Why Is There A Gap Between The Coils Of My Spring?

In this episode of Check A Pro Radio, we dive into the crucial role of garage door springs with expert Cody Johnson from Garage Door Doctor. Learn why a broken torsion spring could be the reason your garage door isn't functioning properly and how these springs are the true muscle behind the effortless movement of your door.

Discover the differences between builder grade, contractor grade, and max life springs, and why upgrading to a longer-lasting spring might be the best decision for your home. Cody also shares insights on the increasing usage of garage doors as the main entry point to homes and the impact this has on the lifespan of your springs.

Don't miss out on expert advice on how to future-proof your garage door and ensure smooth operation for years to come. Tune in for an informative discussion that every homeowner will find valuable.

https://www.garagedoordoctor.biz or check them out at www.checkapro.com.

Visit Us At -  Garage Door Doctor

Tune in to get expert advice on selecting the perfect garage door for your home from a true professional in the field.

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Check A Pro Joe here on Check A Pro Radio the garage
door spring is what enables
the door to go up and down so freely a
questions come into the radio program about garage door spring so I've asked
my friend and garage door expert Cody Johnson from Garage Door Doctor to join
me here on the program hello Cody how are you i am doing great it's a blessing

(00:26):
to be here thank you yeah Hey, a question's come in.
Why is there a gap on my garage door spring on that coil?
Well, I would counter that question with another one. Does the door even work? Is it not lifting?
Did someone hear a loud gunshot noise almost?

(00:49):
Ask the wife, ask the kids. Did you guys hear a loud crash noise?
Noise more than likely if there's a two to three inch gap
on that black spring so you'll have a black coil
one or two coils up above the garage door kind
of towards the center, there's a pipe and if you're seeing like a two or three
inch gap it assuming that we're talking the same language it's going to be a

(01:10):
broken torsion spring and a torsion spring most people don't realize this they
think the opener is the muscle the opener the motor unit's doing all the work
the motor unit is just the brain.
The springs are the muscle of the garage door. Most garage doors can weigh maybe
as little as 150 to 200 pounds.
And then we get to our double layered steel doors and they can be 300, 400 pounds.

(01:34):
Wood overlay doors can be 600 to 800 pounds or even more.
So the springs are the muscles that make the door feel like maybe five pounds
or ideally zero, you know, zero to five pounds.
And the opener really is lifting no more than five, 10 pounds at most.

(01:54):
Once you get past 10 pounds, it's starting to stress the opener.
So if we have a broken spring in your door, say your door weighs 200 pounds,
your opener's trying to lift a hundred of the 200 pounds.
And we're going to fry that opener real quick if we don't get those torsion springs replaced.
The good news is you probably have builder grade, contractor grade springs.

(02:20):
We've got some that are, you know, those are probably like, you know, five-year springs.
We got some springs that are like three times the length and it'll last you a lifetime.
We have lifetime, what we call max life springs.
And they're powder coated red and you're going to love it and it'll never break
again. And if it does, it becomes our problem.
Which is nice. When the spring does break, which can happen,

(02:45):
especially with a builder grade installation,
at some point it's going to just pop, bang, like you said, sounds like a firecracker or a gunshot.
When that happens, you cannot get in or out of your garage.
You just can't so you're going to
have to call out an expert

(03:05):
like Cody and his team at Garage Door Doctor but if you have one that has a
longer lifespan more cycles in it and it has a warranty guaranteed that'll always
work or get replaced by Garage Door Doctor that's the way to go Yeah.
And I guess to kind of expand on that a little bit.

(03:26):
So we'll talk averages. Okay. So sometimes the numbers will be higher or lower.
But in general, most builder-grade springs are probably going to be two year
springs, 10,000 cycles, a cycle is up once down once.
Um then we have our five-year springs which

(03:46):
is 25 000 cycles so you're already
getting two and a half times more um the most
builder grade ones and then we have our our max life
springs that are average lifespan is 80 000 cycles 8x of the normal contractor
one and nowadays it seems you know it's funny the usage of the garage door seems

(04:08):
to be evolving more and more you know when I started 22 years ago when my dad started back in 87,
the garage door was just for either vehicle or storage and that's it.
Nowadays, the garage door is the front door of the home.
It's not just about the dad or the mom and what their usage is.
It's about the kids and how the kids are getting in and out,
getting the bikes, getting the basketball, the football, playing,

(04:30):
the kids' friends coming over.
I'm finding usage 10 times a day used to be a very high number. It is now a low number.
Most of my clients are using their door 15 to 20 cycles a day.
And, and that's, you know, that's a lot of use that you just do them bath, you know, 20 times 365.

(04:52):
How many, how many years does it take till I break the 10,000 cycle spring?
You know, so it's, uh, the usage is becoming more and more.
That's why I would suggest to kind of future-proof it by, um,
by going ahead and putting the better springs on.
But, um, we are a window, not a door. We give you all the options.
It's completely open and transparent for you. I love that, Cody.

(05:16):
As always, thank you so much for coming onto the program and being the expert
in garage doors on Checker Pro Radio. Much appreciated. Thank you.