When you think about it, your garage door springs are a feat of engineering. It’s easy to take for granted, but the energy stored in the coils are what makes raising and lowering a several hundred pound door seem as light as a feather. But springs don’t last forever. The average spring has a life of about 10,000 cycles. Considering most families raise and lower their doors an average of 3 times per day, most springs will last about 3 years, give or take. If the spring breaks, or even loses some of its slack, or is just rusty or brittle, it will need replaced.
If your spring is damaged, don’t try to remove it yourself. These springs are under heavy tension and improper handling can cause them to fly off. It’s simply not worth the risk of harming yourself or damaging property. At EDH-Serrano, we know how to safely replace torsion and extension springs from garages. In some cases, it may even be possible to repair the spring instead of replacing it.
What’s the Difference Between Extension and Torsion Springs?
There are two types of garage door springs — extension springs and torsion springs. What’s the difference? In a simple sense, extension springs directly provide a counterbalancing effect to the door. Torsion springs, on the other hand, wound around a pipe or shaft attached to the door via cable drums — creating torque on the shaft to effectively create the counterbalancing motion. Without this counterbalance, it would be impossible to lift your garage door.
As garage door repair pros, we’ll be frank — torsion springs are the best to have. These springs are self contained in a shaft or tube. They are much safer. These springs also tend to last longer and have fewer repair issues. Extension springs can snap and cause serious bodily injury and property destruction. They are required by safety code to be held back by cables, but not all doors meet the code.
How Much Does Garage Spring Repair Cost?
While spring repair is usually one of the more costly areas of garage maintenance, it’s a small price to pay for such a dangerous job. In most situations, garage spring replacement costs less than a few hundred dollars. However, there are a few factors involved that can affect this cost. For one, torsion springs are more expensive than extension. In addition, springs with a higher rated lifespan will increase the price further. If you’d like to know more, give us a call and we’ll provide you a free quote.
Visually Inspect Your Own Springs. See Anything Suspicious? Call Us!
You can visually inspect your garage springs. Really, you should make a point of taking a good look every six months or so. Shine a flashlight up there, climb a ladder to take a close look. But remember, we said look, don’t touch! Again, we strongly stress the incredible tension these springs are under. They are not to be messed with, especially if there are signs of wear and tear.
Look at the quality of the spring. Do you see any rusty areas, areas that might be brittle, etc.? Take a look at your cables too. Do you see any splintering ends around the wires, any areas where the metal has frayed? If so, call us right away. We can do a more thorough inspection and even repair or replace the springs if necessary.
We do quality garage door service for the El Dorado Hills area. All of our work is certified and guaranteed. And yes, we do emergency house calls. Call us anytime, day or night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’re here to serve you!
Fun Fact: Garage Units Boom in the 1920s
Did you know that the first garage units starting trending in the early 1900s? It wasn’t until the boom of the auto industry (everyone started to own a personal car) that more Americans desired a garage. They desired a need for protecting their new investment on wheels. Derived from the French word “garer,” meaning to protect, shelter or to store, the modern day garage has definitely come a long way from its inception. Honestly, we can’t picture our lives without a garage nowadays!
What Uses Does Your Garage Space Have?
Have you ever considered how many times your garage door opens and shuts on a daily basis? What about on weekends? Depending on how many people reside in your home, this can put a strain on your garage springs. Do you have a single door, double or triple garage doors? Are there more than two drivers in your household? We rarely think about garage maintenance until a problem occurs. If you haven’t had your garage door inspected in years, we recommend you give us a call today. Safety is a top priority for us at EDH Serrano Garage Door Repair in El Dorado County.