Spring Break in the Garage

We’re not talking about throwing yourself a fun Spring Break party in your garage. We’re talking about that strange, loud noise that you heard that might have made you think your garage was under siege. When you step into the garage to locate the source of the sound, you might not have noticed anything out of place at first. However, when you opened up the garage door the next time, you notice that it is making a strange sound and does not seem to be working right. In those cases, there is a good chance that the lifting spring has snapped in two.

You might be wondering what could have possibly happened that caused the spring to break, and you may feel that you should have seen the warning signs. Below, we will talk about some of the main reasons that a lifting spring might break. First, though, let’s learn a bit more about these spring systems.

Your Spring System

With residential garage doors, two types of systems are in use today – torsion springs and extension springs.

Torsion springs feature a steel tube that is located over the head of the garage door. It is attached securely to the wall, and the weight of the door is transferred to the anchor plate located at the center of the door. If there is not enough headroom over the door, the plate could be located at the end of the horizontal tracks instead. If that is how your garage door is set up, this is called a double horizontal system, or a low headroom system.

With extension spring systems, the springs will be found at each side of the door. They will be placed over horizontal tracks. Whenever the door is lifted or lowered, the springs will extend. With these systems, you will likely have safety cables installed with the springs, as long as you were working with professional installer. These cables help to keep everything in the garage, including your valuable belongings, your vehicle, and you save in the event that the spring breaks.

The spring system will also act at the counterweight for the door’s overall weight. This means that if you have a door that weighs 135lbs or more, you can still lift that door and lower it with just one hand. That is because it is counterbalanced properly. In fact, when properly counterbalanced, they should only weigh between 8 and 10lbs, typically. This is true even with an electric garage door opener. The opener is not required to move the full weight of the door, even if it has the capability. Instead, it is meant to replace the manual labor involved in opening the door.

Why Do Lifting Springs Break?

There is no single cause for spring lifts to break. Instead, it could be any number of reasons. Let’s look at some of the typical problems.

• Defects in Manufacturing – While many garage door springs are going to last for several years without worry, there is always the possibility that there could be a manufacturing defect. When this occurs with extension springs, it is typically because the ring at the end of the spring breaks. With torsion springs, it could be that the galvanizing was not high‑quality, which could cause rust and then a break.
• Wear – The more the springs are used the more wear they receive. In most cases, the springs will last for between five and seven years. Many garage door manufacturers today will provide 10,000‑cycle spring systems. Some may even offer 20,000 to 25,000 cycles. A cycle is one opening and shutting of the garage door, so if you were to go through four cycles a day, this would be close to 1,500 cycles a year.
• Improper Spring Calibration – In some instances, the spring system might not be installed properly. You might find that even though the garage door still opens and closes, it is placing too much stress on the spring, along with the door and the opener. If there is more than a 5% variation, this can cause problems, and eventually the spring could break.
• The Environment – Garages are often subject to environmental conditions that are not in the home. It is colder and more humid in the garage, and this can be true even when there is some heating and installation. Because the springs are near the door and the walls, even with galvanization, rust can cause problems with the metal. When it is extremely cold, under -15F (-26F), the spring could even dry out, which could cause it to break.
• Lack of Proper Maintenance – Garage doors and their components require maintenance to last as long as they should. Garaga believes that lubricating the metal parts that come into contact with other metal parts can help to lengthen the life of the springs. This should be done about twice a year, once when the weather gets cold and again when the temperatures are above freezing.

Lubricating the Springs

When it comes to lubricating the springs throughout the year, you will want to use petroleum based oil, such as the oil that you would use for your vehicle. Add it to the coils with a cloth and simply wipe away any excess. It takes only a couple of minutes, and it gives that added bit of maintenance to help your springs last longer. However, you do need to make sure that you are never using a product like WD‑40, which is a degreaser. This is not meant for lubrication of metal parts. At Garaga, you can find the lubricants you’ll need that are specifically for garage doors.

Need Some Help?

If you need to have a hand when it comes to taking proper care of your garage door, you are in luck. We provide a “Garage Door Tune‑up” program, and we can take care of ensuring that your garage door is ready to go and that it doesn’t have any major issues that will cause you problems.

You can contact us. We have been working with garage doors for years and we understand them better than others. We can provide you with some advice on what you should be doing for your garage door, while still maintaining your budget. If you would like, we can also provide you with a quotation by email.

You might also want to consider visiting our showroom. Those who are looking to change their garage door can check out the Design Centre and image gallery to find some great ideas and options.