How to Tell if a Garage Door Spring Has Broken

When it comes to garage door repair, typically you don't realize it needs repair until it actually stops working. While there are many issues that can contribute to a broken garage door, one of the more common ones is that of a broken garage door spring.

In most garage doors, there are only two types of springs that it will use - extension springs and torsion springs. In both systems, they use springs attached to cables so that the springs extend when the door is closed and that energy is released when the door is lifted. It is this energy that helps lift the door. The difference between the two systems is the placement and the set up of the cable and spring system. They both function in a similar way and if those springs break, it can be devastating.

Typical signs of a spring pre-breakage are that your garage door will be harder to lift and your automatic garage door opener will struggle as well as create much more noise than the usual racket. As a noisy garage door can be the sign of a number of different problems, it should never be ignored. However, if left unchecked and a spring has reached the end of its lifecycle, you need to be careful. Typically springs break one at a time, and if one has broken, your garage door will suddenly feel like you are lifting the full couple hundred pound weight that it actually is.

Usually the tell-tale sign that a garage door spring has broken is the noise. Since the springs are more likely to break when they are extended and filled with stored energy, a spring breaking in your garage can be as loud as a gunshot. Unfortunately, the force of that spring snapping can cause it to fly off, making it not only loud, but it has a huge potential to do big damage to anything it hits. This is why ideally when your door starts to become heavier, move a little slower, and makes a lot more noise than usual, you want to address the problem before this happens.

If you’re concerned about your garage door springs, contact Roadrunner Garage Doors. We’d be happy to set up an appointment to get your garage door in tiptop shape.