Garage door systems are intricately designed and include quite a few moving parts and pieces. Over time, there’s a good chance that some of these components will start to perform less efficiently. When the springs, in particular, are not working correctly, this can cause a garage door to become unbalanced. This has the potential to damage the opener and make your door stop operating at the most inconvenient time. According to the experts at American Garage Door in Kalispell, MT, it’s important to test the balance of a garage door from time to time to prevent a premature breakdown.

It’s difficult to determine when a garage door is off balance just by everyday use because many openers will continue to work for a while, albeit under a great deal of stress. To check if your door is properly balanced, begin with it closed and make sure it is disconnected from the garage door opener. Then, move the door up and down by hand to detect whether or not there is any friction. After placing the door in a closed position again, lift it up to about the halfway point before completely letting go. Once it is raised, the garage door should be supported and held in place by its springs. However, if it moves up or down forcefully, this is a strong indication the springs cannot counterbalance the weight of the door and need to be replaced.

If your garage door does not pass the balance test, it’s essential to call a professional garage door repair company right away. This is an issue you will want to have fixed before it leads to more significant and costly problems or becomes a dangerous situation. Contact American Garage Door at (406) 752-2662, or visit them online to learn more about garage door safety.