Garage Door Spring Replacement
Replacement Torsion Springs vs. Extension Springs Repair
The first step in terms of getting your garage door springs repaired or replaced is knowing what kind of spring system you have. There are two main spring systems: Torsion Springs and Extension Springs.
Torsion springs are located above the opening of your garage door with springs slid onto a bar. Extension spring systems can be found alongside the opening of the door. It’s important to know whether or not a garage door company provides service for your needs. Windy City Garage Doors certified technicians are fully equipped to repair overhead garage doors springs.
Best Practice #1 – Replacing Garage Door Springs at the same time
Most garage doors have both torsion springs or extension springs installed at the same time, when one breaks it’s safe to say the second garage door spring’s life expectancy has just about expired. In order to save you from future inconvenience, unsafe garage door practices, and damaging your garage door opener, Windy City Garage Door Repair will usually recommend to replace both torsion springs or extension springs. If you’ve had the same tires on your car for a while and one blows out while you’re driving, wouldn’t you replace them both? It’s extremely important to properly maintain equipment such as garage doors and automobiles.
Best Practice #2 – The Right Garage Door Spring Replacement
Since garage doors come in all weights and sizes, the right garage door spring replacement needs to be installed in order to properly balance the door. If a technician puts the wrong spring on your garage door, not only will this damage your garage door, but it will cause the garage door opener to do more work than it was built to do. This is why Windy City Garage Doors technicians only replace garage door springs that match the door’s weight and then check their work by performing a balance test.
Garage Door Opener Replacement
Garage door openers don’t all work the same way
- Most garage door openers use one of three different mechanisms – chain drive opener, screw drive opener or belt drive opener.
- Chain drive openers are the most common and the least expensive, in the range of $425. These openers use a metal chain about the same size as a bicycle chain to open and close your garage doors. Their popularity is primarily due to their cost since the chain drive mechanism is louder than the other technologies and since the chain can stretch, usually require the most maintenance.
- Screw drive openers run along a threaded steel rod to operate the door. The screw function results in quieter operation than the more popular chain drive opener, but also increases the cost.
- Screw driven openers generally range in price between $425 to $475
- Belt drive openers uses a flexible rubber belt mechanism to raise or lower the door. The belt is made from a compound similar to steel belted radial tires so it’s very strong , quiet in operation and requires virtually no maintenance. You’ll usually pay more for a belt driven opener with prices starting around $475 and going up from there.
Other considerations when replacing garage door opener
- Besides price, when installing garage door opener you should consider the power of the motor, noise and security.
- Power – Garage door openers use electric motors that from 1/4 HP up to 1/2HP. A single, light weight garage door can be easily opened with a 1/4HP motor while heavier wood or metal dual doors will need a 1/2HP model.
- Noise – While you may feel the benefit of having a quieter garage door opener isn’t worth paying for, if any bedrooms in your home are close to the garage door, folks sleeping in those rooms will certainly appreciate the quieter garage door opener.
- Security – Look for safety and security features such as.
- A safety closing mechanism that stops or reverses a closing door when it bumps into something (such as a child’s bike or worse a person trying to dash under the closing door).
- Many garage door openers have built in overhead garage door lights that come on when the garage door opener is activated so you never have to get out of your car in a dark garage.’
- Ensure the garage door remote control technology uses modulating or rolling codes that change frequently, so your garage door remote control is the only one that can open your garage door.
- Some garage door openers have the ability to integrate with a push button in your car so you don’t need to worry about a remote control getting lost or the batteries running down.
2 Things to consider when replacing an overhead garage door!
- Find The Material That Fits Your Needs
- Find The Style Garage Door That Fits Your Home
- Choose The Right Garage Door Company
Directly below you will find an outline of these 3 steps to help you learn the pros and cons of each material & style; and in a very short time, you will have figured out the perfect garage door for you. It will only take a few minutes but no need to rush; you will have the garage door you choose for a long time and this page will really help you find the one that’s right for you.
# 1: Find The Right Garage Door Material For Your Needs
Steel Garage Doors are the most popular door. They are durable, attractive and virtually maintenance free. Steel Garage Doors can also be very well insulated to keep out the cold and lower your energy costs. Steel garage doors are the least expensive garage door you can buy. The downside is that if they dent or scratch it is difficult to repair.
Pictured here is a Steel Garage Door In The Style of Carriage House.
Vinyl garage doors are becoming more popular because they will look good forever. They are scratch resilient, won’t rust, warp or crack and are nearly impossible to dent. They come insulated and tend to work more quietly. A vinyl garage door requires no maintenance and is going to look good forever. People are willing to invest a little more money in vinyl because it is likely to be the last garage door you’ll ever need to buy.
Pictured: a Double-Wide Raised Panel Vinyl Garage Door
Custom Garage Doors & Wood Garage Doors– Wood has a natural beauty, is very versatile, and operates quietly. It may be painted or stained and is available in a wide price range. If you choose a wood garage door, you should plan to spend some time maintaining it. Wood garage doors are and can be fully customized to your needs. Custom garage doors are available in any size and type of wood; including cedar, hemlock & mahogany garage doors.
Wood Composite Garage Doors– are in the price range between steel & vinyl. They come primed and ready to paint with a limited lifetime warranty. People buy wood-composite garage doors primarily for 3 reasons: the main reason is that because it needs to be painted it is easily customized to fit into your home’s color scheme. The second is once the garage door is painted it does not require the maintenance a wood garage door will. Nor will it crack, split, swell or warp like a wood garage door can. And lastly, this environmentally friendly garage door is made mostly from recycled material so it is the “greenest of garage doors.”
#2 – Decide On The Right Garage Door Style
Garage Door Style is largely a matter of preference. You will need to decide between recessed or raised panel and carriage house garage doors.
Raised panel garage doors as pictured here is the most popular style sold today.
Recessed Panel Garage Doors are the ones we remember growing up that EVERYONE had. Well, retro is back, and manufacturers are beginning to revive the style to satisfy consumer demand.
Carriage House Garage Doors-are more expensive than the other options but can have a dramatic effect on the exterior of any home. So much so, that real estate studies have shown them to increase the value of a home.