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BROKEN SPRINGS
Springs are one of the main components in a garage door and also gets the most wear. They lift the majority of the weight, and are what cause the door to open and close smoothly. The three types of spring systems found most in homes in Hawaii are Torsion Spring System, Extension Spring System, and Torque Master Spring System. Out of those, The most common type of spring system found in homes in
Hawaii is the torsion spring system. Torsion springs are located above the opening of your door with springs slid onto a stationary metal shaft. Extension springs can be found alongside the top or along each side of the door. Torque Master springs are located inside the torque tube above the opening of your door.
Torsion Springs:
Attached above the garage opening, torsion springs slowly twist and coil on the shaft whenever force is applied (via hand or motor). Torsion springs comes in various wire sizes and lengths. These variations are calculated specifically dependent upon your garage door weight and height. Torsion springs generally have a limited lifespan of around 10,000 to 20,000 cycles.
Most two car garage doors have two torsion springs but smaller garage doors may have only one. If your garage door has two springs and one of the two breaks, it is probable that the second spring's life expectancy will be expiring soon after. In order to save you from future inconvenience, unsafe garage door practices, damaging your garage door motor, and to save you money having to replace the second spring soon after, we recommend replacing both springs at the same time.
High tension springs can and will eventually break after years of service. When a spring breaks, it will let out a very loud sound that sounds like a gunshot. You may notice that your door goes up a little and comes back down or not open at all. Your garage door can also seem to be shaky and slow on the way up and falls harder on the way down. Look at your torsion spring(s) to check for a split in one or more of them. If your garage door has a broken spring, do not continue to operate using your garage door opener. Continuing to operate your door with a broken spring may cause damage to your garage door opener or other parts. Give us a call to have them replaced. These springs are under extreme tension and attempting to adjust or replace garage door springs without any experience can result in severe injury and leave your door in an unsafe condition if it is not done by a trained and skilled professional.
Central Garage Door Service uses OIL TEMPERED SPRINGS to help your door keep their balance longer. Not having your door balanced creates added strain on your garage door opener which can lead to repair costs.
Extension Springs for One-Piece (Single Panel) Doors:
AKA "Up and Over, Tilt Up, or Swing Door"
One-piece garage doors use one or two extension springs on each side of the door. The spring bottom is secured to an adjusting bolt that is hooked to a door jamb bracket. The springs reach upward, being placed perpendicular to the garage floor. The door operates as one large unit. When the door opens the top of the door moves inside the garage.
Extension Springs for Sectional Doors:
Usually located above the upper horizontal tracks on both sides of the door, extension springs stretch and provide counterbalancing force to support the door. The more force that is applied (via hand or motor), the more extension spring expands. Extension springs usually span between 5,000 and 10,000 lifts.
As with the torsion springs, when one of your extension spring breaks, we will recommend replacing the two or four at the same time because all of the springs have experienced the same amount of tension overtime and the unbroken spring's life expectancy will expire soon to follow.
Torque Master Springs:
The Torque Master Spring System are equipped with springs that are located inside the galvanized tube. The springs are of a very small diameter and wire size but longer in length. These types of springs do not have as much strength and have shorter cycle life than standard torsion springs.
It is hard to be sure if a spring has been broken with this system because the springs are inside the tube and not visible from outside . One sign of spring failure in this system is that your door will be heavy and will not open. Your door will also be difficult to open manually.
As with a broken torsion spring or a broken extension spring, if you suspect that you have broken springs inside your torque tube, stop trying to operate it using your opener to avoid damage to your garage door motor. We do not offer spring changes for Torque Master System but can offer a conversion into a Torsion Spring System. Conversion to a torsion spring assembly will save you money in the long run since torsion springs will last many years longer between needing spring replacements.
Torsion Springs
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