Is your garage door spring starting to show signs of wear and tear? If so, then you should immediately address the problem before things get worse. A faulty spring can cause damage to your property or vehicle. Worse, it can lead to a serious injury if you find yourself at the wrong place and time. The good news is that you can arm yourself with basic knowledge about how the springs work and spot issues. Here are some useful garage door spring troubleshooting tips for homeowners.

Your first order of business is to remove all the things in the garage that you don’t want to get damaged. In particular, make sure that you get your care out of the garage right away. The last thing you want is for the springs to give out and cause the garage door itself to fall on your vehicle.

It’s also important that you determine what type of garage door spring you have. Looped, torsion and extension are the three types you can find on the market. The two most common are torsion—which runs across a bar situated at the top of the garage door—and extension—which can be found on either side of the door.

Upon determining the type of spring you have, you need to go to the hardware store to find a replacement. Take note that you need to take very accurate measurements in order to get the job done right. Wire size, diameter and length must be taken into consideration.

It’s highly recommended to hire a garage door spring repair specialist to help you select the right type of spring. It’s also best to leave the installation task to the hands of the pro.

By keeping these garage door spring troubleshooting tips in mind, you should be able to solve this problem in a timely and efficient manner.