Garage Door Spring Does Not Stay Tight

A problem with the spring tension could cause the door to open or close unevenly improperly or at the wrong speed and adjusting the springs will likely solve the problem.

Garage door spring does not stay tight.

Move the garage door up and down until you find a place where the door stays suspended when you let go. You need proper tension on a garage door to operate the door by hand or with an automatic opener. Close the garage door and pull the emergency release. If the door feels very heavy and will not move easily it is likely that your torsion springs which counterbalance the garage door s weight are faulty or broken.

There are of course many other problems that can keep your garage door from functioning properly. Another thing that can reveal a broken torsion spring is a loud bang emanating from your garage. One of the more difficult problems for do it yourselfers to diagnose is a worn cable pulley on an extension spring door. Ideally the door should slowly float up from this point.

Click on a problem below to see the possible causes and solutions. If the tension is too loose the springs that help lift the door are ineffective and the weight of. Bottom of the door is up on one side. While the pulley is disconnected from the spring give it a quick hard look.

If it stays in place your spring or springs are fine. Release your hold on the door and see if it stays up all the way. Simply disconnect these two attachments and reattach the new spring in the same way. Hold the garage door and remove the vise grips from the track after the spring tension has been adjusted.

This will disconnect the opener from the door and allow you to open it manually. Slowly close your door about halfway and release it. Be sure not to twist the garage door cable when reattaching the pulley. If that point is more than four feet or less than three feet above the ground you will need to balance the door.

Lift the door manually to about waist height bring it to a stop and let go of it.