You know that feeling of dread when you need to open the heavy garage door? Wrestling with its weight, scared it might suddenly slam down on your hands or car? Your garage door doesn’t have to be a painful process anymore with some simple adjustments to the tension on the torsion springs.
Properly balanced springs make lifting your door a breeze by hand, preventing damage and minimizing noise. Best of all, it’s something many homeowners can do themselves without requiring professional Garage Door Spring Repair in Highland Springs.
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Determine Your Springs Type
The first step is identifying whether your garage door uses extension springs, located along each side, or a torsion spring system, found above the door near the header. Torsion springs are by far the most common type and can safely be adjusted with the right tools. Don’t try this with extension springs, which require specialized tools and experience due to high tensions involved.
Safely Release Spring Winding
Begin by opening your garage door fully to relieve pressure on the springs. Then locate the winding cones or tubes at each end. While wearing heavy work gloves for protection, slowly unwind each spring by holding the winding shaft firmly and turning it several rotations in the direction specified in your owner’s manual. This reduces the torque applied to lift the door.
Test Door Balance
After a few turns, test the balance by grasping the middle of the door and lifting it a few inches. It should move up smoothly on its own without much assistance. If too heavy, unwind each spring a half turn more. If too light with little counterbalance, tighten an additional half turn. Repeat testing and adjusting in small increments until properly balanced to your liking.
Mark Set Positions
Once balanced, mark the new set position of each winding cone with a piece of masking tape or a permanent marker for reference. This helps ensure they don’t get accidentally wound too tight during future use which could damage the springs. Keep winding cones from freely spinning by tightening set screws if available.
Secure Safety Cables
Check that the spring’s safety cables are securely attached at both mounting points with adequate slack in the lines. These are designed to hold the springs and winding cones in place should one ever fail or slip. Replace old, corroded, or broken cables for maximum protection.
With some simple testing and adjustment of the spring tension, opening and closing your garage door should become dramatically easier. Slight variations in balance may occur over time as springs lose stretch. But periodic checks and minor tweaks can keep that door lifting effortlessly for years to come.
Meet Rodney, our garage guru. With a wrench in one hand and a can-do attitude in the other, he’s your go-to expert for all things repair and replacement.
