Many garage doors
use springs as the
mechanism to raise and lower them.
Garage door springs
come in two
types – torsion springs and extension springs.
Torsion springs are the ones that are wound
up above the garage door opening itself. They are wound around a rod,
and there are two – one on either side of the center line.
These are very, very, very tightly wound,
and if one breaks,
don’t touch the door. People have been maimed and killed
trying to fix torsion springs, so do yourself a favor and call a
professional.
If one spring breaks, have both replaced,
because they
often break within a few months of each other, due to similar age and
wear and tear.
It’s important enough to repeat
– do
NOT try to repair, tighten, or loosen a torsion spring yourself! It is
not a good do it yourself job. You may be injured or even killed!
The other kind of garage door springs are
extension springs. These are the ones on the left and right side of the
garage that run along the upper, left, and right door tracks.
While
it’s still a tricky job to replace one of these springs, it
is much more doable for a do it yourselfer. The risk of injury is not
nearly as bad as with a torsion spring.
However, these springs still
contain deadly force when stretched (when the door is closed), so pay
careful attention to what you’re doing, work with a partner,
and follow instructions carefully.
Do not allow anyone near the area
where you’re working – curious children and friends
can easily become injured.
It’s important when
you’re replacing a broken extension spring to look carefully
at the other springs on the door, to make sure you put the new one on
in the proper manner.
When you buy a replacement spring, take the
broken pieces with you to the store to make sure you’re
buying precisely the same size and gauge as the original.
Search for
manufacturer’s guidelines to replacing garage door springs,
or if those can’t be found, look for instructions from
someone who has done it several times before. If you have any qualms at
all, hire a professional.