Garage doors suffer the same fate as every other kind of door; nobody gives them much thought until there's a problem. A malfunctioning garage door can have a significant negative impact on business. Routine maintenance of overhead garage doors is vital; however, even with the best of maintenance, emergency repair situations like a broken spring can occur.
Ideally, you'll have the doors at your location inspected quarterly for signs that the springs are starting to go bad. This way, they can be replaced proactively before a spring breaks and creates a costly emergency repair situation.
Some signs of a garage door spring that's nearing the end of its life expectancy include:
- The garage door spring appears old and worn-out.
- The spring looks like it's stretched out.
- The door is heavy to lift.
When garage door springs break, you'll know it. If the door is in the up position at the time, it may come crashing down when the spring breaks. When the door crashes down due to a broken spring, the door panels can be damaged, and glass in any windows on the door may break, leading to expensive repairs. If the spring breaks when the door is down, you'll find the door is very heavy to lift, and in most cases, impossible. Additionally, the door won't stay up if a spring is broken.
A door at a commercial location that's stuck down can be a real financial emergency since it can prevent business from proceeding. Fortunately, garage door repair technicians can often make a temporary repair if the spring is only broken in one location. They clamp the spring with a spring block to restore the door to operation. However, there's no guarantee on how long the spring clamp will hold, so it's important to get the broken spring replaced as soon as possible.
It Pays to Be Proactive
Typically, if one spring on a door breaks, that means the other spring is also nearing the end of its life cycle. Many facility managers will choose to have both springs replaced at the same time to avoid paying for another emergency repair in the near future.
Regular inspection and maintenance of garage doors can help to identify problems before they lead to the need for emergency repairs. Of course, unexpected things, like a spring breaking, can happen. In either case, call a qualified garage door repair company. The high tension on garage doors makes them dangerous for an amateur to attempt to repair.
For more information, contact Door Doctor Inc or a similar company.
