Garage Door Springs are Dangerous

 Have you thought about repairing that broken garage door spring yourself?  Well, unless you know what you are doing, it can maim or even KILL you!  I have been in the garage door business for quite some time myself, and i still get the creeps when adjusting or relacing the springs. I have actually had brand new springs pop in my face while adding the tension to them. It will cause you to have to replace your underwear!

The springs that are on the garage door are under extreme tension. A garage door can weigh to to 550 pounds, and those little springs have to lift all of that weight. There are two types of springs..torsion springs and extension springs. Torsion springs are the springs that must be wound using cold rolled steel bars. DO NOT try to use a long screwdriver!!  I have seen screwdrivers stuck in the concrete like the Sword in the Stone. We have had to drive the screwdriver out of the concrete with a hammer. Not to mention all of the blood that was on the floor. Torsion springs are mounted above the door on the wall and have a pipe shaft going thru them.

Extension springs are the springs that run parallel to the tracks that the door rolls on. The only way these springs can be changed, is when the door is in the open position. DO NOT attempt to adjust these springs when the door is down. It will whip your butt!  The extension springs should have a safety cable running thru the center of the spring and secured to the wall. If the spring was to break, it would be held in place by the cable, and not sent flying thru a wall or possibly landing on your car.

If you want to lubricate any of the mentioned springs, use a silicone based spray on them. Do not touch the springs while lubricating them. DO NOT use axle grease on the springs because the axle grease will hold dirt and debris and cause the springs to wear out sooner.

The door springs should be lubricated at least twice a year. Your can do the lubircation yourself, but, i would suggest that a trained door techician be called to adjust or replace the springs.