How To Open A Garage Door With A Broken Torsion Spring
A common problem with garage doors is a broken torsion spring. The torsion springs on your garage door are what allows the door to open easily, either when operated by a remote control or manually. Breakage usually occurs due to wear and tear and generally results in a door that is stuck closed or is extremely difficult to open, due to its weight. The best course of action is to hire a professional contractor to carry out the necessary repairs as soon as possible. However, if you need to access your garage in the meantime, here's how to do it safely.
What you'll need
- two ladders
- two crowbars
- two mole wrenches
- a strong friend to help you
How to do it
- The first thing to do is to position one ladder on either side of the garage door. The ladders will act as wedges to support the weight of the door when it's fully opened and will prevent it from closing. Make sure that the ladders are within easy reach, as you and your assistant will need to access them quickly later in the procedure.
- Now, position yourself and your assistant on either side of the garage door. Take a crowbar each and place them at the ends of the door, between the floor and the bottom of the door.
- Use the crowbars to lift the door up as far as possible, and then very slowly pull the door roller up by hand. Remember that the door will be very heavy, so lift it correctly by bending your knees and using your legs to lift it, not your back.
- Take a mole wrench each and clamp them onto either end of the roller. The mole wrenches will act as stoppers to prevent the roller from sliding back down again.
- Continue pushing the door up until it is fully raised, and then place a ladder under each side of the door to keep it fully open.
Once you have the door open, remove what you need and then leave the door without attempting to close it. Without the torsion spring working, the heavy door could just drop down suddenly, causing injury. Call out a professional garage door technician to repair the door for you as soon as possible.
In conclusion
If a torsion spring breaks on your garage door, you can still open it by using the above method. However, you should always call a professional technician to carry out repairs on the door as a matter of urgency.
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