What Causes A Garage Door Spring To Break

Despite possible perceptions to the contrary, the raising and lowering of a garage door are not powered by manual means or by a mechanical device like an automatic door opener.  In their own right, garage doors are rather heavy, especially the wooden and/or densely-insulated varieties, and as such, their movement requires a significant amount of energy from another source – a garage door torsion spring.

The torsion spring basically counterbalances the weight of the garage door throughout its opening and closing cycles.  Hence, garage door springs are designed to operate under a high degree of tension, in turn controlling/moderating the rate at which the door moves and thereby preventing unwelcome damage to the door and/or its component parts; also inherent in this process is the element of safety for family members who are looking to enter or exit the garage using the overhead door.

Garage door torsion springs are generally quite durable; their average life cycle is seven to 10 years, which is often estimated to be approximately 10,000 open-and-close cycles. However, like most other types of equipment/machinery called on to perform repetitive tasks, these springs can fail and/or break.  There are several factors that can cause this to occur, including:

• Age
• Wear-and-tear
• Rust or corrosion
• Incorrect installation
• Inadequate maintenance
• Door weight or alignment shifts
• Impact damage to the garage door
• Sustained exposure to cold temperatures
• Weight added to the door after its installation

When a garage door torsion spring fails or breaks, it would be rather important to have a new spring installed as soon as possible.  It is just far too inconvenient to have a garage door that is non-functional, independent of the main purpose of the garage or how often it is actually used; this would be in addition to preventing more damage to the door plus repair costs, as well as safety concerns for exiting the home in case of fire or emergency.

To ensure that a new torsion spring will function appropriately and safely in conjunction with the garage door in question and its specific weight, it is highly recommended that the installation is contracted to trained professionals, like the technicians from Markham Garage Doors.

Professional Installation of Garage Door Torsion Springs Offers Several Benefits

For homeowners who lack the experience or training to work with mechanisms or springs that must be installed under high tension,there can be major implications/consequences with respect to their personal safety and with the proper operation of that spring.

Said another way, contracting a professional service like Markham Garage Doors for the installation of a garage door torsion spring provides homeowners with several benefits, such as:

• Selecting the correct size spring for the weight of the door
• Setting the correct amount of tension for the weight of the door
• Assessing and adjusting the garage door’s alignment post-installation
• Assessing and adjusting hardware (cables, tracks, pulleys) if required
• Equipped with workplace insurance, general liability insurance coverage

Please visit our Spring Repair page for additional information about the garage door spring installation services provided by the team from Markham Garage Doors.

If you require the replacement of a broken or failed garage door torsion spring, call the skilled installation specialists from Markham Garage Doors as soon as possible at either 905-472-9178 or 416-570-3667 to have the work done quickly, correctly, and safely.