Garage door springs are constructed with a view to longevity, but they do occasionally need replacement. Side-mounted garage door springs are fixed either side of the door track. They work via pulleys, being placed under tension as the door closes to enable ease of lifting and opening. If a spring breaks or overstretches, the door will still open, but operation will be harder. You could ask a firm of professionals who install garage doors in Cheshire to repair the spring for you, or you could fix it yourself if you’re handy at DIY.
Broken Garage Door Spring?
You should always replace both springs. This is because if one spring has broken due to wear and tear, the other will not last much longer. In addition, if the springs are old, they will stretch. Only replacing one will, therefore, leave you with uneven springs and a door that will not open and close smoothly.
First of all, release the tension. To do this, just open the garage door completely so that it meets the stop bolt on the door track. Keep the door in place by attaching a ‘C’ clamp to the track below the bottom roller wheel. Disconnect the safety cables if your door has them and detach them from the springs. Now that the tension is slack, you can unhook the cables.
The springs are attached to the door at two points. The fixings may vary depending on the door design, but they are usually just a hook-and-eye mechanism. Unhook both the attachment points and then fix the new springs in the same way. Take care that you don’t twist the garage door cable as you reattach it to the pulley. This could cause the door to stick and then it won’t operate smoothly. Remove the ‘C’ clamp and test the door, before you re-attach the cables. If you have the new springs too tight, the door will not close completely. Loosen the springs by adjusting the cable. To do so, you will need to reposition the ‘S’ hook cable fastening to a different hole in the garage door track, until the tension is as required.
The reverse applies if the springs are too loose. Finally, reattach the safety cables.
Call in the professionals
If your attempt to fix the problem yourself didn’t work or you’d rather have the peace of mind of knowing a professional is on the case, contact us at ACE Garage Doors Cheshire today.
