Can You Repair a Broken Garage Door Spring?

Garage door springs like all other parts of your garage door will eventually wear out and break. The good news is that broken garage door springs can often be repaired. However, it requires that you have the proper equipment to complete the job.

Whether you are able to repair a broken garage door spring will depend upon several factors, including how it broke and what type of springs your door has installed on it. Although there is no one-size-fits-all answer for this question, we have some general guidelines that can help you determine if you can fix your garage door spring.

What Does a Garage Door Spring Do?

The garage door spring is the part of your door that provides most of its lifting power. It looks like a large metal coil and hangs within the tracks along with the roller pulleys and garage door opener arm. If we were to open up your garage, you would see one or two springs attached to each side of the door.

Each spring is wound around a metal shaft and a stationary piece of metal. This spring system provides a lot of tension, which is what allows your garage door to be so heavy and yet still move smoothly up and down when you open or close it.

So, Can It Be Repaired?

Yes, a broken garage door spring can be repaired, but it is not usually a job for the average do-it-yourselfer. These springs are under a lot of tension and if they are not handled properly, they can cause serious injury. There are a few factors that need to be considered before you decide if repairing the spring is a job you can handle.

The first consideration is the age of your garage door. If it is an older model, it may not be worth repairing because the cost of a new spring system would be about the same as replacing the entire door. The second factor to consider is how badly damaged the spring is. If it snapped in half, for example, you are probably better off getting a new one.

If your garage door has an extension spring system that is not broken but stretched out of shape or weakened by rust then there may be hope to get some more years of use from it before having to replace them both together.

The type of springs you have also come into play when deciding if you should try to repair them or not. Torsion springs, which are wrapped around a bar above the door opening, are harder to fix than extension springs, which run along the horizontal track on each side of the door.

Replacement of Torsion Springs

Torsion springs are under a lot of tension. They are very dangerous to work with and can cause serious injury or death if not handled properly. There are quite a few steps in torsion springs’ replacement but it is usually a fairly straightforward process. The important thing is that you have the proper tools and that you do not forget that torsion springs are under very high tension.

Replacing Extension Springs

Extension springs are easier to replace than torsion springs because they run horizontally along the track on each side of the door. Because these types of springs don’t have as much tension, you should be able to handle them yourself with a little patience and courage. Make sure you have the necessary tools and that you know how many turns it should take to replace the spring.

Should I Replace Both Springs?

Often you can get away with just replacing a single broken spring, but it’s important to check your garage door manual or with a technician to be sure. If you have an older model of garage door, it might be better to replace both springs even if only one is broken. Newer models typically use extension springs that are less likely to break, so it might not be necessary to replace both.

Replacing a Garage Door Spring Yourself Is Not Rocket Science

Garage door springs are strong, heavy pieces of metal that can cause serious injury if they snap and fly off the garage door. That’s why it is often best to contact and hire an experienced professional for this type of job.

If you have some DIY experience though, or if you just want to try it out and see how it goes, replacing a broken garage door spring is not rocket science. The main thing to remember is to be careful! Safety first! Garage doors weigh hundreds of pounds, so take your time and be cautious when working on them.

The post Can You Repair a Broken Garage Door Spring? appeared first on Garage Door Repair San Antonio.