Dangers Of Torsion Springs For Garage Doors
As homeowners, most people have no concept of the potential danger that garage doors present. Garage doors receive an abundance of wear and tear on parts that are used multiple times a day. Without proper maintenance or repair, they are going to fail eventually. Unfortunately, some families learn the hard way, after their garage door collapses. One of the most common are torsion springs…
In the United States torsion springs are the 6th highest cause of injuries. That is for injuries from garage doors. There are over 300 injuries a year.
What You Need To Know
They will wear out, with a shelf life of around 10,000 cycles, or up to 7 years. Making it important that you do not attempt to undertake the repair or replacement yourself.
Torsion springs jump into use every time your garage door opens or closes. Torsion springs store mechanical energy. Just like any other spring do. And this causes them to tighten. They do this by using a twisting, or rotating, motion and as they are made from a denser material than conventional springs, they can store more energy.
You will generally find them above your garage doors opening, mounted horizontally. So when the door comes down the cables at the bottom force the springs to wind, energizing the system. Thus when the door opens the springs unwind, transferring their energies to the door to raise it.
Torsion Springs Risk
The risk comes into play when a torsion spring is damaged, or broken. This can cause the door to fall rapidly, which can lead to serious injury or death. Moreover, the greatest danger is when laymen decide to undertake the repair themselves. Aside from the fact that many home repairs go wrong and mistakes occur that lead to the need for a professional anyway… As stated above, you should never attempt to repair broken torsion springs for garage doors, unless you are trained to do so and have the correct tools required for the job.
The reason that it is so dangerous is because you are dealing with torsion springs for garage doors under tension, failure to handle the process properly could lead to tragedy. Due to the fact that many of the parts involved in the process can be life threatening, it is unwise to attempt repair: you must call in a professional. There are too many moving parts involved to attempt this yourself. Remember all the mishaps “Tim The Tool Man Taylor” had back in the 80’s & 90’s…
Do It Yourself?
While you may come across many websites with instructions on how to complete this repair, or even gate opener repair, these are posted by people with experience in the industry. Obviously those who have had the relevant training will find this a simple task. Many repairs sound simple when reading about them, but it is a different situation when attempting to carry out these instructions. There are certain things that are easy to DIY, however sometimes saving a bit of money is not worth the potential danger. When it comes to maintenance or repair of torsion springs for garage doors, call a professional.