Introduction to Basic Garage Door Springs

In spite the fact that all garage door springs types serve the same purpose, there are still differences among them and they must be taken into consideration before you choose for your own garage system. One way or the other, they are all expected to enable the lifting of the door and, hence, the weight of the panel is of extreme importance when it comes to selecting the right type of springs. Understanding their differences will help you comprehend how they work, what their requirements are, their capacities, strengths and how long they will last.

Understanding the distinctions among springs

The lifting of the door is controlled by springs. It is known to most garage door owners that there are two basic different types of springs and the right selection would depend on the weight of your door. Garage door extension springs are the most common solution for average residential systems. They are placed at both sides of the door in order to counterbalance it as it is lifted. They actually extend or retract as you open or close the door and that's basically where they got their name from. Sectional extension springs are placed in a parallel position and above the horizontal tracks and they manage to balance the weight of the door by pulling on the cables. Extensions springs for one piece doors will stretch perpendicularly to the panel and they are adjusted to a bolt, which is fastened on garage door brackets. Springs of this type would most likely last for about ten thousand cycles.

Torsion springs come in a greater variety but have only a few differences. They are installed at the above part of the door and secured in a metal shaft and ending up in cable drums at both sides. The springs actually wind and unwind as the door is operated ensuring lifting. The selection of the right torsion spring would also depend on the type of the door. For example, roll up garage doors would wrap around a barrel and the torsion spring would be found in that same barrel. Most residences would use standard torsion springs while commercial doors would require multiple ones. The latter ones would be set up with a linear system with four or more springs; duplex systems would have one more spring inside the basic one; triplex systems would have two more springs inside the outer one and mixed systems would have a combination of all the above.

Galvanized and oil tempered garage door springs are also very common. Their main difference lies in the way they are made and this would also determine their life span. In the case of oil tempered springs, the wire is heated in extremely high temperatures in order to be resistant to static pressures. The advantage of galvanized ones is that their wires are applied with zinc coating and, therefore, they will not rust and, in fact, last much longer.