Among the most important and most often overlooked parts of a garage door are the springs. Essential to ensure your garage door’s smooth operation, these high-tension components, like all mechanical parts, wear out over time and might need to be replaced. A garage door will go through an average of 3 to 5 cycles of opening and closing per day. That’s nearly 1900 cycles per year. With numbers like those, it should be clear that your springs face a lot of wear and tear, which is why it’s important to call a professional once a year for maintenance.

You can turn to Creative Door Services for professional repairs and replacement for your garage door. With over 55 years of industry experience, we offer experienced and professional replacements for garage door springs, including both torsion and extension springs. We’re here to help keep your garage door in top shape by educating you on an overlooked element of garage doors: the springs! 

Signs Your Garage Door Springs Need Attention

How do you know when your garage door springs have reached the end of their lifespan? You can start by looking for some of the most common indicators, such as: 

The Springs Are Stretched or Snapped

One of the simplest ways you can determine when a garage door spring is past its prime is with a visual inspection. If the spring is stretched out, that means there’s no more mechanical tension or energy remaining in your spring. You can check for a stretched spring when your garage door is closed by simply looking at it. The springs are easy to find; they’re located parallel to the garage door, on the wall above it. 

At the end of its lifespan, a garage door spring will lose tension, causing the spring to snap. If that has happened, your visual inspection will reveal a visible, two-inch gap where the break has happened. It’s important that you call a professional to replace the spring immediately, as broken springs can also have a negative impact how your garage door looks and operates.

You Notice Issues with the Way the Door Looks or Operates

Springs are integral to your door’s balance and its function, which means they should be inspected regularly. You can check the door itself to determine whether or not your garage door spring needs replacing. 

SAFETY NOTE: you should only ever look at the springs. DO NOT touch them, as they are under tremendous tension from the door and can cause serious injury if not handled appropriately.

Some signs that you need to replace the springs include: 

• Your door is crooked or off the track when opening and closing
• The top of the door is bent or misaligned
• Your garage door struggles to open, moving a couple of inches before closing
• Your garage door falls harshly when closing
• Your garage door won’t open at all
• You notice the cables attached to the spring dangling down into your garage

Another way that you can find out about a broken garage door spring is hearing an unexpected loud noise. 

It Makes Unexpected Loud Noises

Torsion springs are under a lot of tension, so when they go, they go out with a bang. You might even hear the spring breaking! They rotate around the shaft above the door, which means that, when they break, you’ll also hear a rapid, harsh sound as the spring unwinds.

With most residential garage doors typically making a droning sound, you’ll know the sound of a spring breaking when you hear it. If you hear an unusual noise that happens from your garage door when it opens or closes, a bang, a snap, or otherwise, it’s best to stop using the door and call Creative Door Services right away.

How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?

Garage door springs are made to last for a specific number of cycles, where opening and closing your garage door once counts as a cycle. On average, a spring will last roughly 10,000 cycles, which amounts to anywhere between 6 and 10 years, depending on how often you use your garage door. 

Many homeowners these days use their garage as the main entry point to their home, which increases the frequency of garage door cycles and wears out the springs much faster. When your springs reach the end of their lifespan, it’s important to have them replaced by highly experienced and certified technicians. 

The Importance of Replacing Garage Door Springs

Although we talk about “garage door spring repair”, the fact is that a garage door spring can’t actually be fixed. Once a piece of metal like a spring has worn out, it loses a lot of its initial tensile strength. It will need to be replaced by a licensed and experienced professional.

Trying to reuse an old spring can result in serious safety hazards. Professional replacement of your garage door springs is the safe option, and Creative Door Services is here to help when you need it.

Call the Pros for Safe Garage Door Spring Replacement

Replacing garage door springs on your own is extremely dangerous! The springs are under a lot of tension from carrying the weight of the garage door. Without the proper tools, knowledge, and experience to carry out the project safely, trying to replace the springs on your own can lead to property damage and serious injuries. 

Instead of taking that risk, call the pros at Creative Door Services. Our garage door technicians will make sure that the new springs are the right size and have the right tension to match your garage door’s weight and balance. You’ll get the best and longest-lasting performance! We’re here to fix the problem and prevent injuries. Request a quote from our experienced team today; We have eight convenient branches throughout Western Canada in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and Calgary in Alberta; Vancouver and Kelowna in British Columbia; Saskatoon and Regina in Saskatchewan; and Winnipeg in Manitoba to better serve your garage door needs.