Garage doors are an essential component of most American homes. Not only are most garage doors opened and closed at least once per day, many Americans actually use them as the primary entrance into their houses.
Unfortunately, this constant use eventually wears down the door’s mechanism and causes it to malfunction in some way. This is called “regular wear and tear” and it occurs sooner or later regardless of whether you installed a top-quality garage door or a cheaper model.
The first components to deteriorate are usually the garage door springs. Being able to spot faulty garage door springs early on is essential in order to stay safe and prevent further damage to your door. Read on to learn about the top 6 signs of bad garage door springs.
How to tell if your garage door springs are bad?
The garage door springs control the raising and lowering of the garage door by supporting and handling the weight of the entire mechanism. Worn down or unbalanced springs may break under the pressure, causing the entire garage door to fall down on whatever or whoever is below it.
Here are the top 6 ways to spot faulty garage door springs:
1. Jerky movements
A garage door should open or close in a single fluid motion. If it’s moving in a jerky or erratic way, it probably has a broken side spring. This is particularly common with garage doors that use extension springs.
2. The cables are loose
Under normal circumstances, the force exerted by a tightly wound spring should keep the garage door cables taut. When these springs start to break and uncoil, the cables often slip out of place and become slack.
3. The garage door has gotten heavier
A garage door should be easy to raise or lower. If your door suddenly feels heavier or descends faster when you close it, that probably means your springs have worn out.
4. Lopsided door
If your garage door has become crooked, you’ll need to inspect your extension springs immediately. Since these springs are located at either side of your door and function by independently pulling the door, the door will be unable to close properly and will look lopsided when one of them is broken.
5. Gaps in the springs
A garage door’s torsion system consists of a pair of tightly wound springs located just above the door itself. If these springs have started to unwind to the point where they have visible gaps, you should call a garage door repair technician ASAP.
6. Your door doesn’t open properly
The more worn out your springs are, the harder it is for them to raise your door all the way. Springs that have broken completely will only be able to lift the door a few inches of the ground.
In rare cases, this issue may also occur if your safety system has been triggered, so make sure to check if this is the case before you call a garage door repair service.
Who provides the best garage door springs repair services in San Diego?
A faulty garage door isn’t just an inconvenience: it can actually make it easier for burglars, home invaders, and other dangerous individuals to get inside your house. For this reason, repairing a malfunctioning garage door as soon as possible should be the priority of every homeowner.
But what if your door’s springs snap in the middle of the night or during the weekend? At Dlouhy Doors we say: no problem! In addition to offering regular garage door repair and maintenance services, we also have emergency teams that can get to your location in no time regardless of whether you live in the suburbs or next door to the U.S. Grant Hotel. Call us today.