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Consequences of Using the Wrong Garage Door Springs

Three garage door springs in assorted sizes on white surface

If you are accustomed to taking care of all the maintenance tasks around your home without any outside help, you may well consider replacing the old torsion springs on your garage door if they should break or wear out. However, while it might not look like a particularly difficult task and could well be something that you could handle without injuring yourself, we strongly recommend consulting an expert instead.

The reason we suggest consulting a garage door repair professional is not because we doubt your DIY abilities. It is because it is very easy to install the wrong springs and if you do, the consequences could be serious.

What Might Go Wrong if You Buy the Wrong Extension or Torsion Springs for a Garage Door?

If you buy and install the wrong type of springs, there are a number of possible consequences you may find yourself having to deal with.

  • A Damaged Door Opening Mechanism – In the event you fit springs that are stronger than they need to be, you may find that your garage door opens with too much force. This could potentially damage other components in the opening mechanism, leaving you with a much larger repair bill to pay than would been the case if you’d hired a team of professionals in the first instance.
  • Personal Injury – Springs that exert too much force when your garage door is opened could also pose a danger to you and other members of your household. If the door retracts too quickly, it could bounce when it reaches the top and hit any people or pets in the vicinity on its way back down.
  • A Door That Will Not Open – You may think that you can avoid the above two possibilities by choosing springs that are much weaker. However, if they do not possess the required strength to lift a heavy overhead door, you could find yourself unable to get into your garage at all. Even if the weaker springs are strong enough to open your garage door on the day that you install them, this may not be the case in the future. Good quality torsion springs should last for between 10,000 to 15,000 opening/closing cycles but if they are underspecified in the first place, this will not be the case. After just a few months, you could be faced with a door that simply refuses to open.
  • A Door That Falls Off Its Tracks – Whether your new springs are too strong, too weak or just not the right type, one possible consequence is that they could derail your door, i.e. cause it to fall off its tracks. In such an event, anybody standing in the garage or just outside could be in very serious danger.
  • Compromised Home Security – If you replace broken garage door springs with a new set that are not fit for purpose, you run the risk of your door opening once and then refusing to close again. A garage door that is stuck in the open position is an obvious security risk as local criminals will consider it as an open invitation to break into your property.

Even if you manage to avoid any of the serious consequences in the above list, you may run into other difficulties that cost a lot of money to fix. The wrong type or size of garage door springs could cause all manner of damage to smaller components in the opening mechanism and will almost certainly need to be replaced much sooner than you anticipate.

FAQs About Garage Door Springs

Who Should You Hire to Replace Broken Garage Door Springs?

Now you know why it might not be such a good idea to replace garage door springs yourself, you’ll probably want to find a team of professionals that you can trust to do the job properly. If you live close to us, our Loveland garage door repair team will be delighted to help you. If you’re not in our service area, we suggest searching for local companies online and approaching those that have many 5-star reviews. You could also ask friends, family and work colleagues for their recommendations.

When Should I Replace My Garage Door Springs?

You may be wondering how you will know that your springs need replacing in the first place? If they have snapped or are badly twisted out of shape, it will be quite obvious they need replacing. However, sometimes there are less obvious signs that will tell you your springs need to be replaced, which you should be on the lookout for:

  • If you notice the extension springs are not expanding and contracting evenly as the door opens and closes, this is a good indication that they need to be replaced.
  • If your door stops halfway up or down and you hear a loud bang, it is very likely that one or more of the torsion springs has snapped and needs to be replaced. You should also perform a visual inspection of your torsion springs every now and again: if they are in good condition, they will be tightly coiled with no gaps. If not, they may need to be replaced.

    • In addition to regular visual inspections, we recommend listening carefully for strange noises when opening and closing your door as these can be good indications of potential problems with the springs.

    For more information on how to spot broken garage door springs and what to do about them, contact our garage door repair team now.

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