Damaged or broken garage door springs are an inconvenience at best. It can cause your garage door to open and close less smoothly and with a lot more noise. At worst, it can be really dangerous for you and your family. To avoid a bad garage door spring from getting worse, it’s important that you know what warning signs to look out for. Spotting these early can allow you to get it replaced before it becomes costlier and more dangerous.
Here are our tips for detecting a broken garage door spring.
Visual inspection of garage door springs
One way you might notice damage to your garage door spring is to actually see the damage on the spring itself. You should be able to see the torsion spring above your garage door from the inside. If the spring appears loose rather than tightly wound, this suggests it has lost the tension it requires to lift the garage door. If this becomes worse, the spring may also snap in the middle, at which point you’ll be able to see a gap in the spring.
Close inspection may also reveal corrosion or visible wear and tear to the spring, which suggests it needs maintenance. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with your garage door springs before they become damaged so that you know what they’re supposed to look like.
Monitoring how your door is working
As well as seeing damage on the spring, the way your door is operating may also point you towards any problems with your garage door spring. If you’re having problems like your garage door isn’t opening, is opening crooked, or is only opening part way, then your spring could be to blame. Your garage door may also start to make more noise while opening and closing if the spring has become damaged. If you are around when the torsion spring snaps, then you will likely hear a loud bang or a whirring sound as it unravels.
What to do if your garage door spring is broken?
If you’ve followed the tips in this blog and have figured out that your spring is broken, then what are your next steps? Attempting to repair or replace it yourself can be extremely dangerous, so you should always call the professionals for this kind of job.
If you need a garage door company to repair, replace, or maintain your garage door springs, then call Action Overhead Door for garage door maintenance around Savannah.