Guide
Garage door spring safety
Don't adjust, loosen or wind a garage door spring or cable. They are under enough tension to cause serious injury, and this site gives no steps for doing it.
Your call goes to an independent garage door contractor.
Check the balance safely
You can test the door without touching a spring. With the door closed, pull the release cord and lift the door by hand to about halfway. A healthy door stays put when you let go.
If it drops, rises or is hard to lift, have it serviced, and don't reconnect it and carry on. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that a badly unbalanced door could crash to the floor and hit someone under it.
What you can do from the floor
- Look
- Check the springs and cables for gaps, rust, fraying or sagging.
- Listen
- A new groan or pop is worth mentioning to a contractor.
- Leave alone
- Winding bars, the set screws on the spring and the cable brackets.
If you think a spring has broken
Keep people and vehicles clear of the door and don't use the opener. The loud bang page can help you work out what you're looking at before you call.
Need someone to look at the door?
Call this number to reach an independent contractor. Say what the door is doing, whether it is stuck open or shut, and what happened just before it stopped.