Garage Door Mechanism: How to Bend the Springs Safely

Modern garage doors make it easier to keep our vehicles within the safety of an enclosed structure. Innovations in garage door technology and design have made garage doors more appropriate to operate via remote control. This saves us the trouble of getting out of our vehicles in the middle of a rainstorm just to open the garage manually. Today’s garage door openers use a spring that provides the powerful tension needed for it to operate smoothly. However, continual use will inevitably wear down the spring, causing it to gradually lose that vital tension. It jeopardizes the safety of the garage door as well as the security of the garage and your entire home when the garage door spring gets broken. So if you inspect deterioration in the quality and performance of your garage door spring, inspect the mechanism thoroughly to see if you will need to wind the spring or replace it.

Torsion springs are critical parts of a home garage door opener that needs to be regularly inspected and lubricated. However, many people fail to check their garage door torsion cables and springs routinely. If you are starting to have problems opening or closing your garage door, your torsion springs could be worn down or broken. As time passes by torsion springs are subject to corrosion and ‘wear and tear’. These springs are tightly wound and are keep under very high tension to guarantee quiet and smooth operation of the garage door opener. Because of this extreme tension, even the highest quality steel springs will eventually wear out over time and snap.

Sudden breakage of the spring is very dangerous. To avoid serious injury or damage to property the springs are contained within a steel tube. It is advised to have your garage door opener torsion springs examined by a professional to check its condition. The springs should be replaced if necessary. Some of the signs of defective springs are squeaking and chattering sounds when opening or shutting the door and the appearance of worn or shredded strips of chafed cable.

When you begin to see these symptoms and signs, call up your professional garage door installer and have your garage door opener examined thoroughly. You should also schedule a yearly maintenance inspection of your garage door by a certified service technician to ensure that your garage mechanism is in top shape. Nevertheless, more experienced homeowners can replace and install torsion springs by following these steps:

•    Keep safe.  Always assume that the spring is going to break and the cone is going to explode or slip as you unwind and wind the spring and take precautions.
•    Cut the power of the opener and disengage it from the door.
•    Measure old and new springs. Never touch the winding cones and don't grab the spring.
•    Mark torsion shaft. To level the garage door after the new springs are installed these marks will help.
•    Unwind old spring that is not broken. Never touch a set screw without properly inserting a fitting bar into the winding cone.
•    Loosen and remove the bolts that secure the torsion cones to the spring bracket.
•    Replace the torsion springs.
•    Install the torsion hardware back again.
•    Wind new garage door springs.
•    Check and lube garage door.
•    Reconnect opener.