Why Do Garage Door Springs Break?

We use our garage doors every day, but we often don’t think about how important they are to our daily routines. Garage door systems are also more complex than you might think. They contain several crucial parts that have to work properly, or they affect the entire system.

The springs on your garage door system support the weight of the door while it opens and closes. With such a job, you can probably guess how important the springs are to the rest of the door. When the springs break, there are several potential causes. Below, we’ll go over some of the most common reasons for a spring on a garage door to break and how you can prevent that from happening.

Causes for Broken Springs

Like we mentioned above, we use our garage doors every day, sometimes multiple times. With so much use comes a good amount of simple wear and tear. Heavier use, or even just normal use over time, can wear down the springs and cause a break.

Rust is also a cause for a spring break. If your garage door experiences certain elements, rust can build up on the springs. The rust causes extra friction when it comes into contact with other parts of the mechanism, and it also weakens the springs.

The springs can also break if the wrong type was installed — different garage door systems use different types of springs. If you installed a new spring yourself or chose a less experienced garage door professional, the wrong one might have been used, which means a part is in place that’s not meant for your system. The incompatibility can lead to breakage.

The last main cause for a broken spring is failure to give your garage door the maintenance it needs. When you don’t give your garage door the right attention, you won’t know anything is wrong until it’s too late.

How to Keep Garage Door Springs From Breaking

The best way to prevent your garage door springs from breaking is to properly maintain the system. You can do some maintenance yourself, but it’s also important to call in a professional, even when nothing seems wrong.

There are a few easy DIY maintenance tasks that you can do for your garage door. To prevent rust from forming on the springs and keep them running efficiently and safely, spray them with a lubricant. Apply the lubricant every three or four months to keep the springs in the best condition. You can also do inspections of your garage door mechanism once a month. Look and listen for anything that sounds or appears off, which could indicate an issue with the system.

Call in the professionals for routine maintenance. Being proactive in such a way will help you find any issues with the springs or other parts of the system before they become too serious. Routine maintenance saves you money and hassle in the long run.

If you’re looking for a local garage door professional you can trust, choose DistribuDoors! Our maintenance services will help keep your garage door in top shape throughout the entire year. Contact us to learn more or schedule your maintenance.