Symptoms Of Garage Door Spring Imbalance

In a sectional torsion spring system this is done using one or more torsion springs that are attached to a torsion tube at the top of the garage door opening.

Symptoms of garage door spring imbalance.

The opener is essentially pulling half the weight of the door as it opens and closes. If the gear is worn or damaged the door won t move properly. A torsion system is comprised of one or two tightly wound torsion springs over the garage door. Stand a stepladder at the area of the motor and unplug the power cord to the opener.

As the drive shaft and sprocket rotate they drive the trolley that lifts and lowers the garage door. Close the garage door. If it was opening too quickly move it to the next lower hole. The torsion spring runs parallel to the bottom of the door while the two extension springs run perpendicular to the torsion spring on either side of the garage door.

Balancing a garage door does not involve circus tricks teeter totters or special gymnastic skills. They extend as your door moves and helps to balance your garage door. This imbalance may make your garage door lift crookedly. The springs unwind when they break leaving a visible gap.

When one extension spring breaks one side of the door gets pulled upward more quickly than the other. This can be really dangerous if the emergency release rope is pulled on the garage door opener while the door is in the up position. Springs in general last about 10 14 years or 15 20 thousand cycles. A garage door uses a spring system to counter balance the weight of the garage door.

Instead it s all about the relationship between the garage door s weight and the springs used to counter that weight. Some garage door openers are strong enough to pull a garage door up and down with only one good torsion spring. The garage door is crooked. Perfect solutions recommends replacing all springs on your door even if only 1 snaps or breaks.

If the door was closing too quickly move the spring to the next higher hole on the bracket. A crooked garage door is often caused by a damaged extension spring. Pull down on the emergency release handle to disconnect the door from the opener track. Retest the door balance as you did in step 1.

The plastic gear on the drive shaft is designed to fail if the garage door gets stuck in the travel tracks protecting the expensive drive motor from damage. If you notice a gap in your torsion springs contact a garage door repair expert right away. Doors that are out of balance will cause extra loads for your opener and may even cause it to fail prematurely. This we believe is the most cost effective solution long term.

Once the spring is free of tension remove from its track hanger. Extension springs do as their name suggests.