As a homeowner, you probably already know how important your garage door springs are to the overall functionality and smooth operation of your door. They hold a lot of weight when it comes to your garage door, and if they are broken or in need of repair – you’ll be able to tell. Malfunctioning garage doors usually make a ton of noise, but a garage door spring that snaps is even louder. If you aren’t home to hear it, you’ll find out it’s broken the next time you try to open it.

As garage door repair professionals with many years of experience, we have compiled a lot of useful information about openers, springs, cables, and other components that make up your garage door. Here are five things that we think are the most important about your garage door springs.

Be sure your garage door springs stay balanced. One of the most important things about ensuring that your garage door functions properly and smoothly is that your springs are balanced. If they are unbalanced, they can cause major problems. Your garage door springs shoulder the weight of your garage door. If one side is unbalanced, it will cause uneven distribution on the other side – which can lead to a door crashing down. In order to do a balance test the balance on your door, detach the automatic garage door opener and open it manually to about halfway. Be sure to do it slowly and be ready to move it down slowly if need be.

Garage door springs and safety cables go hand-in-hand. We have seen the damage to cars as well as big holes in walls due to homeowners either forgetting, not knowing or neglecting to install safety cables with their garage door springs. What’s worse, a garage door crashing down on you can cause serious injury. This is why safety cables are essential additions to each garage door. They usually come with most modern doors, but not always – so it is important that you check. Safety cables attach to the garage door tracks and then connect through the garage door springs. If you don’t have safety cables installed, you’ll want to address that ASAP.

Noises don’t necessarily mean that they’re broken. You don’t have to be a garage door repair specialist to tell the difference between normal noise and a loud, grinding noise that can spell trouble. As garage door springs age, squeaking is normal, and you can get some simple lithium spray lubricant or silicone spray to reduce the noises. You might also just need to clean your tracks as well. Be sure to not use WD-40 because that can cause some problems.

Garage Door Springs – More Important than Ever

Due to the coronavirus, we are all stuck in our homes during self-quarantine, local government-mandated lockdowns, and so on. Staying indoors can mean that you use your home or commercial property garage door even more than normal. Don’t ever take your garage door springs for granted or ignore them if they are in need of repair.