Has your garage door opener started to strain when raising and lowering your garage door? Do the torsion springs creak or grind when you try to operate your door opener? Is there visible damage or do they look broken? You may have a garage door torsion spring that needs to be replaced. While they may last the life of your home, extension springs are one of the most common repairs homeowners need in their garage. Torsion springs and cables see a lot of daily use and can fail or break due to wear and tear – in fact, it’s not uncommon to need to replace them every 4 to 8 years under heavy use.
When it comes to garage doors, DIY repair is common even when it comes to replacing springs. A quick internet search for “How to Install Garage Door Springs,” along with a basic explanation of what to do does not make anybody an expert and certainly does not make you able to DIY. Professionals advise homeowners to never tackle the issue of DIY spring replacement for a variety of reasons. Here’s a few reasons you shouldn’t attempt to replace your own garage door springs:
Torsion Spring Danger
The most important reason you should leave garage door spring repairs to an experienced technician is because it’s extremely dangerous. The average garage door can weigh between 200 to 500 pounds. Even when garage doors are broken, they are under extreme tension. When not properly removed with correct tools, tension can be released in ways that will put you at risk of injury. At least 2,000 people in the U.S. are injured every year attempting repairs of springs and cables. It’s no fun to end up with broken fingers or laceration injuries from uncoiling springs.
Using the Correct Springs
It’s difficult to determine which springs are the correct ones for your garage door just by looking at them. Even professionals with years of experience find it challenging to make sure they select the correct springs. There are a variety of measurements that need to be taken in order to find the appropriate replacement springs. Different springs that are the same length could have different diameters, weights or strengths. Using the correct parts is crucial. Using the wrong parts or incorrect tools can put too much tension on springs, causing them to wear out quickly, resulting in your door breaking or falling through. Using the wrong springs while you attempt to do a quick DIY repair could cause you to end up in the hospital.
Garage Door Spring Installation
Installing garage door springs is an art. There is a lot at stake if even one thing goes wrong when you are trying to fix them yourself. In addition to choosing the correct springs, and using the proper tools, springs have to be calibrated carefully to ensure that the door movement is even and smooth. If the calibration is off, jerky movements could damage your opener tracks and garage door. If you damage an expensive door by improperly installing garage springs, it could result in hundreds of dollars of repair bills making your garage door spring replacement more expensive than it should be.
Save Time and Money – Call A Garage Door Specialist First
Inevitably, when many DIYers try replacing garage door springs, they end up having to call in the help of a service professional because it really is a harder task than imagined. Maybe you won’t get injured, but you’ll probably end up wasting time running to the home improvement store repeatedly only to find you can’t complete the job. Save time and headaches – call on a professional service technician when your garage door springs need replacing.