It is almost impossible to open my garage door manually. What might be the problem?

If your garage door is very difficult to open manually, it could be for several reason. Garage

doors operate as a system using springs, cables, drums, hinges, rollers, tracks and sometimes

pulleys. If any of the components is not functioning properly, it can cause your door to be hard

to open and cause damage to other parts in the system.

Typically in residential garage doors, if your door is difficult to open manually, it is caused by a

broken or failing spring(s). This is true weather you have a torsion or extension spring system.

Torsion spring systems use spring(s) that are mounted to a spring bar/torsion tube that is

mounted to the header above the garage door opening. Extension spring systems use a spring

mounted above the horizontal tracks. These springs are attached to the cable and bottom

bracket of the garage door using a series of pulleys.

Failing or broken garage springs will make your door very difficult and sometimes impossible to

open manually. It will also put added stress on your electric garage door opener causing it to

fail as well. Garage door springs have an expected number of life cycles. Life cycles are the

number of times you can open and close your garage door. One life cycle is equal to one open

and close cycle. The number of life cycles expected from the spring is based on the gauge of the

wire, the diameter of the spring and the length of the spring(not including the end cones), The

size of spring(s) needed to properly open in close your garage door is determined by the weight

of your garage door, including any struts mounted to the door.

If your garage door spring is failing or broken it will not provide enough force to lift the garage

door. Many doors we encounter do not have the proper size spring(s) installed. If the spring is

not the proper size the door will not be balanced. An unbalanced door can make the door

difficult to raise manually and can cause damage to other components in the garage door

system. If the spring is to small the door will be difficult to open, if the spring is to large the

door will be difficult to close. A perfectly balanced door, with the proper sized spring(s), will be

very easy to open and close manually, and will weigh around 5-15 LBS. If the door is heavier, it is highly

recommended to call a garage door company before additional damage will occur.

Failing or broken spring(s) is the most common cause of a door being almost impossible to open

manually, but other factures can cause this as well. The other factors could be worn out rollers,

worn or failing drums and cables and obstructions or damage to the vertical or horizontal

tracks. If your garage door is almost impossible to open, it needs a thorough inspection to

determine the exact cause.