A life cycle of a spring depends on three things - Wear & Tear, Rust and Cold Weather
Wear & Tear:
Nowadays overhead garage doors torsion springs provide 100% of the lift needed to raise a garage door so they are critical to your doors’ operation and just like any mechanical part; torsion springs simply wear out over time. The question is, how much time?
How long a garage door spring will last depends on how often the door is used and the cycle rating of the springs. One cycle equals your garage door being opened and then closed. For most, the magic number is ten thousand (10,000) cycles. That’s the number of cycles the average non-coated garage door spring should last under perfect conditions.
The average garage doors open and close 3-5 times a day, 300+ days a year – at 10,000 cycles they should last between 6 and 10 years. But, if your “significant other” works or runs errands during the day, or if you have kids in and out of the garage for school or to get their bikes and sporting equipment – you’re going to burn through ten thousand cycles a lot faster. An active family could easily use up ten thousand cycles in as little as two to three years.
Rust:
Rust is another common cause of garage door spring failure, particularly in weather climates. A buildup of rust increases coil friction on the moving spring. Combine that with the corrosive damage of the rust itself, and you have everything you need for early torsion spring failure. A little quick and easy preventive maintenance on your part can keep rust at bay and increase the life of your garage door springs. Every three months or so, spray the spring coil with a light silicone spray. This keeps the spring lubricated and prevents harmful rust buildup. NOTE: NEVER use WD-40 -it will drip all over your car’s paint job!
Cold Weather:
When the weather gets cold many of us feel it in our bones… we get stiff and move slower. Guess what – so does steel! Now consider the garage door torsion spring. It’s steel, coiled under great pressure, sitting quietly overnight in your cold garage. Yep… that load bang you heard is your spring or springs breaks!
