There are several signs that can point to a broken spring. These include:
- The physical appearance.
- The opener straining to open the door, and in some cases stopping altogether on the way up. You may also find that it closes with a loud thud.
- The door is too heavy to lift in manual operation.
- The panel & tilt door opener is running but the chain is not moving.
- The tilt door pulls to one side and may jam on the side of the opening when attempting to operate the door.
If, upon inspection, you find that your spring is broken, cease using the door immediately, both by opener and by hand, even if it still opens automatically. Continuing to use the opener with a broken spring, even though it may work, will significantly increase the load on the motor and may cause it to burn out, greatly inflating repair costs.
Here at AGG Doors, springs are replaced in sets. This is more a precautionary measure. When your first spring breaks, all the load is thrust on the remaining spring, applying significantly more tension then the spring is used to and greatly weakening the steel coil. Once your broken spring is replaced, the surviving spring (in its weakened state) has to work as efficient as the new spring, and in an effort to keep up, breaks in the process.
In conclusion, there is only one rule when your spring breaks;
stop using the door.
Below is a checklist for relevant information when enquiring about broken garage door springs, ranging with the most important to the least.
- Panel Doors (torsion type springs):
1. The size of the door, ie – 2250mm h x 4880mm w.
2. Brand of the door, ie – B&D, CSI, Steel-Line.
3. Length of the spring, not including the end cap and anchor plate. Always measure the 2 halves of the broken spring and then add together. Springs stretch when they are tensioned, and the good spring will still have tension on it, therefore measuring the good spring will not help us gauge what spring you may require.
4. The length of 10 coils.
5. The inside and outside diameter of the broken spring.
6. The diameter of the wire (should equal length of 10 coils divided by 10).
7. The number of panels that make up your door, and how many of them have an aluminium bracing running across it (on double panel doors there are usually support braces on the top and bottom panels at the least).
Tilt Doors (extension type springs):
1. The length of the broken spring, not including the hooks on each end.
2. Whether the tilt door has tracks and rollers in the top corners of the door. If they do, the length of the power-arm and the distance between the 2 pivot points on the power-arm.
3. The number of springs on each side.
4. The size of the door, ie – 2250mm h x 4880mm w.
We do not replace the springs on roller doors.
If you want to enquire or book in garage door spring replacement service, call us on 03 8789 3221.
