As of 2017, 63% of all houses have a garage or carport. Garages, especially ones attached to the home, offer homeowners convenience, safety, and security when leaving and returning home.

But what good is your garage if the door springs have gone bad? Without proper maintenance, your garage loses all its glamour and glory.

Not sure how to tell if your garage door springs need replacing? You’ve come to the right place. We have the most popular signs it’s time to replace your garage door springs – check it out below.

Types of Garage Door Springs

If you’re new to learning about garage doors, you may not know there is more than one type of spring. You’ll need to know about both to determine which kind you have and the signs each one needs replacing.

Torsion Springs

Made with tightly wound coils of metal (also known as torque springs), torsion springs are the most common type of garage door springs. These springs cause the torque which lifts the garage doors up.

There are two main ways to tell if you need to replace your torsion springs. The first is to disconnect your garage door opener and manually raise the door. If the door doesn’t stay in an upright position by itself, your torsion springs aren’t doing their job.

While your garage door opener is disconnected, move the door to a mid-level position – this is halfway between fully open and fully closed. If the door stays in this position, you don’t need to worry about replacing the torsion springs yet.

But if the door begins to lower on its own or feels heavy, it’s a sign the springs are starting to break. In contrast, if the door feels unusually light, you might need to check the sizing of your torsion springs for your garage door.

Torsion springs last anywhere from four to nine years. This depends on how often you use your garage door, though.

Extension Springs

Extension springs are the most common residential garage door spring. Two extension springs, which are attached to the garage door tracks, run perpendicular to the door. Although most extension springs come in pairs, some garage door openers have one single spring between the tracks.

When your garage door opens or closes, the springs expand and contract. As the springs expand, they absorb energy. Once the door closes, they “charge”, releasing the energy when the door opens again.

You can test to see if your extension springs need replacing in almost the same way you test torsion springs, though there are ways to see if your springs have already broken.

The first way is to look at the physical springs – are there any gaps in the coils? If so, this is a sign the steel the springs are made from has given out. This means they can’t create the tension they need to open or close the garage door.

You can also check to see if both sides of your garage door are still aligned. If one side appears higher or lower than the other, one of the extension springs have given out and can’t open or close that side of the door anymore.

Other Signs

In addition to the specific signs for each spring mentioned above, there are a few more worth mentioning. If you notice:

Rust or Corrosion

If you don’t regularly maintain your garage doors, there’s a good chance corrosion and rust have weakened the garage door springs. Once this has set in, your springs needing replacement aren’t far behind.

This is easily avoidable with regular checkups and garage door maintenance.

Loss of Elasticity

Think about how often you use your garage doors. Do open and close the door every morning and night when you leave and return for work? Or is it mostly used for storage with the occasional opening?

Depending on how often you open and close your doors will determine how stretched your springs get. If you use your garage door on a daily basis, those springs are getting more and more stretched every day.

Over time, those springs will lose their elasticity – just like a stretched rubber band. If you’ve had our garage door springs for a while, it’s a good idea to check how their elasticity is doing.

You can do this by disconnecting the garage door opener and manually open the door. As we mentioned earlier with torsion springs, if the door can’t stay open by itself, they’ve probably lost their elasticity.

Unusual Noises During Operation

Do you hear loud and unusual noises when you try to open and close your garage door? Anything making noises which have you questioning their performance is worth checking out.

Garage door springs shouldn’t make any moaning or grinding noises. Although you can remedy this with by lubricating them, it will only fix the problem temporarily. It’s likely you’re springs are damaged and need immediate replacing.

Uneven Opening

We mentioned the alignment of your garage door earlier in the article. Take some time to watch your garage door open and close. Does one side move faster than the other?

If so, one spring has already checked out with the other not far behind. Any uneven opening or closing is a clear sign you need to replace your garage door springs.

When to Replace Garage Door Springs

Having a garage door opening is one of the most convenient parts of owning a home. It makes for safe comings and goings, plus protects your car or personal belongings from outside weather.

But if your garage doors stop working, it’s likely due to your garage door springs needing replacement. Luckily there are plenty of signs to tell in advance if you need to replace the springs, most of which we covered in the content above!

Want to join the automatic garage door community or think you need service on your garage doors? Make sure to check out our residential services and see how we can help!

The garage may only be a small portion that makes up your home, but over the course of the day, it does so much. If you’re like most folks, you take your car in and out pretty frequently, at least twice a day, if not more.

All the use your old garage door gets means that wear and tear develop over time. For an old garage door, this means the chances of breaking down increases.

There are ways to preserve your garage and keep in working in prime condition. Read on and learn more about various tricks that help extend the life of your garage door with only a little effort on your behalf.

Use with care when dealing with an old garage door

Using care is obvious, but many people don’t realize the importance of going easy with their garage door.

That means exercising care by:

• Not opening and closing the door repeatedly
• Not allowing children to play with the garage door opener

The less you open your garage door unless absolutely needed, the longer it’ll last. If you have an alternative door to use when going in to get something stored in the garage (and not driving anywhere), it’s even easier to maintain the life of the door.

This might sound like a difficult habit to break, but once you get into a routine of only using your garage door when absolutely necessary, you’ll avoid further problems and keep it around longer.

If you live in an area where cold weather affects your buildings, pay attention to how you can keep your garage in prime condition. Learn how to winterize your garage and keep it safe, no matter how much the temps drop.

Evaluate the balance once a year on your garage door

Every garage door has a balance that keeps it working properly. This allows the door to open and close automatically, without you worrying about it not closing fully.

Evaluating the balance on the garage door is important because it prevents further problems from occurring. Catching the problem early on means it’s easier to fix and usually cheaper.

It’s time to have a professional look at your door if you notice problems such as:

• The garage door doesn’t close fully
• The door isn’t closing evenly
• There are issues getting it open

There’s no reason for your old garage door to not work properly if there are issues with the balance. All it needs is TLC from a professional who knows how to fix them, and you’ll find it works as good as new.

Ensure the system stays clean and check performance

Garage door systems can run into problems if they haven’t gotten cleaned recently. Similarly, noticing an issue in the performance and neglecting to have to fixed contributes to further problems.

Because your garage door is outside, it withstands the elements and a variety of other things that could get into the system. Dirt, gravel, and other elements sometimes blow into garages and can get into the system.

Make sure your garage area is kept free of birds nest, spider webs, and other forces of nature that create issues when left unattended. Doing so prevents a host of problems and makes your life easier.

Check out the performance and make sure everything works normally. Don’t just do a quick once-over when you’re pulling out.

Make time to open the garage door and examine if it’s slow, not pulling back all the way, or showing signs of neglect somewhere. Old garage doors that are starting to show signs of neglect in certain areas cause further problems and create strain.

Once your garage door is straining, it’s putting pressure on other parts, causing certain areas to pull double duty to get the door open or closed. Correct it early on before it becomes an issue, and you won’t need to worry about having to replace the whole door later on.

if you’re looking for a change of pace, check out our blog on high-speed doors, and see if this is the best option for you.

Have a professional assess your garage door

Many people put off having a professional come to their house to check out how everything is working. They usually find it an unnecessary expense and want to save money, thinking nothing is wrong.

This sounds like a good idea, but it’s important to have everything checked out for your safety. A garage door that works properly protects you and your family from having items stolen, keeps your cars safe and dry, and prevents unwanted visitors from getting in.

Make time to have someone come out and check on your garage door. If you notice a small problem, you’ll prevent it from turning into something bigger. Garage doors that don’t close properly are dangerous to have around, especially if you have children or pets.

Besides that, you won’t have to tread carefully and worry about how much longer your door lasts, or take care of maintenance yourself, with the help of a professional.

Make getting your garage door serviced an annual checkup, and see how simple it is to keep this extension of your home safe.

Learn more

When you think of your garage door as an extension of your home, and an important storage unit for the whole family, you understand the importance of keeping your old garage door in working order. Checking for problems and calling a professional when routine maintenance is needed helps you preserve the life of your door.

If you’re looking for a serviceman to help get your garage back on track, troubleshoot problems, or want a new door installed, let us help. Contact us, and see how we can assist you in keeping your “second home” in prime condition.