Your Garage Door Springs May Need Professional Adjustment or Repair
Without regular maintenance and with regular wear and tear, your overhead door can become off-balance. Being off-balance can shorten your garage door operator’s life.
The tension of torsion or extension garage door springs manage your overhead door’s balance. When your door becomes off-balance, it means the springs need either more or less tension. In short, the springs are not holding your garage door exactly where it needs to be for safe operation.
In this blog, you’ll discover the signs that your overhead door is off-balance. You’ll also find instructions for testing your garage door’s balance to determine whether you should schedule professional repairs.
Signs Your Overhead Door Isn’t Balanced
Your door may be off-balance if you notice these problems.
- Your garage door is loose or out of square. It can become misaligned when garage door springs are broken, or cables fray on one side of the door. The door panels may also flex or buckle.
- Your garage door is making a lot of noise when opening or closing, and it is louder than usual.
- When you open your garage door manually, it takes a lot of muscle. This is a sign you have an issue with your springs. Most people are able to easily manually open their garage door using just one hand when the door is balanced.
- It takes a long time to open or close the door. If your operator is closing or opening the door more slowly than it used to, your operator may be struggling with the weight and balance of your overhead door.
The Balancing Test
Follow these steps to determine whether your garage door is adequately balanced.
Close and Disconnect Your Overhead Door
Before you can test the balance of your overhead door, your first step is to close the garage door.
Then, disconnect the overhead door from your opener.
- Chain or belt-driven openers with a 5-piece square rail or a screw drive opener: pull the manual release rope straight down.
- Chain or belt-driven openers with a T-rail: pull the manual release rope down and back toward the operator unit.
- Jackshaft opener: pull down on the manual release until you hear a click, then release the rope.
Check for Sticking
With your door disconnected, open and close it by hand. It should move easily with little effort. If the door sticks, check for and remove any obstructions. You may also wish to lubricate the moving parts – but do not lubricate the nylon rollers – using your maintenance manual’s recommended lubricant.
Lift the overhead door about four feet off the ground, and then release it. If your door is balanced, it will:
- Stay in place.
- Slow rise upward or slowly fall to the floor.
If your overhead door is not balanced, it may quickly shoot upward or slam shut. In this case, you should contact Tracker Door Systems an overhead door service for repair and rebalancing. You may need garage door spring repair or new garage door springs. Because these springs are under extreme tension, you should not attempt to fix them yourself.
Reconnect Your Overhead Door to the Operator
When your test is complete, you can reattach your door to its operator. If your overhead door was unbalanced during testing, be aware that your door may not reverse properly in an emergency, such as when the safety sensors detect an object in the way. Avoid using your garage door until a professional can evaluate and repair it.
- Chain or belt-driven opener with a 5-piece square rail or screw-driven opener: Pull the manual release rope down and back toward the operator unit.
- Chain or belt-driven opener with a T-rail: Pull the manual release rope straight down. Press the garage door opener button, and the door will reconnect automatically.
- Jackshaft opener: Pull down on the manual release until you hear a click. Let go of the rope.
Be Safe! Call a Professional Overhead Door Repair Service to Balance Your Door
Your garage door springs are under extreme tension. They can cause serious injury if you attempt to adjust or repair them on your own. Instead, call a local garage door repair service near you and leave it to the professionals.
