Garage doors are made up of a collection of important components, all working together to keep the system running as it should. But perhaps the most important one of these components is the one that is most commonly overlooked. Maybe it’s because of their size, the fact that they are tucked away or don’t add any aesthetic value to the door itself, but for some reason, these vital little parts are often not regarded with the importance that they should. I am of course talking about garage door springs. This article is all about them. Why are they so important? What do they do? How can they be maintained safely? And what happens if they fail? Let us at Garage Door Repair Woodbury answer all your questions.
What are Garage Door Springs?
Let’s begin by describing these marvelous little devices. Springs are typically fitted to the door in pairs, and the type that you will use is often dependent on the type of door you have. For instance, if you have an overhead door, you will have it fitted with overhead extension springs. As we should all know by now, springs are tightly wound could of metal that are designed to hold tension and give resistance. Applying them to garages enables them to give a smoother lifting and closing action that we expect from them.
What is So Important About Springs?
As mentioned before, they provide smooth operation for your door. They do this by taking the bulk of the weight of your garage and supporting and balancing it between the two fitted springs. This means that each one functions with the same level of importance as the other, and come to rely on each other for adequate balancing, safety and proper operation. So if one of your torsion coil springs ends up failing on your system, the whole thing will quickly come out of balance, which can bring a range of its own problems.
But they don’t Last Forever
No, unfortunately nothing lasts forever, but that it’s okay. Keeping a close eye on the condition of your springs is important. They are constantly under enormous amounts of pressure (even when the door is not in use) because they do most of the work with supporting the frame’s weight. So at some point, stress marks, cracks and even rust might take hold of them, and once that happens it is just a matter of time before they break. Replacing them can be done with relative ease, but what is in place for when they do break? For this reason it is important to check that your garage door’s safety cable is in good condition and properly fitted, because if both of your springs fail, it is this cable that will stop it all from crashing down around you.
And so, you must look out for these seemingly small, yet undoubtedly important parts of your door. If you notice any signs of wear or tension issues, like strange noises, or change in the door’s speed, they might need to be examined, adjusted or replaced accordingly.