5 Things Every Home Owner Should Know About Repairing Garage Doors

The most common garage door repair is the Garage door springs. They are designed to do virtually all of the work necessary to lift your garage door. Garage door springs, cables, brackets, and other hardware attached to the springs, are under very high tension and, if not handled properly, can cause serious injury.

1. When dealing with garage door springs, you should take into account what type of door you have (sectional, tracked one-piece), and what type of springs you have. Garage Door Springs are available in two main types: extension and torsion.

2. Garage door springs come in different lengths to accommodate various standard size doors, from single garage doors to double doors. Garage door springs are sized or adjusted at time of initial installation to balance the weight of the garage door. It is important when handling springs to prevent any nicks or scrapes to the wire.

3. Spring pairs should be replaced together, since the mate is likely to fail soon after the first, and any possible savings in parts isn’t worth the extra effort to repeat the work later. You must release the tension on the garage door springs before attempting adjustment or replacement.

4. Correct spring size is determined by factors such as the weight and height of the door. For example, garage door springs are designed to accommodate the original intended weight of the door. If additional weight is added to the door sections after the original door installation, the door could become unbalanced such that operation is not smooth, possibly even resulting in damaged or broken springs.

5. Also, the function of any opener on the door could be adversely affected such that a motor could become overworked or cease functioning. The safety of a garage door is directly attributed to the design of these components working together without any other added material. For example, adding weight, including hanging large objects, to any part of the door or track can obstruct the pathway of the door and can cause the horizontal track to twist, buckle or deform. This has the potential to allow the door to fall out of the horizontal track.

Because doors are large, heavy moving objects that can weigh anywhere from 90 pounds to over 500 pounds, a door falling out of its tracks is dangerous to persons, and hazardous to property, under the door or in the area. Always consult with experienced repair services like Precision Door Service.