The large springs that help lift your overhead garage door are called garage door springs. These springs are necessary for your door to function correctly. With time and exposure to the elements, springs will wear out or break, and you may find more than one type of spring in the market. Each type of spring has its own benefits and drawbacks, and functions with specific garage doors. If you are looking to replace your garage door springs with new ones, you surely have many questions before finalizing your choice.
What are the different types of springs used on garage doors?
EXTENSION SPRING
Extension springs for garage doors help balance the doors’ weight, making them easier to open and close. They are suspended from the rear track hanger. One end is fastened to a fixed angle or bracket with an s-hook, while the other end is attached to the bottom of the door via a cable. When the door closes, one end of this cable follows the bottom of the door as it slides down vertically. The other end is routed over the pulley above the door and onto the horizontal track angle, where it is fastened with the cable clip and an s-hook.
Types of extension spring end
Single open looped ends - has one coil of the spring that connects to the eye bolt and the pulley.
Double looped ends - has two coils of the spring that connect to the eye bolt and the pulley.
Clipped ends - has a clip installed at the last two coils of the spring to connect it to the eye bolt and the pulley.
TORSION SPRING
Thanks to torsion springs, lifting your garage door is so much easier for the garage door opener. You should be able to raise the garage door manually without much trouble, as well. These springs can be found above the garage door opening. One end of the spring is secured to the wall by a stationary cone, while the other end has a winding cone. Torsion springs employ a combination of bearing plates, cables, and cable drums to release the torque needed to lift the door to its horizontal tracks and lower it to its vertical tracks.
How do I know what garage spring I need?
Getting the correct extension or torsion spring for your garage door spring is critical if you want to replace it. The following tips will help you know what garage door spring to buy.
Identify the direction of the spring wind
Garage doors typically use two springs—the left and right springs that are separated by a divider located at the door's midpoint. The left-wound spring has endpoints in a clockwise direction, while the right-wound spring has endpoints in an anticlockwise manner.
Get the size of the wire
To determine the suitable wire size, take the length (in inches) of ten or twenty coils of the spring that has to be replaced and compare it to wire size measuring charts.
Take the overall length and (IOD) inside diameter of the spring
Measure the springs' IOD to the nearest 1/6 inch, as well as the overall length to the nearest 14 inch.
Determine the color code of the spring
The lifts for extension springs are color-coded. Check your springs’ color stripe on it, and that is all the garage door supplier would need to determine the right spring to give you.
When your garage door springs break, Titan Garage Doors NE is there to help. With over ten years of experience, our team serves the greater Omaha area and Council Bluffs, Iowa, with quality garage door repair and garage door maintenance services. Call us at (402) 513-0255 for emergency garage door repair service.