What To Do When a Garage Door Spring Breaks

You’re sitting in your home, and suddenly you hear a loud noise from the garage. It may sound like a firecracker or even a gunshot; this is the sound of a garage door spring breaking.  While it’s startling at first, it is something that you can have resolved quickly. One thing that would make life easier, however, is to recognize when a garage door spring is close to breaking; after all, prevention is the best antidote to disaster. Within your garage you likely have thousands of dollars of equipment from lawn mowers, to your car, and much more. A properly working garage door is responsible for keeping all of it protected, so how do you go about making sure yours is in good condition? Most importantly, when do you need to call for garage door service in Tamarac?

A Broken Garage Door Creates a Dysfunctional Household

A broken garage door is bad news for you and your household. It keeps you from parking your car, it compromises your security and makes your home feel less functional; all of which are never good situations and something you want to avoid at all costs. A functioning garage door is essential to your home, so what would cause a spring to break, and most importantly, what do you do when it happens?

Factors that Can Damage Your Garage Door

There are a lot of potential issues that can damage your garage door, including:

•    Rust – The track itself or several of the rollers if you are using steel rather than nylon can rust. If should come as no surprise that rust results in several negatives side effects.

•    Track Damage – Along with rust, the track can become bent, misaligned, or even broken.

•    Old Springs – This is often the issue with garage doors; and if the rest of the assembly is in excellent condition an old spring will experience more stress and, therefore, break more easily.

While the topic of this blog is springs, it is essential to note that the entire system can contribute to a broken spring. A misaligned track, rusty rollers, and other factors put more stress on your springs and ultimately decrease the number of years in which they can remain operational.

Understanding Garage Door Springs – Why Are They Important?

Garage door springs are a crucial part of your system. Though they are small, they absorb a decent amount of the torque required to open the door, and without them, the door would be nearly impossible to lift. Admittedly, you probably see these springs quite often, perhaps every time you glance up at your garage door system, but how often do you think about them? Most homeowners tend to take the operation of their garage door as a matter of course, but the truth is, every homeowner with an automatic garage door will eventually need garage door service to replace a broken spring. Now, for the big question: is your garage door spring broken?

Determining if Your Garage Door Spring is Broken

You heard the noise, but how do you know for sure that your garage door spring is broken? This is a good question and it has a simple answer. Look at the spring. However, if you find that by simply looking  you still can’t tell, you should look for some of these symptoms:

• Your garage door isn’t staying open – If your door won’t stay open, there is a good chance that your spring cannot generate the torque needed to hold it in place. This could mean it is either becoming weakened and close to breaking or broken.
• Loose cables – If you have a broken spring, this is likely the first thing that you will notice. When springs break, the cables become loose and may begin to ‘flop’ around as the door is opened or closed. Don’t panic: the wires are fine, and this is simply a safety feature to keep the spring from launching off the track and causing damage to your garage or anyone who happens to be in its path.
• The door won’t open – If a spring breaks, a safety feature is engaged that keeps the door from opening more than a few inches. While this might be annoying, it is for the best because a door with a broken torsion spring can be dangerous when opened as it could fall and injure anyone beneath.

What Should You Do?

If your garage door breaks, what exactly should you do about it? Your immediate reaction might be to try to fix it yourself, but this is not a situation where you should apply your DIY skills. Unless you are trained in garage door repair, you should always call in professional garage door repair technicians who have the right experience and tools to get the job done safely; it is not a decision that you will regret. Call us today to get your garage door in working order safely and without worry.