Signs a spring has gone
Springs do the heavy lifting on a garage door, and the opener only steers it. When a spring breaks, the door suddenly feels much heavier, the opener strains or stops part way, or the door sits crooked in the opening.
Dominator says a door that has become hard to open by hand may have a decompressed spring, a warped track or a loose cable. Any of the three is worth a door specialist's visit, and none of them is something to work on yourself.
Never touch the springs, drums or cables
Garador says plainly not to attempt to adjust springs, and that the lifting cables are under extreme tension, so do not touch the drums or the cables. Dominator says spring work can be extremely dangerous for anyone not trained in it, and its opener manual says not to use a door that needs repair.
What to do straight away
Stop using the door and the opener
Leave the door where it is if you can. Don't press the remote again to see if it works this time.
Keep people, pets and cars out of the doorway
A door with a broken spring can come down much faster than normal. Keep children and pets well away from it.
Don't pull the manual release with the door open
Dominator's opener manual warns that releasing the opener while the door is up can make it fall fast when the springs are weak or broken. Never release it with anyone underneath.
Tell us the job is urgent
Pick "Stuck open or off its track" on the form. The job goes through marked urgent, so the door specialist who takes it knows before they ring.
Where the springs are on your door
Garador says a typical garage door has between one and four springs. On a roller door they sit inside the drum the curtain rolls around, and on a sectional door they run across the top of the opening or along the tracks.
B&D NZ says its tilt door hardware holds the springs so the parts stay contained if one breaks, and that only approved B&D dealers with the proper tools should adjust or repair tilt door springs, which are always under tension. Dominator's Flex-A-Door keeps its springs inside the horizontal tracks.
Why springs give out
Garador says a typical garage door has between one and four springs. B&D NZ says both roller and sectional doors are balanced by springs, and a roller door's curtain winds onto a drum above the opening.
Extra weight speeds that up. Dominator warns that insulating an existing door adds weight, so the door needs weighing and new springs, or the opener wears faster. Warranties treat this as wear: Dominator's 10 Year Total Confidence Warranty does not cover adjusting or replacing springs because of normal wear and tear.
What to tell the door specialist
- The kind of door: roller, sectional, tilt or Flex-A-Door
- Whether it is stuck open, stuck shut or part way
- Whether you heard a bang, or a cable looks frayed or loose
- The brand on the door or the opener, if you can see it from a safe spot
- Whether the car is inside the garage
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Keep everyone clear of the doorway
- Unplug the opener so nobody presses the remote
- Take a photo of the door from a safe distance
- Look for the brand label on the door or opener
Leave to a door specialist
- Anything to do with springs, drums, cables or brackets
- Lowering or freeing a door that is stuck open
- Putting a door back on its track
- Checking the opener after the spring work
What we would do
If the car is shut inside, say so when you send the job. It tells the door specialist how much it matters to get there soon, and they can plan to free the door before anything else. Leave the door exactly as it is until then.