How To Identify The Type Of Spring On Your Garage Door
If the springs on your garage door are not operating properly, you are going to need to fix or replace them. Before you start working on your garage door springs, you are going to need to identify what type of springs are on your garage door. There are two primary types of garage door springs: torsion springs and side-mounted springs.
Torsion Springs
The first type of spring that may be on your garage door is torsion springs. These springs are generally attached to your garage above the frame of your garage door. They are generally positioned so that they are parallel to your garage door.
One side of the springs is attached to a plate that is found abouve the door frame. The plate is set up so that it does not move. The spring is then stretched out, and it is pulled out so that it extends on the shaft of your garage door. Finally, the spring is attached to the side of your garage door. This type of spring has a lot of tension in it and needs to be handled with extreme care. If you just try to take it off, you will release a significant amount of tension all at once.
Torsion springs work by twisting and turning as the garage door is closed, and then helping pull the garage door up when it is opened again.
Side-Mounted Springs
Side-mounted springs are not attached above the garage door. Instead, they are attached to the side of the garage door. They are attached to the metal tracks that are located next to the garage door. These are the tracks that the garage door runs up and down on in order to open and close. Side-mounted springs depend upon a system of pulleys that assist with the opening and closing of the door. Side-mounted springs are under the most tension when the garage door is closed and are the most relaxed when the garage door is open. It is best to remove side-mounted springs when the garage door is open, although they also contain a lot of tension.
Once you identify what type of garage door springs that you have, you can further troubleshoot the issue at hand. It is a good idea to seek professional help with dealing with the springs on your garage door, as they contain a lot of tension and could seriously harm you when mishandled. For more information on garage door spring repair, check out websites like http://shankdoor.com.