5 Signs of a Broken Garage Door Spring

The most significant parts of your commercial or residential garage door are the springs, which hold everything together and control the movement that allows for your garage door’s opening and closing functionality.

If your garage door is hard to open or close, jerks when opening, or the timing is off, then something may be wrong with your garage door spring or springs.

A garage door that won’t shut or open properly can be extremely frustrating and inconvenient. There are a few reasons your garage door may be having trouble going up and down correctly, but often the cause of this is that the springs either need to be repaired or replaced.

If you’re wondering how to tell if your garage door spring is broken, check out these 5 warning signs:

1. Garage Door Will Only Open Partially or Too Slowly

If your door has an automatic opener when the spring is broken the door will often only open about 6 inches, and then refuse to open more. This is because some door openers have motors that start opening the door at a slower speed and then go into a higher speed as the door opens.

However, if the spring is broken, the opener will stay at a slower speed and be unable to open the door more than a few inches or it will open extremely slowly.

The good thing about this is that it prevents damage to the door.

The bad thing is that even if you pull the emergency release, the door will probably still refuse to open or be extremely heavy, which almost certainly indicates a broken spring.

2. You Notice a Gap in the Garage Door Spring

There are two types of garage door springs: extension and torsion springs. Both extension and torsion springs come in sets of two—and they’re often replaced in pairs, too!

If your garage doors springs are located inside a tube, so it’s very difficult to visually see that the spring is broken.

Walk into your garage and look at the spring. Are there any breaks in the spring? If you can see any separation, then it’s time to contact us to replace it for you.

If you can see the spring, you’ll probably notice a small 2-inch gap. This occurs because the spring is unable to wind because the end of it is set on the shaft, so there’s a gap.

If you continue to use your garage door when the spring has separated, your motor is going to have to work harder to open and close the garage door, which will burn out your motor quicker than normal. It could also cause the cables to go off the drum. It’s best to have your springs replaced right away.

3. Garage Door Jerks When Opening or Closing

When the garage door spring breaks, the door becomes unbalanced. This can sometimes make the door fall shut more quickly than normal when you activate the automatic opener. Additionally, the door may be jerky if you have a two spring system because one of the springs is doing most of the work and keeping the door from opening or closing smoothly.

Your garage door springs can get stretched over time, so it’s a good idea to periodically check their elasticity even if you don’t notice your garage door sagging.

How to check your spring’s elasticity?

  1. Close the garage door
  2. Pull the emergency release
  3. Then, manually open the garage door to about your waist

If you let go and the door starts to fall, then you may need to replace your garage door springs.

4. Garage Door Is Crooked or Bent 

Sometimes the top section of your door might get bent when the spring is broken and the opener tries to open the door. Additionally, doors with 2 extension springs have those springs mounted independently, so if one spring breaks, the other spring will continue to pull the door up, which may result in the door opening crookedly or getting stuck in the tracks.

5. You Hear a Loud Bang Near Garage Door

You may actually hear the spring break, which sounds like a loud bang. This can happen at any time and not just when the door is opening or closing. The sound is due to the spring unwinding very quickly and the coils spinning on the shaft.

If you notice this or any of signs of a broken spring, remember that only a professional should repair garage springs in Lansing because the springs are extremely powerful and can cause serious injury to someone who attempts to repair or replace them without experience.

Leave Garage Door Spring Repairs to Our Lansing Professionals

Garage spring repairs for residential and commercial overhead garage doors should always be done by a professional since it can be a very dangerous job.

If you’re looking for an expert on garage door spring repairs in Lansing, MI, the professionals at Ingstrup Garage Door can help you out if you have worn-out garage door springs.

Call us today at (517) 374-4731 or complete our online form if you’d like to request our garage door spring repair services.


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