How to balance your garage door
If you’re having trouble with your garage door staying in the right position, you may have the wrong springs or need your springs adjusted. Read on to learn what to do if your torsion or extensions springs are too strong, too weak, or just right. The key to a balanced garage door is the appropriate spring tension. Springs counterbalance the weight of your garage door, so if your door is out of balance, we start by checking the springs.
Note: There are no mentions of Goldilocks, the Three Bears, or porridge.
How do I know if my garage door springs need to be adjusted?
To diagnose your spring problem, we’ll outline the three most common signs of an unbalanced garage door. Your garage door should stay open when raised, down when closed, and stay at the halfway point when manually opened halfway. If this isn’t true of your garage door, your springs may be too weak or too strong. This is true of both torsion and extension springs.
What happens if my springs are too strong or tight?
Does your door stay up just fine but won’t stay on the floor when closed? Does your door not stay put at the midway point when manually opened? These are indicators that your springs may be too strong. Be aware that if you adjust the springs and remove too much tension, the cables are likely to come off when you re-open the garage door. We recommend replacing the spring or springs or adding weight to the door to balance it. Note: Torsion springs are wound to support the weight of the door at its lowest point.
What happens if my springs are too weak or loose?
Does your garage door stay on the floor when closed but it’s heavy and hard to open? If it usually won’t stay in the middle but will stay up when opened fully, it’s probably best to replace the springs. Note: The door weight needs to be counterbalanced throughout the door’s travel.
How can I fix my springs and balance my door?
Increasing tension on the springs may help. For example, if the door is 60 pounds heavy on the floor, adjusting the springs on torsion spring doors to reduce the weight to 30 pounds. But even so, closing the door will require an extra 30 pounds of pull or opener force. This is likely to shorten the life by as much as 40% with just one turn of spring tension or stretching a few inches. Replacing your springs and rebalancing your garage door is the recommended solution to extend the life of your door and parts.
A note of caution from our friends at Amarr
“Springs on a garage door are by far the most dangerous part on your garage door. Make sure to properly inspect and replace all springs at the same time to ensure proper and safe functioning of your garage door system. A trained garage door expert should install your opener to ensure proper installation and safety guidelines are met.” – Amarr
We service garage doors and their parts. If you’re shopping for garage door items, feel free to look at our garage doors, openers, and accessories.
