What Happens When A Garage Door Spring Breaks
Even the best garage door systems aren’t immune to damage. Garage doors are one of the biggest and most used parts of our homes. Read on to learn what happens when a garage door spring breaks and what you should do when you find yourself in this situation.
Identify Your Garage Door Springs
There are two types of garage door springs–extension springs and torsion springs. Extension springs↗ are located near the upper part of the door track. Torsion springs↗ are located horizontally across the header of the door opening.
If you don’t see any exposed springs and your door is operable, you may have Wayne Dalton TorqueMaster torsion springs↗.
Which do you have?
Torquemaster
- Springs located inside metal tube directly above the door – NOT VISIBLE
Torsion
- Springs mounted on metal bar directly above the door – VISIBLE
Extension
- Springs suspended overhead above tracks on a cable pulley system – VISIBLE
What Happens When Your Garage Door Spring Breaks?
Garage doors may be sturdy, but they’re not unbreakable. Damaged springs often go unnoticed until the door stops operating. The signs below answer your question, What happens when a garage door spring breaks?
6 Signs Your Garage Door Spring Just Broke
1 – A Sudden Loud Noise From The Garage
If you hear a loud noise in your garage but don’t see anything when you go to inspect, take a closer look. The sound you heard was likely made by a sudden unwinding spring. When springs break, they can create a loud crashing sound even if the door hasn’t fallen.
2 – There’s a Gap in The Spring
A gap in the spring is the clearest way to identify a broken spring. Springs should be tightly wound and connected from end to end.
3 – A Bend At The Top Of The Door
Another sign the spring on your door is broken is if the top panel bends when you try to open the door. Without functional springs the power of the door opener isn’t enough to lift the weight of the door panels.
4 – The Garage Door Falls Fast
A functional garage door opener and spring smoothly lifts and lowers the weight of the door. When the spring breaks the door can come crashing down because it no longer has a counterweight against gravity’s pull on the door panels.
5 – The Door Is Crooked
Depending on the weight of the door, the number of springs it has, and how many springs are broken, the door may still open. What you may notice is that the door becomes crooked as it moves up or down the track. This happens because the weight is no longer equally distributed.
6 – Loose Cables
A broken spring can snowball into more problems. Loose cables are often caused by springs breaking. When the spring breaks cables and pulleys can loosen and you may notice slack cables hanging from the ceiling.
Why Did The Garage Door Springs Break?
Garage door springs break both by accident and through neglect. Below are a few examples of what can cause a spring to break.
- Rust
- Poor Maintenance
- Wear and Tear
- Wrong Parts
4 Reasons Garage Door Springs Break
Rust
Springs made of metal are susceptible to rust. Rust will weaken the spring and increase friction cutting its cycle span short. Rust can be prevented by occasionally spraying the spring with a lubricant like WD-40.
Poor Maintenance
Garage doors don’t require much maintenance. Occasionally spray the springs with WD-40 and make sure there are no obstructions in the door’s path on the track or ground. These small steps and visually inspecting the garage door system every few months can help you spot problems before they cause chaos.
Wear and Tear
Most garage doors are used frequently. Regular use causes normal wear on the springs that eventually break them down. The more wear they experience, the sooner the springs will give out. Springs should be replaced if they are rusted, warped, or broken.
Wrong Parts
It’s important to use the proper replacement parts for garage doors. This is especially true with garage door springs. Springs are one of the most important parts of your garage door system–they do the heavy lifting. Installing the wrong springs can cause the springs to wear out faster and can lead to damage to other parts of the system.
What Do I Do If My Garage Door Springs Break?
Contact a garage door professional if the springs break or are noticeably worn. Garage door problems are never convenient but many garage door companies, like ours, offer emergency repair services. Larger companies even offer same-day service.
Heritage Garage Door provides garage door installation, parts, and repair services to homeowners in Southern California. Contact us today for immediate assistance.
