Aluminum garage doors present a sleek and stylish face to the world that’s at once clean and attractive as well as functional and long lasting. Corrosion-free, low-maintenance and affordable they typically provide years of trouble-free performance. As with all garage doors however it’s crucial that you pay proper attention to maintaining the torsion or extension springs that lift the door because failure to do so could bring a swift end to your years of trouble free performance. In this post we’ll look at the garage door springs, how they work and the type of maintenance they require.
Maintaining the Springs on your Aluminum Garage Doors
Aluminum garage doors will provide you many years of dependable, stylish service but like a beautiful, well-made car you need to take care of what’s under the hood. In the case of aluminum garage doors what’s under the hood are either torsion or extension springs.
- The Torsion Spring: The torsion spring is about a hundred pounds of coiled power. It sits parallel to the garage door directly over the opening and stores energy when the door is lowered and then releases that energy to lift the door. The torsion spring is by far the most dangerous component of any garage door mechanism.
- The Extension Springs: If a garage door mechanism doesn’t use a torsion spring it will use extension springs. There are typically 2 extension springs and they run parallel to the door tracks in the space between the tracks and the garage ceiling. They store energy by extending when the door is closed and then release that energy to lift the door.
There are a few key points that you need to keep in mind when it comes to the maintenance of your garage door springs. These include:
- The Number of Cycles: A “cycle” consists of one complete opening and closing of the garage door. Typical aluminum garage doors will be good for approximately 10,000 cycles before they need to be replaced. The more cycles the garage door has been asked to perform the more important it is that the springs be properly maintained.
- Rust: In places like Toronto, Vaughan and Richmond Hill rust is a very real danger due to the amount of rain and snow and the proximity of the lake. A dry, rusty spring that is used several times a day is far more likely to snap then a well-lubricated well-maintained spring. You should have the pros from Smart Doors inspect and lubricate your springs regularly.
- Balance: When the springs are being inspected the balance of the door should also be checked. This is done by disconnecting the motor and lifting the door manually to about waist level then letting go. If the springs are working properly the door should stay at waist level when you let go. If the door drifts up or down it’s time to replace the springs.
- Spring Failure: The springs on aluminum garage doors are going to fail in time. There’s no way around it. But you can ensure you get the most out of your springs by having them professionally maintained by the pros from Smart Doors. Failing to do so could shorten their life by as much as 25-50% and cause a nasty accident where the spring snaps and the door comes crashing down with someone under it.
Don’t risk the safety of yourself and your loved ones, make sure you schedule regular maintenance on your garage door springs and rest easy. In Toronto, Vaughan and Richmond Hill the company to call for peerless garage door maintenance is Smart Doors.
