Signs Your Garage Door Spring May be Broken

An average garage door opens between 3 to 5 times each day. This means that throughout the year, a garage door can open and close around 1,500 times! Naturally, this means that it will be susceptible to wear and tear. One of the things that often get damaged due to wear and tear is the garage door spring, say experts at J & E Garage Door, specialists in garage door repair in Batavia.

In case the spring of your garage door has also broken down, it is advisable to get it fixed immediately. A broken spring is not only a nuisance, it can lead to accidents as well. But many people do not even realize that their garage door spring is broken. So, here are some tips to help you spot a faulty spring.

Signs that Your Spring is Damaged

Some of the signs of a damaged soring are: 

• Loose Garage Cables

If you find your garage door cables becoming loose or slack all of a sudden, then the problem might not be with the cables. Most of the times, the loose cables are due to an issue with the torsion spring. The cables are kept taut by a tightly wound spring. But when the spring breaks and uncoils, the cables slip out of their place, and appear loose. 

• The Door Appears Bent

Another sign that the springs are worn out is that your garage door appears crooked or bent. In such cases, the problem is generally with the extension springs. The extension springs are another type of springs commonly used in garage doors. They are placed on both sides of the door and each of them pulls independently. In case one of the springs is broken, then equal force would not be applied from both the sides. This can lead to your garage door becoming crooked. If you are experiencing this problem, it is best to get it fixed immediately. High-quality garage door opener and installation services in Batavia can fix this problem promptly.

• Torsion Spring Gap

If you have a garage door with a torsion spring, it is a good idea to know where they are placed and how they look. This would help you in distinguishing between a normal spring and a broken one. One of the signs of a broken torsion spring is the appearance of a gap. The torsion system is normally made of 2 springs, with little to no gap between them. But when the springs break and unwind, a 1- to 2-inch gap can appear between them. 

• Loud Noise

The springs are made of metal, wound on top of a bar. These springs are under immense tension. When they break, they unwind from the metal bar, in a fraction of second. A large amount of force is released in this process. And this creates a big noise, which some say is comparable to a gun shot. 

• Jerky Opening and Closing

Garage doors are made to open and close with one smooth motion. But when one of the springs breaks, the other spring has to compensate for it. This makes the motion of the doors erratic. 

Apart from these, if your garage door opens a few inches and then falls down, it could be due to a broken spring. If you experience any of these problems, consider getting help from experienced garage door opener and installation service providers, such as J & E Garage Door in Batavia.