all depends on the amount of cycles it is rated to complete and how often it is used. The average cycle rate is about 10,000 cycles, but some higher quality garage door springs can be rated for two to three times that amount. If you open and close your door twice a day, an average spring can last about 10-15 years. The more often you use your garage door, the shorter the lifespan will be.

It is important to note the rating of cycles for your torsion spring and when it is installed. You can average the frequency of use to come up with a close estimate of when it should be replaced. When it is nearing its expected cycle amount, call your local garage door service to proactively replace your spring to avoid a breakdown of your garage door opening system.

Posted on behalf of:
Habpro
The Garage Door Specialists
Snellville, GA 30039
(770) 985-3355

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How Old Is Your Garage Door Spring?

January 31st, 2016 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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If you don’t know the answer to, “How old is your garage door spring?”, it may be time to find out. Like all mechanical devices, garage door openers and their working parts wear out and need maintenance and service. Most garage door springs will last several years with normal wear and tear. However, you don’t want to wait until your spring breaks in the middle of the night to find out it needs to be replaced. You could end up with your vehicle stuck in your garage until a garage door service can replace your spring.

When a garage door spring snaps, it can be dangerous. Most garage doors weight a few hundred pounds and a snapped spring could allow your door to crash down on your vehicle, or worse, you or someone in your family. Because of the high tension and risk of injury, springs should be replaced by a professional that has the experience and training to safely remove the spring and install a new one.

The best way to avoid a surprise garage door spring break is to have your garage door regularly serviced. A maintenance service will ensure your door is balanced, that all sensors are working correctly, parts are lubricated, and a full inspection can be performed on the entire system, including the spring. If this is done annually, your garage door service company can recommend when the spring should be replaced before it breaks on its own. This can save you the inconvenience of having your garage door malfunction at an inopportune time or cause injury or damage when the spring breaks unexpectedly.

Posted on behalf of Habpro
Dacula, GA 30019
(770) 985-3355

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SAFE Garage Door Tips For Children

July 1st, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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Garage doors can be fascinating for kids; anything that moves up and down at the push of a button can draw their attention. However, garage doors are not toys and can be extremely dangerous to a child. Weighing hundreds of pounds with many moving parts, garage doors can easily become the source of injury to a child if safety precautions are not followed in your home. With summer ahead, many garage doors will be left open while doing home projects, so now is a good time to review some SAFE garage door tips. 

  • Spring inspection. Your garage door springs are one of the most dangerous components of your door system. If the spring breaks unexpectedly while the door is open, it can come crashing down, causing injury. Make sure to have your springs regularly inspected and replaced as needed by a garage door professional.
     
  • Adjust sensors. Your garage door opener most likely has safety laser sensors to ensure that the door does not close on objects below. Adjust your sensors to ensure they are properly aligned and working correctly.
     
  • Fingers need to stay clear. Make sure that children are not touching cables or any parts of the garage door, especially when it is opening or closing. It only takes a second for a finger or hand to get caught and seriously injured.
     
  • Educate children on garage door safety. Kids need to know not to play with or around garage doors. Garage door openers should be at least five feet off the ground; however, the best solution is to keep kids away from playing around garage doors altogether. 

As useful and convenient as a garage door system is, it can be dangerous, especially to kids when safety precautions are not followed. Take the time this spring to have your garage door inspected and tuned-up by your local garage door service professional.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

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Garage Door Spring Replacement

June 3rd, 2014 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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Garage door springs are an essential element to make automatic garage doors open and close. The springs are used to counterbalance the weight of the heavy garage door to make it easy for the motor to open and close the door easily. The springs are equally balanced by the weight of the door. For instance, a door that weighs 150 pounds will require a spring force of 150 pounds to pull against the door. Balancing garage door springs can be very dangerous because of the tension applied on the spring when it is stretched. It is always, ALWAYS best to call a garage door specialist when any part of your garage door needs to be repaired because most repairs involve replacing or adjusting the garage door springs. Many accidents, injuries, and deaths have occurred from do-it-yourself home repairs. 

Torsion springs are used to balance a garage door by applying torque to the shaft with drums at each end. A cable is attached to each drum and extends to the bottom fixture at the bottom of the door where it is secured. In order to have a balanced system, the torsion spring must unwind and wind as the garage door opens and closes. Extension springs are typically mounted along the sides of the garage door or above the horizontal tracks. These springs stretch and contract as the door opens and closes to counterbalance the weight of the door. Whenever there is damage to a spring or cable, there is a high possibility that a cable could snap or that the door could fall. Because of this risk, only a trained and licensed professional should handle any type of garage door spring repairs. 

A garage door spring replacement is often essential whenever a garage door is not functioning properly. However, it is important to know that this repair is a highly dangerous one and should be left to the professionals. Call your local garage door repair company for any assistance that your garage door needs.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

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Serious Signs That Your Garage Door Needs Service

December 6th, 2013 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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Your garage door is a rather complicated system made up of several components and moving parts.

While you do not need to become a garage door expert, it’s a good idea that you become familiar with the most common signs that your garage door seriously requires repair.

Is Your Garage Door Uneven?

A garage door that is an uneven or lopsided while descending or ascending is definitely in need of repair. The possible causes range from broken or frayed springs to a seriously worn torsion spring. Severe injury can result from improperly repairing or replacing torsion springs. It is highly recommended to allow a trained garage door technician to service your garage door, especially garage door spring repairs

Does Your Garage Door Make Strange or Loud Noises?

Strange, loud noises are one of the first signs that there is something wrong or broken with your garage door. Pinpointing the origin of your garage door’s noise can be a challenge. A trained technician can inspect your door, locate the noise, and repair the problem.

Will Your Garage Door Just Not Open?

Your garage door’s failure to open can be the result of various problems. However, here are a couple of basic factors for you to consider, if your garage door won’t open. Ask yourself the following two questions:

  1. Is your garage door uneven in the track?
  2. Did you hear any strange or unusual noises coming from your garage door before it malfunctioned?

If your answer to either of the above two questions is “yes,” then it is recommended for you to call a professional to repair your garage door.

Posted on behalf of Legacy Garage Doors

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Repairing Broken Garage Door Springs

October 23rd, 2013 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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Do-it-yourself home repairs and renovations are all the rage right now. There are entire television networks dedicated solely to DIY projects, but that doesn’t mean that all projects are created equal. Unless you’re a licensed professional with extensive experience, there are some projects you just shouldn’t attempt on your own. 

One such project is the repair of broken torsion or extension springs on your garage door. The springs that help your door open and close are under an enormous amount of tension. Torsion springs especially are tightly wound and potentially dangerous, especially to the inexperienced homeowner attempting to make a repair. Not only could you cause significant injury to yourself in the event of an attempted repair gone awry, but also anyone standing in close proximity. Attempting to repair broken garage door springs may also lead to more significant damage to the door itself. In the end, DIY garage door spring repairs can be much more expensive that simply calling a professional from the outset. 

Because torsion spring repairs and replacements are considered very dangerous, it’s often difficult for a non-licensed individual to obtain the correct replacement springs. Working with a professional garage door installation and repair technician ensures not only your safety, but also that you’ll be able to get the right parts for the job. If you suspect that your garage door is in need of repair, be sure to contact a competent technician in your area to ensure that repairs are conducted in a safe and timely manner. Your local garage door installation and repair professional is trained and equipped to handle this dangerous repair, and to do so in a way that mitigates risk to your person or property.

 

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Replacing Broken Torsion Springs

July 25th, 2013 Posted in Garage Door Repairs
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Depending upon the weight, type, and size of your garage door, it might have one or two torsion springs.  Over time the torsion springs, which raise and lower your garage door, experience wear and tear. Because of them wearing out, torsion springs begin losing their ability to adequately counterbalance your garage door’s weight. Eventually, your garage door’s torsion springs aren’t able to move your garage door at all. 

Occasionally, people with two torsion springs will opt to replace only one of them.  This is not recommended. Here are two reasons why it’s better to replace both torsion springs rather than simply replacing the broken one. 

  1. When one torsion spring breaks, the other spring then has to bear the weight of your entire garage door by itself. Replacing only the broken torsion spring and having the system reset will not result in a properly balanced garage door. Seeing as how the unbroken spring has been bearing all the weight, it won’t be able to fully do its job after the broken spring is replaced.
     
  2. You’ll have to call your professional garage door company again (perhaps sooner than expected) so that they can replace the other torsion spring when it inevitably breaks. This results in you having to spend more money and time dealing with your garage door. Replacing both torsion springs at the same time is typically less expensive than having one torsion spring replaced at a time. 

It’s important that your torsion springs be inspected periodically to make sure they are not too worn or fatigued to bear the load of your garage door. Attempting to tinker with or replace torsion springs on your own can be dangerous. A professional garage door repair company is highly recommended to complete the inspection and replacement of broken torsion springs.

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Garage Door Springs Basic Information

September 17th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Spring Replacement
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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.

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Hire a Professional For Garage Door Spring Repairs

September 17th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Springs
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Garage door springs are a very important component of your garage door.  Without the springs, the garage door would be difficult or impossible to open.  In addition, garage door springs must be properly adjusted for the door to operate smoothly and safely.  A garage door either has torsion springs mounted over the opening parallel with the door or extension springs mounted along the horizontal door tracks.

These springs are made of steel and are designed to last for thousands of opening and closing cycles, but over time the springs fatigue and need to be adjusted.  Eventually, garage door springs will break and need to be replaced.

If your garage door springs need to be adjusted or if you need to replace a broken garage door spring, this is one time that you should call a reputable garage door contractor instead of trying to do it yourself.  The main reason is that garage door springs can be very dangerous if handled improperly.  The springs are under tremendous pressure and can cause a serious injury or even death if pressure is suddenly released.

In addition, garage door springs may all look alike, but there are many different sizes and lengths.  The springs must be matched to your garage door in order to work properly.   Finally, proper adjustment is critical for your garage door to operate properly and safely.  Improperly adjusted garage door springs can put an unnecessary strain on the automatic opener causing it to wear out quickly.  More importantly, an improperly adjusted garage door can be a safety hazard, especially for pets and children.  An experienced garage door technician can replace or adjust your garage door springs.

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Why Do Garage Door Springs Break?

September 14th, 2012 Posted in Garage Door Spring Replacement
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Overhead garage doors use lift assist springs to help open the door.  Garage doors are much heavier than most people realize.  A single garage door can weigh 100 pounds and double garage doors can weigh 200 pounds or more.  Without the lift assist springs, the garage door would be very difficult if not impossible for a homeowner to open by hand.

Garage door springs are placed under very high loads every time the garage door is closed.  Depending on your family’s usage habits, a garage door might be opened and closed 500 to 1,000 times per year.  Each opening and closing is called a cycle and the metal in the spring is fatigued slightly during each cycle.  After a certain number of cycles, the spring will fail.

Most garage door springs will last between 5 and 10 years depending on the quality of the steel in the spring, the size of the spring, and the garage door opening and closing habits of the homeowner and their family.  When one garage door spring fails, both springs should be replaced by an experienced garage door technician.  The non-broken spring will not be as strong as the new spring and the door could become unbalanced.  In addition, when one spring fails, the second spring is usually not far behind.  Having both springs replaced together will help the door operate smoothly and avoid a second service call by your garage door repair technician.

Never try to replace or repair a garage door spring yourself.  Garage door springs are under tremendous pressure and the force of a suddenly released spring can maim or kill.  Garage door technicians have the training and experience in garage door service and repair to safely handle garage door spring.

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