Safety and Security… that’s what many of us think of when we think of our homes. When it comes to your garage door, it’s the largest entryway to your home. If your springs wear out, you are jeopardizing the safety and security that you value in your home. Before you call a professional in, you can do a few things to diagnose the problem yourself. Let’s review the steps to testing your garage door springs.
Visual Inspection of Your Garage Door Springs
Sometimes, it’s easy to see that the springs are in bad shape just by doing a visual inspection of your garage door. Take a look at the springs and see if they exhibit any signs of:
- Being Stretched Out – this will cause them to lose tension and become ineffective
- Separation in the Springs – make sure they’re coiled tightly with no separation
- Being Visibly Worn Out – you may be able to tell right away that they’re in bad shape
Testing Manual Operation to Check Your Springs
After closing the garage door, and disconnecting the automatic garage door opener, it’s time to perform a simple test. Can you lift the garage door and open it? Do you meet with resistance while trying to raise the door? Once you’ve opened the garage door completely, does it stay open on its own? These things are good indicators of the condition of the springs. If you can’t lift it easily, or it doesn’t want to stay in place once opened, your springs may be shot.
Doing a Force Setting Test on Your Garage Door
Utilizing your automatic garage door opener, test the springs by doing what’s called a force setting test. Open the door, and stop it in the open position. Then use your automatic garage door to close it. As it comes down, hold the bottom of the garage door, as if to prevent it from closing. This should cause the garage door to freeze, and start going back up. If your garage door is having trouble performing this maneuver, there might be a problem with the springs. In this case, it could also indicate a problem with the safety functions, and you want to check those regularly anyway.
How Often Should You Test Your Springs?
Because of the safety issues involved, you should test your springs once a month. Some people like to tie this habit to another one, such as changing your furnace filter or paying your rent or mortgage.
What Should You Do If You Suspect Damage or Wear to Your Garage Door Springs?
Repairing or replacing your garage door springs is not typically a DIY job. If you suspect that your springs are damaged or worn, contact us at Door Tech Garage Door Services and schedule a professional inspection of your garage door, and all its working parts. If you’re uncomfortable performing the test yourself, we can do that for you as well. Don’t risk your safety or security. Get your springs tested regularly!