Broken garage door? Well, nothing a few home tools can’t fix, or if you don’t have the convenience of time, a repairman is just one call away. But before you dive right into repairs, you should first know the essentials of repairing your garage door. After all, you don’t want to make the situation worse and do something that might damage your garage door further. One common problem all garage doors face is a worn-out or damaged spring. Sounds easy enough on paper to repair, but is it really?
One important thing to take note of in garage door spring repair and replacement is to know what you’re dealing with first. If this is your first time handling such repairs, then this might be for you.
Things to Consider in Repairing or Replacing
Assess the Cost of Garage Door Springs: repair or replacement all depends on the type of spring your garage door has. A torsion spring, for example, is more refined and has a quality build that could last a substantial amount of time with minimal maintenance. These types can be repaired easily. However, if you have an extension spring that is already worn out, you have fewer options and must change it out (usually every six years), and most of the time, they are more difficult to repair, so you’d just wind up replacing it fully.
A Clean Workspace is a Safe Workspace: in repairing broken springs, you’ll be working in an elevated workspace. This might cause potential hazards, such as materials from the garage door falling into the floor. Make sure that any objects, such as your car or other fragile stuff you keep in your garage, are clear from your work area. Ignoring such risks could potentially lead to your garage door collapsing suddenly and damaging your vehicles. Also, it would be better if you have a buddy with you to assist if such a situation arises just in case.
Using Proper Winding Bars: Using the proper tools is always essential in any type of repair. Make sure you have a winding bar that is heavy duty and has a precise size that it can fit in the cone slot. A typical torsion spring has a slot that measures ½ inch in diameter, so your tool should match that size; if no such tool is available, either buy one from the store or alternatively you can get two pieces of rebar with that same diameter size and use that instead.
Securing the Torsion Tube: Before you start the winding process with your tools to secure the springs, make sure that your vice grips are firmly securing the torsion tubes. This step is pivotal to make sure the garage door remains closed. This small precautionary measure is to prevent the situation where the garage door will suddenly operate and can result in either you breaking the garage door or a hazard that can cause you to have a nasty fall.
