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Garage doors are not immortal; yes, garage doors also age and have a life expectancy.
Especially when it comes to its spring, either a torsion spring or extension spring, the one that works for the actual opening and closing the garage door.
But does one know when the ideal time to repair your garage door is?
Here are some factors that either accelerate the degradation of your garage door, particularly the springs.
Factors Why Garage Door Springs Degrade
Age
The most common reason why garage door springs break is that it is worn out.
All things have its limit, including springs.
The springs only degrade from using it, how frequent the garage door is opened and closed, and its proper usage.
An average garage door spring should have at least ten thousand cycles if installed correctly.
A method to prevent your garage door spring from breaking fast is to buy a torsion spring with an extended lifespan.
That might be expensive, but last more than the regular ones.
If you don’t know what torsion spring to use, consult our garage door repair company for assistance.
Environment Conditions
Extreme weather conditions can also affect the state of the garage door springs.
Even with the springs’ galvanization, which helps to minimize rust, intense cold under -15 Fahrenheit (-26.1 Celsius) can cause the spring metal to dry out and break.
Heavy rains also contribute to rust.
Rust
Rust is also a significant factor in why garage door springs break sooner than expected because rust increases the coil’s friction, corroding the spring.
Checking the springs every so often and spraying it with a silicone-based lubricant quarterly can preserve its life expectancy.
Spring Calibration
Improper string calibration can significantly accelerate the wearing down of the springs.
The garage door will still be functional and open and close, but without the right spring system, more stress will be put on the string, degrading it faster than anticipated.
Manufacturer’s Fault
It could happen that the manufacturers made a mistake.
In the garage door springs, it will most often be the ring that breaks at the end of the spring.
It would be low quality galvanizing against rust for torsion springs that would trigger the issue.
Pressure
Some garage doors only have one torsion spring for the door instead of two, one for each side.
Overhead garage doors are common to have that mistake, and newly-installed garage doors.
It is suggested to have two torsion spring for your garage door, for a single torsion spring have a shorter lifespan, due to the fact that only a single spring catch the impact of the doors closing and opening.
Inappropriate Maintenance
Proper maintenance can prolong the lifespan of your garage door springs, but so also is the opposite.
Improper maintenance of your garage door can speed up the springs’ degradation, eventually speeding up the need to fix your garage doors.
If unsure about how to maintain your garage door, inquire at us.
Average Lifespan
Taking notes of the different factors discussed above, the average life expectancy of a garage door spring is 10,000 cycles, as mentioned earlier.
The frequency of usage also affects life expectancy, ranging from three to five years; the longest time can be seven to nine years.
This means that the more you use the garage door, the faster it is to degrade.
The sign to repair your garage door before it completely breaks is when the garage door is slow from opening and closing, and when it makes a loud sound, it means that the spring already breaks.
Suggested Time for the First Repair
It depends on how is the condition of your garage door spring.
The more frequent you check your garage door.
The more you know the springs’ well-being, the less the garage door will succumb to breakage.
The repair should not be a repetitive solution, but rather a last resort when the garage door springs completely breaks down.
Having a good garage door minimizes the risk of having a need to restore it, especially the garage door springs.
If you have any questions on whether you need to repair your garage door in Pittsburgh, we have the answers for you.
