One of the most important elements of your garage door are the springs. In addition to helping your door slide perfectly as it opens or closes, it also quietly does the toughest job in the whole mechanism.
Despite the strength of the springs themselves, malfunctions can occur over the years, and one of the common causes is poorly adjusted tension. These problems can put you under a lot of stress and call for good decision-making. Is it possible to repair garage door springs by yourself or do you need to call El Cajon garage door springs repair service? Do you know if you need a torsion or extension spring and do you know what to look for when buying garage door springs?
Keep reading and learn how to properly adjust the tension to extend the life of your garage door.
How much tension should be on a garage door spring?
Before you start adjusting the tension, you need to make sure you have the right size of springs for your garage door. Keep in mind that they need the right tension in order to operate smoothly. If you don’t have them installed properly, you may not be able to spot the signs of malfunctions until they break down and it’s too late.
Here’s what could happen if the spring installation goes wrong:
- Too much tension: Your garage door will not close completely or will remain closed and blocked.
- Too little tension: The springs will be loose and therefore not be able to effectively lift the door up. This is perhaps an even worse situation because the door is unsafe to use.
How do I adjust the spring tension on my garage door?
It is advisable to contact the experts for any kind of work on your garage door instead of doing it yourself. However, if you have established what the problem is, let’s take a look at the solution and set the tension properly. Here’s how to adjust the tension for two different spring types:
1. Extension spring
Disconnect your garage door from the track by closing the first, then unplug them and pull the release cord. By using cross members on doors, lift them halfway up. If they start to go down slowly, it means the tension is too loose. If you leave them and they rise a little more on their own, it means that the tension is too tight.
Take a brace and position it at the outer edge of the door. Climb the ladder and find the spring. Loosen the lock nut with a wrench and repeat the process for the spring assembly. If you want to add tension, make a full turn clockwise on the adjuster stem. Otherwise, make a turn counterclockwise to loosen the tension a bit. Repeat the same process on the other side of the track.
When you are done, take out the brace and test the tension again. Repeat the process until you are completely satisfied.
2. Torsion spring
The garage door should be lowered and unplugged. A clamp can also help since it will also prevent accidental opening of the door. For every foot of height of your garage door, you will need four times the tension. For example, if you have 8-foot doors you will need to make exactly 32 turns on your spring (8×4=32).
If you want to tighten the spring tension, use winding bars and move them upwards. The second winding bar will come in the slot at the bottom. While you remove the first one, you will push the second into its place. This way, you will make one turn. Repeat the process until you have the required number of turns.
At the end, tighten the screws on both sides of the garage.
Who provides the most reliable El Cajon garage door springs repair service?
Have your garage doors given out recently and are now refusing to open? Or maybe they’re opening or closing too slowly, so you need to replace them? Why spend a nice Saturday afternoon doing repairs in the garage, when you can make the family happy and take them to the Butterfly Garden at Cuyamaca College? Relax and enjoy your free time while our professionals take care of the problem.
Dlouhy Doors is a respected and trustworthy company with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. You can count on our technicians at any time. Call us now and see for yourself why we are the best in the business. Book today!