Broken garage door springs will not only prevent your garage door opener from working properly, they can create an extremely dangerous situation.  There are many signs that your garage door springs are broken so it’s important to be able to identify them. In this article, we’ll describe five ways you can tell if your garage door springs are broken.

A Loud Bang

When a garage door torsion spring breaks, a tremendous amount of energy is released very quickly.  This release results in a very loud bang. And it doesn’t necessarily happen when you’re opening or closing the garage door.  If you happen to hear a loud bang coming from your garage, try opening and closing the garage door. If there are problems, it’s likely a spring has broken.

The Door Stops Opening

If you’re trying to open the garage door and it stops about a half-foot off the ground, your springs are probably done for.  This is actually a safety mechanism activated by the door when the springs have broken. The opener is able to sense the change in tension on the springs and stops to prevent further damage from occurring.

The Door Falls Down

If your garage door falls to the ground rapidly when closing you should check your springs for damage.  If the garage door is unbalanced due to a broken spring, the opener will not have enough power to suspend its weight and the door will fall with force.  If you notice your door closing much faster than normal it’s time to give it a good inspection.

You Cannot Open It Manually

If you pull the release cord you should be able to open and close the garage door manually quite easily.  If this isn’t possible it’s very likely you have problems with your counterbalance spring. As its name suggests, the counterbalance spring counters the weight of the door and is actually the mechanism that opens it.  

The Door Is Bent

If the top part of your garage door is bent, it may be a sign that you have a broken spring.  When the door tries to open with a broken spring, the force may cause bending at the top. If you notice the top of your garage door is misshapen, check your springs before using it further.