Garage Door Springs – Proper Handling and Maintenance
Garage doors are quite heavy and to facilitate the task of opening as well as closing these, garage door springs are required. These huge springs remain under tremendous tension and cables and rollers are also present to ease the task of lifting the doors. Safety concerns exist with these springs because of the size and tension that these devices are subject to. Proper maintenance is required to ensure that these springs last for several years in perfect working condition. Even if any one of the springs is damaged or broken, the device would not function properly and an immediate replacement is required at that stage. If you do not feel confident of doing this activity yourself you should take help of a professional.
Though certain adjustments can be done personally, it is suggested that for any major work / repair the garage-door technician is called. There are inherent dangers present in repairing these springs and an expert would be the man to deal with those issues. Some homeowners in the U.S. region always get injured in an effort to service / adjust these springs themselves. Springs that are improperly adjusted make the tasks of pulling the door open and shutting it down tough. Frayed cables, loose springs, damaged rollers / tracks are even deadlier as the very heavy garage door might abruptly come down causing fatal accidents.
Hence, regular inspection of the garage door and the attached hardware in a cautious manner is essential. Manuals are provided and by consulting these all the main components of the springs and the door must be checked. Detailed instructions are provided in the manuals regarding the components to be checked, the mechanism of those components, and the proper method of lubricating / adjusting the parts. Ensure that all bolts and nuts are fixed tightly and the mobile components can move freely. You should also meticulously look out for signs of any potential damage to any component. The stability of the track is crucial and it should not move when the door opens up or shuts down.
To check the tension of the spring, just open door halfway. If it remains fixed in this position, the tension is perfect. If door falls beneath this halfway mark, the spring’s tension is excessively loose. If on the other hand, the door moves further up from this position then the tension is excessively tight.