How to Open a Garage Door with a Broken Spring
If a garage door won’t open, there is a good chance the culprit is a broken spring. Garage doors are heavy and difficult to open. It could be dangerous and result in injury for those who are inexperienced. Contacting a builder to come may take too long and you need your cars to get to work and run errands. So if this is the case, you have come to the right place. We will show you how to open your garage door safely.
What is a Garage Door Spring?
You must first diagnose the issue before you can attempt to fix it. How do you know if it’s a problem with the garage door spring if you don’t know what that looks like? The spring could be argued as the single most important component in the garage door mechanism. It supports the entire weight of your garage door so it can be opened either manually or automatically. So you can imagine if the spring is broken, the door will be very heavy and dangerous to lift.
Whether you have torsion or extension springs, the difference is the location of the spring itself. Extension springs are typically located along the tracks on the side of the garage door. Torsion springs are usually the ones you see located in other places.
The function of the springs are similar, the weight of the garage door is just distributed differently.
Why Does a Garage Door Spring Break?
What are some contributing factors to why your garage door spring has broken? While it is almost inevitable in the long run, it can be prolonged. Think about how many times a day these springs are at work, lifting and lowering your garage door. They take a lot of the tension and weight, and eventually they will wear out.
Other than normal wear and tear, another big reason is rust and corrosion. Garage door springs require regular maintenance. They need to be lubricated well enough to prevent rust from setting in. Rust will make the springs stiff and inflexible, which will lead to them snapping and breaking.
How to Open a Garage Door with a Broken Spring
Now we get to the step-by-step guide on how to actually open your faulty garage door safely.
Before you can get a technician out to your house, you may need a band-aid solution until then. You may need the help of someone in your family or a neighbor, as these actions need to be done simultaneously from both sides.
- You will be needing two strong metal ladders. Preferably the ones used by painters and builders. Six foot tall ones are also recommended since they will prop the door open wider for your cars to get through.
- You will also need 2 pry bars, or whatever you can get your hands on to pry the garage door open enough to get your hands under it to lift.
- Once you have gotten your hands under the door, you need to both lift it up in unison. This should be done slowly to not strain your backs or pull a muscle since the garage door is very heavy.
- After you have propped the door open enough, this is where the ladders come in. But before either of you can let go and grab the ladders, you may need heavy duty vice grips to hold the door for you in the meantime. You can then situate both ladders under the door to act as support beams until the technician comes.
This is just a temporary fix, but one that still requires a lot of careful maneuvering. You don’t want to accidentally trip over the ladder and have the full weight of the garage door come crashing down on you.
Conclusion
Even though we have presented you with safe and straight forward steps to opening your garage door with a broken spring, You still need to take extra care when doing so. Make sure you proceed with these steps safely and remember that this is only a temporary solution. A technician is still needed and keep in mind when you get your garage door spring fixed to lubricate it regularly.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
