Garage Door Springs

The importance of garage door springs to the mechanism of the garage door cannot be overstated. Springs are absolutely necessary in a typical door system. Without their help, you would likely not be able to lift the door open since most doors weigh between 150 and 400 pounds.

How the Garage Door Springs Work

The garage door springs work by storing potential energy and turning it into the kinetic energy it uses to lift the heavy door up or to bring it down slowly. The typical setup for garage doors can use one of two types of spring systems.

All about Torsion & Extension Springs

The torsion spring is the first type. It's a large gauge spring that is capable of storing large amounts of energy. It is installed at the top of the doorway. It's firmly attached to a shaft which has cable drums at both ends. These cable drums house the cable that finally attach to the bottom corners of the door. To load the torsion spring with energy, it is turned several times. The more it is turned, the more energy it stores which translates into more lifting power.

The second type is the far smaller extension spring. The extension spring's potential energy doesn't come from torque, instead it comes from its elasticity. As the door is lowered it stretches the spring thereby loading it with a lot of energy. This energy is released when the spring recoils, snapping back into place – it is this motion that pulls the door up to rest on the horizontal tracks.

The Professional Touch

Working with loaded garage door springs is not something that should be taken up on a whim. There are precautions that need to be adhered to and procedures that must be followed to the letter. Amateurs and DIY-ers who failed to follow these have sustained injuries that resulted in amputation and even death. So, whenever you have some problems that involve springs, it is best to call us. Garage Door Repair Canoga Park has the right tools and the right training to accomplish the task at hand safely.

Call now for same day service!