While there are certainly many maintenance tasks that the handy homeowner can do themselves when it comes to overhead garage doors, replacing the garage door springs isn’t one of them. Garage door springs are dangerous. Avoid unnecessary risk – garage door spring repairs or replacement is one job you should leave for your local garage door service professional.
If you are having trouble with your garage door not functioning smoothly and quietly, you can test the door by opening and closing it manually. If it still seems to operate with difficulty, then your springs may possibly be out-of-balance. If the door does not move at all when the garage door opener is activated, yet you hear the motor of the opener trying to move, then your springs may have broken.
All garage doors will have one of two different types of springs. Torsion springs can be seen over the top of your closed garage door, whereas extension springs can be found on both sides of the door above the tracks. The springs are the most important part of actually raising and lowering your garage door and, as such, they are tightly wound and under a great deal of tension. Just think of weight they carry as they raise and lower the door.
Regardless of the type of spring on your garage door, should they snap or break while you are attempting to work on them, they can potentially cause serious injury. Furthermore, the springs of your garage door are attached to brackets at the bottom of the door. Like the springs, these brackets are also under a lot of tension and should only be adjusted by a professional garage door service technician with the experience necessary to do the job safely.
