Why Springs Fail Us Often

There is something about garage door springs that make us come back to them and keep being concerned about one matter or another. It's basically our preoccupation about our door! Will it open? Will it stay open? People with knowledge of spring importance for the proper movement of the door understand that spring maintenance is vital. Still, springs will occupy our minds short after. We will come back to discuss whether our springs need replacement. We will wonder whether they need adjustment! Are they under more tension than they should? Is there need to add more tension? When it comes to other mechanical garage door parts, we often need to check them or lubricate them and occasionally they would need some maintenance. Springs need our attention way too often. Still, they fail our expectations too often. So, is it us or the springs are indeed problematic?

Do we expect too much from springs?

It's crucial to remember that unlike other parts, torsion and extension garage door springs are not manufactured to last for a very long time. Other parts are made of steel and apart from the rollers, which move up and down, they don't really make movements. They stand still and just need maintenance from time to time so that they won't rust or get loose. Even garage door rollers last for a long period of time since they are just wheels, which run across the tracks and need similar maintenance as the other components.

With springs, the story is different. The movement of springs is completely different! They don't have one body but comprise of many coils which are used for the spring's movement. In the case of extension springs, coils are stretched all the way in order to keep the door closed and remain stretched for as long as the overhead door would stay shut. Once the system is triggered to open the door, springs use all this energy stored as the coils were stretched in order to move the door. They will use the same force in order to keep the door open at any height, too. In the case of torsion springs, coils actually spin. It's a funny movement because torsion springs have a winding cone on one side which allows the movement of the coils and a stationary cone at the opposite end. As the coils spin on one side, torque is developed and the door opens.

Their job is heavy and the door is heavier. Coils move in such ways having the heavy weight of the door on their backs. At the same time, they wear. They don't wear solely due to the exhaustion of coils but also because they are made of steel and eventually they get eroded. Coils lose their initial perfect form and, thus, tension. They don't actually fail us but simply ask our help so that they continue working for longer and longer. We just have to know what to expect, give them back as much as we can in the form of maintenance and never forget that garage door spring replacement is good not only for the spring but also for us.