Different types of garage door springs

Garage door springs play a vital role in the functionality of the doors. These allow the doors to be smoothly opened and closed.

Failure of the springs means you won’t be able to open your garage door freely, or sometimes you can’t open it at all.

To understand why these are so important, you need to know about the different types of garage door springs. 

Garage door springs are of mainly two types, torsion springs, and extension springs. Torsion springs are the most commonly used garage door springs and are divided into 4 classes.

Extension springs, on the other hand, are not that common and can be classified into 3 categories. 

Let’s take a look at different kinds of garage door springs and their functions.

What are the different types of garage door springs?

The function of the garage doors is to counterbalance the weight of the garage door for it to be able to open and close smoothly. So if a garage door spring goes bad, the garage door itself can stop functioning entirely.

That’s why one must know about the different types of springs for garage doors so that in case something goes wrong with their garage door spring, they can quickly identify and solve the problem. 

Torsion Springs

Torsion springs are the most common garage door springs used by people. These springs are generally installed over the garage door where it is either housed in a metal shaft or sometimes the shaft will pass through them.

They open and close the door using torque, making it more suitable for heavier doors. 

There are 4 different types of garage door torsion springs. They are:

1. Standard Torsion Spring

These torsion springs are more suitable for garage doors in residential areas. These torsion springs are situated directly above the garage door and the metal shaft passes through them.

The number of springs used varies according to the weight of the door. If the door is on the lighter side, the number of springs will be 1, while for a heavier door, a couple of these springs will be used. 

2. Early Set Torsion Spring

These torsion springs are more or less similar to the standard ones, but unlike the previous ones, the spring is situated right in the middle of the shaft.

There are two different types of hardware that are mounted on both sides of the shaft, right beside the cable drum. 

3. Steel Rolling Torsion Spring

Unlike the previously mentioned torsion spring, the steel rolling torsion springs are more suitable for use in commercial buildings. 

It is housed inside a torsion barrel, rather than having a torsion shaft pass through it. 

4. Torque Master Torsion Spring

Among all the four types of torsion springs, the torque master is considered the safest one out there. They too are housed inside a torsion shaft, and you can find torsion cones at the edges of the torsion rods. 

Extension Springs

Compared to torsion springs, extension springs of garage doors are not very common. They open and close garage doors by extending and contracting which gives them energy.

There are three types of extension springs. They are:

Extension Springs

1. Open looped Extension Springs

Having open-looped extension springs is a double-edged sword. On one side, you can easily replace them if the need arises. On the other hand, once a small part of the spring is damaged, you have to replace the entire spring. 

2. Double Looped Extension Springs

Double-looped extension springs are like their predecessors in that they also act as double-edged swords, albeit differently.

While they are stronger than open-looped extension springs due to the presence of a couple of coils at the end of the spring that is attached to the eyebolt and the pulley, they are harder to replace than the open-looped ones once damaged. 

3. Clipped ends Extension Springs

These extension springs last the longest of the three in this list. This is due to them having clips at their ends which causes the springs to endure the least amount of stress.

They can handle doors that weigh above 200 pounds. But their downside is that you’ll have a hard time replacing them.

How to replace old-style garage door springs?

Extension springs are older than torsion springs. They also last a shorter time than torsion springs and are harder to replace. Here are the steps you need to follow to replace them:

• Measuring the door’s dimensions
• Estimating the weight of the door
• Raising the door up
• Unplugging the garage door opener
• Disconnecting the opener from the door
• Unbolting the far end of the extension spring from the stanchion of the rear track
• Unbolting the pulley
• Disconnecting the cable
• Removing the spring by disconnecting the safety cable and removing it
• Connecting the new spring’s far end to the stanchion
• Pushing the safety cable through the new spring
• Attaching the safety cable to the stanchion
• Attaching the near end of the cable to the pulley
• Attaching the cable to the garage door.
• Reconnecting the door opener and plugging it in.

Garage door spring cost

The average price of garage doors is between $30 to $75. But the price of the residential springs can be between $15 to $100 while that of the commercial ones can go up to $300. 

Final Words

Once the springs of a garage door fail, it becomes impossible for you to open and close your garage door smoothly. To replace them, you must know about different types of garage door springs.

If you know the ins and outs of the springs of your garage door, you’ll find it easier to replace broken springs and repair them. 

FAQ

1. Are all garage door springs the same?

People often think all torsion and extension garage door springs are the same and can fit every kind of door. But the reality is quite different.

Every type of door has its type of spring, so fitting one kind of spring into every kind of door is a bad idea. 

2. Are there different grades of garage door springs?

Yes, there are different grades of garage door springs. The grading is done based on spring cycle life, which means the amount of time the spring can open and close a door before it expires.

The more the cycle life of a garage door spring is, the higher it is graded. 

3. What happens if the garage door spring is too strong?

If the garage door spring is too strong, it will not allow the door to be fully closed by continuously pulling it upward.