Whomever you ask, people would always say that garage doors are fundamental features of every home. Gone are the days that you will be seeing the traditional garage fences because garage doors had fully replaced those and are now in the trend.
Garage doors come in several different styles and types – from the materials used to the components installed. And, every garage door owner must be fully aware that each material comprising the door has vital tasks in its successful functioning. The springs, which is one of those performing the hardest job among all is actually the main topic of discussion here. If you own a garage door, you should know the important details pertaining to this major component especially its lifespan and how you can maintain its good state to avoid garage door spring replacement from time to time.
The Types of Garage Door Springs That You Should Know
The garage door springs are also known by many as torsion springs. They are mostly responsible for handling the pressure and stress while the garage door does the opening and closing activities. These torsion springs are usually categorized or identified by the number of cycles. Usually, those that you will be seeing in the usual garage doors have 10,000 cycles and are known to be the standard type. On the other hand, those that have 25,000 to 50,000 cycles are those in the higher zone category. On a yearly basis, if the computation is to be applied, of course, these are more costly. The higher the cycle, the more expensive the springs are. If you want to get the springs with higher cycles, you need to consider what type of garage door you are to install and its lifespan. Those with higher cycles are usually the “custom-made” type which fits specific doors. This only means that if you are getting a garage door that probably won’t last the same with the spring of your choice, then you are wasting the money you will use to buy the spring. Compatibility needs to be considered as well. But if you are to have a well built and quite expensive garage door, then getting a high cycle spring is definitely a good investment.
What Is the Lifespan Of A Torsion Spring?
The lifespan of springs or called by many as “springs’ life expectancy” is usually computed depending on the cycles. But you need not worry as you can have that easily translated or converted to time for estimation on how long the spring would last. Based on research, on average, a usual home opens and closes its garage door four times on a daily basis. And by doing the calculation, the usual spring having 10,000 cycles would probably last for seven years. This only translates to the idea that the higher cycle springs would last for more than 14 years, approximately until 20 years.
How About the Usual Causes Of Early Aging?
Garage door springs are typically made of metal. And, such can be affected usually by wetter climates. Rust is usually the issue here. Once moisture is present, then eventually rust would follow next. The rust is responsible for the build-up of the friction causing the deterioration of the spring.
Apart from rust, cold weather is also a factor. Because of the severe cold, the steel may contract resulting in brittleness and breakage of the garage door spring. You could notice that most garage door springs break during cold weather.
The Measures to Extend Your Garage Door Springs’ Life
Usually, homeowners are thinking that the issue with weather is a difficult dilemma. But actually, this can be treated easily. For rust prevention, for every three months time frame, you can just simply spray some coating spray. Take note that you need to avoid using WD-40 because this is not actually a coating spray but a lubricant. During cold weather, try to “warm-up” your garage door. Give the daytime as the warm-up frame for the door. A space heater can help during this time.
While opening the garage door, you need to listen carefully. If you are hearing some creaking noises that you don’t usually hear, there could be issues that you need to immediately handle.
