Your garage door can go through thousands of open and close cycles per year, so it’s only natural that eventually some of its components will wear out. The garage door spring, which supports most of the weight of your garage door, is often the first to go. How do you know if it’s time to replace your garage door spring or springs? 

1. You’re Hearing A Lot Of Weird Noises

A worn-out spring will start to become a lot more strained when opening and closing your garage door. You may hear groaning, popping or squealing noises during normal garage door operation.

2. Gaps In The Coil

The spring coil should not have any major gaps. If you can see a large space between the coil rings of the spring, this could be a sign that the metal is about to give out – or may have already partially snapped. Call a garage door repair professional to replace your spring, and don’t use your garage door – it could fall without warning. 

3. Rusty Springs

Springs that look rusty and corroded are nearing the end of their lifespan. To help prevent corrosion in a damp climate, we recommend the periodic application of a lubricant/rust inhibitor like silicon spray or motor oil. This will prolong the lifespan of your springs.

4. Your Springs Are A Decade-Old (Or Older)

Typically garage door springs last about 9 years at the most, with a lifespan of about 4-5 years being more common if you use your garage door a lot. If your springs are older than this, you should definitely consider replacing them soon – they could fail at any time.

5. Testing The Garage Door

If you’re not sure if your springs are worn out, there are two easy ways to tell and here’s what you can do if you find yourself in this situation: 

1. The Manual Raise – Your garage door spring is responsible for holding the weight of the door and ensuring smooth operation.To your spring/s, you can simply try to manually raise the garage door. If it moves up smoothly, stays in place when you let go of it and does not need you to hold it up, the spring is probably in good condition. However, if the door falls or drops, the spring is probably bad.
   
   
2. The Halfway Raise – Simply raise the garage door halfway. It should feel light and stay in place without dropping to the ground. If the garage door feels heavy or it drops, your springs are likely bad.

Please be extremely careful if you decide to try one of these tests. If your garage door spring breaks and you are below your door, it could drop quickly and pin you, causing serious injuries. While testing your garage door springs, using either of these methods, remain out of the way of the door at all times. It is always best to contact a garage door professional. 

Reach Out to Bayside Garage Doors If You Need Help!

Still not sure if your springs have failed, or need a professional to help you replace your garage door springs? Bayside Garage Doors is here to help. Get in touch with us for garage door repair now or call Richie at (813) 433-7395 for more immediate assistance.