A Crash Course in Garage Door Springs for Your Home

Lots of homeowners know what it’s like to have a garage and the basics for keeping it in working order. What many don’t know, however, is the different, intricate parts that make up the mechanical side of their garage door system. Some of these parts are your garage door springs. At Garage One, our team of trained garage door service specialists are ready to answer all of your questions. Springs fall into two main types: torsion and extension springs. Let our experts walk you through the different types of garage door springs and what they’re used for.

Torsion springs

Torsion springs are installed at the top of your garage door—either secured to the metal shaft, or with the metal shaft passing through them. The shaft is fitted with a metal drum on either side. The springs work by applying torque to the garage door shaft. The force exerted by each spring (between one and four depending on the size of your door) is distributed equally across the shaft, which, in turn, will raise your garage door. This type of spring comes in a few different varieties:

• Standard springs: usually found in residential garage doors and are mounted directly above the opening of your garage.

• Early set torsion springs: extremely similar to their standard counterpart, but are mounted in the middle of your garage door shaft instead of having the shaft run straight through the spring.

• Torque master torsion springs: these are considered to be the safest because they’re enclosed entirely inside the torsion shaft.

Extension springs

These types of springs are generally installed right above the horizontal tracks of your garage. They work by extending and contracting, pulling on the cables, which raises and lowers your garage door. Most doors in your home use no more than two springs, but commercial doors might have multiple springs on each side. Like torsion springs, extension springs come in a few different varieties:

• Open looped springs: these are considered to be the easiest to replace, as they don’t require you to disassemble your entire system to reinstall them. They use an open wire at the end where you attach the spring to the end of the pulley system.

• Double looped springs: similar to their open looped counterpart, these springs have two coils at the end, making them more durable, but more difficult to replace.

• Clipped end springs: these are the most durable in the extension spring family and are generally only used for doors that weigh over 200 lbs.

If you’re in the market for a reliable garage door service provider in Southern Ontario, then you’ve come to the right place. We serve cities throughout the region including Brampton, London, Kingston and Hamilton.  For more information regarding our products and services don’t hesitate to give us a call or get a quick quote from our contact form.