Adjusting Garage Door Springs

My dad told me the other day a very interesting incident. He told us, how he had gone out with one of his friends for a stag party (kind of) to another friend of his. Everything went of fine, he enjoyed a lot with his friends. Generally he had a ball of a time. My dad did not take his car as his friend was going to pick him up. Soon after my dad reached home from the party, he gets a call from his friend asking for help. My dad went and he found out that his friend had called to help him out with a few garage door springs, which were not in a good shape. Thankfully the neighbors had kept their car at one of their relatives, so after a bit of coaxing and pleading, my dad's friend could park his car in the neighbor's garage! All for a few small garage door springs!

So I thought why not share with others what I got to know about adjusting garage door springs!

But on a serious note, to adjust and replace garage door springs, you do not have to be a 'techie' or something. Adjusting and repairing garage doors is not a very cumbersome task, per say. Garage door springs tend to get loose over a period of time, so they need to be tightened and adjusted. Because they are basically responsible for the opening and closing of the door. An inadequate stretch of the spring or tension may result in the door not opening properly. Therefore, they need to be checked periodically, if they are stretched enough, so that the door opens and shuts properly. So, how do you adjust a garage door spring? Well, here are a few quick fix tips for adjusting garage door springs.

Garage Door Spring Adjustment
Locating the springs on your garage door is the first thing. In case of swing-up doors, which are pulled open form a bottom handle, they have a spring on each side. Then, once you locate the springs, close the door and dissect one spring from the bracket, where it is connected. It should be kept in mind that these brackets are attached to the door and have several holes. Once you get the hang of that, the hook end of the spring should be inserted into the next hole down. To explain this better, it can be said that if from the top of the bracket, the spring was in the third hole, place it in the fourth. See, now I guess, its pretty clear. Hey do not forget the other side! Repeat the same process on the flip side. Well, there you are, you are done with adjusting your garage door spring. Last but not the least, check the spring by opening the garage door. If you render the tension as fine, the garage door is not slamming or is not too hard to open, then you are done. If you think the spring needs to be tighter, close the door and from the top of the bracket, pull the spring down another hole on the that side. Check the other side of the door as well.

To install and repair a garage door spring is also not a big deal. Lets check out in brief on how you can install and repair a garage door spring. The check list of things you would need to replace a garage door spring would be a new spring (obviously!), socket set, lubricant and winding rods. So we begin with measuring the faulty garage door spring. Preferably, use a spring which is of the same size and weight for proper results. May be you can also consult someone to get a rough idea on where to purchase and which spring to purchase. Now we are back in business. First things first, remove the two end cones using the correct socket and wrench the damaged spring. This will separate and remove that spring or springs from their respective end fasteners. Well, begun is half done, they say. So getting rid of broken spring is crucial and once you do that, you have won half the battle! Follow that up with fitting the new spring and tightening up the end cones firmly. You can do it easily by using winding coils or may 2 steel rods for winding the tension back again in the garage door spring. Lubricate the moving parts after you have done this and check all the springs attached to the door.

There, we are done with the repair of the garage door spring and adjusting the garage door spring as well. I am sure that after you have done it, you would agree with me, saying that you do not need to be a 'techie' for repairing or adjusting garage door springs!