As it is often said, living a life of
balance is key when it comes to your health, harmony, and happiness. For some,
it could mean the right repetition of self-care. For others, it could mean a
home that serves as a well-organized safe haven. That said, your garage door
needs proper care too in order to provide you and your family with assurance of
safety. So, in this blog post we will be discussing garage door balance.
A standard garage door can weigh up
to 400 lbs. – which is a lot of weight working against you if a problem should
arise! Garage doors are equipped with two springs; one spring being on either
side of the door. When a garage door closes, these springs are under very high
tension. So, any time there is movement of the garage door, the springs need to
adjust in order to balance the weight of the door. In other words, it is
crucial that the springs be in balance in order to maintain efficient and safe
operation.
The balance of the springs is
what maintains level movement of your garage door. If one spring becomes loose,
that side of the garage door will move at a different speed which then leads to
disproportionate wear (and a lot of noise!) while the door opens and closes.
With any high functioning piece of
machinery, a garage door will experience wear and tear over time which is why
we can’t stress the importance of maintenance enough! Most indications of
garage door repairs can be visible to the eye which is why visual
inspections can sometimes be done by a homeowner.
However, if your garage door
springs are already broken, there are safety issues involved that you should be
aware of! First, you should never pull the emergency release handle when
the door is open because it will come down fast and hard. With the spring being
broken, there is nothing that will slow the door down. Another safety concern
is that if the door is left open, it can fall at any time or someone may try to
close it without realizing that there is an issue. If you must leave the door
open, you should place something sturdy underneath the door on both sides to
help support it, and make sure children and/or pets do not go near it. You
could also have a couple of people hold the door up while you disconnect it
from the garage door opener, and then close it manually.
A garage door that is balanced feels neither too heavy nor too light and remains at whichever level that you choose to leave it at. If a garage door is noticeably out of place it means your door is off-balance. If that’s the case, a garage door professional can come out and assess the springs. Generally, your garage door will call for spring replacement in order to work properly.
It’s imperative to have the balance
of your garage door checked regularly so that it can be adjusted when
required. If you notice any signs that suggest your garage door springs
have become off-balance, please do not hesitate to call A1 Door Company for repairs!
