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What Causes The Garage Door Springs To Break?

What Causes The Garage Door Springs To Break?

It is very true that many people take matters lightly when it comes to garage doors. People disregard the creaking sound of the door when it opens and closes to let the car in and out of the garage. This kind of mindset usually comes with a number of setbacks. It leaves people puzzled about the condition of their garage doors when they start malfunctioning or falling apart altogether. While DIY allows you to learn more about your garage door, it is not recommendable when dealing with malfunctioning garage doors. Here is more on how they work and the things that affect their functionality.

The torsion spring

A garage door has a counter-balance system that incorporates two springs that are tightly wound together. These springs are placed at the steel shaft of the garage door with cable drums at the ends. The header wall serves the purpose of holding the torsion springs in place after they are mounted. Its support system consists of two endplates. There is also a center bearing, which makes it three-pronged.

Role of the torsion springs

The torsion spring plays a critical role in the functionality of the door. It facilitates the opening and closing of the garage door by allowing it to raise and lower. As such, they have a stationery cone situated at one end. On the opposite, you will find a winding cone. The springs unwind as the garage door is being raised. The unwinding activity releases the stored tension that lifts up the door by simply turning the shaft for torsion springs. The shaft turns the cable drums for the garage door completing the process required to open the door. As the door is being lowered, the torsion springs go back to tension mode.

Why torsion springs break

Manufacturers design torsion springs to handle friction and other factors that cause wear and tear. However, there are still several factors that make torsion springs break. These factors include loose tracks, poor maintenance, less lubricant on bearings and grease buildup. Technically, torsion springs can perform a minimum of roughly 13000 cycles. This design means that you can actually make the torsion more durable. A single cycle comprises of both the opening and closing activity of the garage door. Most manufacturers offer a guarantee of more than 3 years for them.

Poor performance

When your garage fails to lift and close seamlessly, it is an indication of damaged torsions springs. In some cases, torsion springs may simply be performing poorly and may need checking by technicians who specialize in garage door repair in Richmond.

Occasionally, torsion springs get undone from the bearings. Sometimes they get tangled or simply snap. The reason why professional intervention is recommended in this particular case is because of the mechanisms involved. The mechanisms basically require lifting and closing of the door and DIY can be pretty risky. Instead of risking getting hurt and spending more on medical bills and repairing the door by hiring services eventually, you can simply make a quick call and have the door fixed in the shortest time.

You should be concerned about the performance of the garage door. This will drive you to ensure that it is duly maintained. Poor maintenance is one of the reasons that causes torsion springs to break. Torsion springs can snap or get tangled if there is no maintenance. In addition, they get undone from the bearings after some time so regular checkup is necessary. Good practices such as lubricating the bearings, getting rid of grease and dealing with loose tracks can help prolong the life of the garage door. With proper maintenance, you can get your torsion springs to achieve more than 17000 cycles in their lifetime.

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