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Up and over garage doors remain a steadfast favourite amongst many garage owners across South Wales and the UK as they are simple to operate and require little to no physical effort. At the centre of a functioning garage door there are two things: the garage door curtain (which provides the physical barrier between the outside world), and the torsion spring which provides extra upwards lifting force. Having provided garage door repair in Newport for a number of years, we find that the torsion spring is still largely misunderstood by many homeowners even though it is a critical component of their garage door! There are also huge safety implications when springs are not treated with care or wound correctly.
We wanted to have a lengthy talk on torsion springs in order to clarify just how important they are and why calling a professional garage door specialist should be your first port of call when dealing with a worn out or broken torsion spring.
The primary job of a torsion spring is to produce torque which is basically a term to describe rotational force of an object on a stable axis. When we think about the weight of up and over or sectional garage doors, the actual door panels would be unmovable with the force of a single hand along. To assist with lifting the garage door from the ground upwards the minute force of that human pulling action must be supplemented with additional upwards force which is where torsion springs come in. The springs themselves are coiled on very tightly around a torsion tube which then transfers tension to the spring shaft, cable drums and ultimately doors.
So we know that torsion springs essentially provide a helping hand but some garage doors are bigger than others and therefore require more power. The level of torque in a torsion spring is determined by a number of different factors. Spring length for instance will determine the width ways application of torque force and is therefore ideal for wide garage doors. The inside diameter of the spring is also significant as this is responsible for the overall strength of the wind whilst the thicker the wire size, the more energy and tension can be stored. Wind is also a major factor as the more winds a spring has, the more stress it can take. In our experience, a vast proportion of clients looking for garage door repair in Newport have issues with their torsion springs and we’ll explain why this is.
When a garage door is shut, the torsion spring is under the maximum amount of tension as it is fully retracted and waiting to lift the weight of a full garage door. Conversely, when the garage door is open and up over the spring is in its natural state with no tension. When you think about the duration of time that torsion springs spend under pressure, it is inevitable that they will start to loose torque after a certain number of rotations. If your garage door seems a lot more heavy and requires more physical effort to open, then this is a sure sign that the torsion springs have had their day.
We must also not forget the wear and tears that come with time and that fact that in the UK we are not blessed with the kindest of weather. Sometimes the cold and moisture-rich environments found in most garages can take their toll on torsion springs resulting in rust which can cause extra friction and slowing limiting of the spring’s pull capacity. In addition, the often cold Welsh winters that we experience can also have a negative impact on torsion springs as colder temperatures have been known to make steel brittle and weaker.
Commercially available garage door torsion springs are manufactured with a set number of rotations in them with the standard number being about 10,000 torsion rotations. When you consider the average open and closes per day then even a standard spring will last for round about 8 or so years.
There are many articles and videos available that talk about the replacement and calibration of torsion springs as if it was like changing a lightbulb. This is simply not the case and dealing with torsion springs when you are not qualified can lead to serious injury and at times lethal outcomes.
You must not forget that a torsion spring pretty much lifts about 63 kgs of a 69kg garage door with your own pull fronting the remaining weight. This is a tremendous amount of force and the spring is under an intense amount of tension to achieve this. You can freely purchase torsion springs from a number of different shops or online but installation is hazardous if you are not sure what you’re doing.
Over winding is often the biggest cause of injury in DIY installations and occurs because individuals have locked in too many winds for their spring or have bought the wrong spring all together, resulting in a break. When a torsion spring breaks, it’s not as understated as it sounds: We are essentially talking about a small localised force that is capable of lifting a 69kg or more garage door overwhelming the spring and sending out fragments as it snaps. These can cause blindness and serious trauma to a human. In addition to this a common cause of injury is when the torsion winding bar (tool used to adjust spring tension) gets flung out at high speed and hits the individual.
At Access Garage Doors we have been providing torsion spring replacement and garage door repair in Newport for many years and are experts in what we do. It’s simply not worth risking injury and even death in the name of saving a small amount of money.
Our family-run business has been loyally serving from Newport and South Wales for many years and we have built a reputation as a responsive and efficient garage door repair company. For reliable garage door repair in Newport, look no further than Access Garage Doors. Give us a call today on 029 2061 4858 or fill out our online form.