Depending on your garage door design, it will have either one or two large springs that hold it up and create tension so it can be opened and closed. These springs are known as torsion springs. Since they are so large, they can also be a bit dangerous. If one snaps, it can cause considerable damage to the garage, but also to your body. As such, only professional garage door repair people should ever work on garage door springs. But how do you know your springs need work? Here are some key signs to look out for.

The door closes, then opens again.

Does your garage door ever seem to shut, and then start opening again on its own? This can happen if the spring is stretching out, allowing the door to go down further than it should when closing. The door comes into contact with the ground, and that triggers the opener to pull it open again. Openers are designed to do this as a safety feature to prevent someone from being squished under the door. A garage door repair person can tighten the spring back up so it holds the garage door with just enough tension to keep it from retracting once it closes.

The spring creaks and groans. 

The next time you open and close your garage door, stand near the opener and listen carefully. Do you hear a creaking or groaning noise that sounds like straining metal? If so, your garage door spring is probably making the noise. This can happen if the spring was over-tightened and had to stretch too far. A garage door repair person can loosen the spring a little. Sometimes, they may decide to replace the spring with a looser one if it's too tight for your garage door setup.

The garage door opener is not catching.

There are a few reasons why a garage door opener may not "catch" and will instead keep running and running without actually closing the door. But a loose or broken garage door spring is one of them. The spring may have snapped or come unfastened. A garage door repair person can either reattach it or replace it. They may also need to replace some of the fasteners that are meant to hold it in place.

If you notice any of the signs above, get in touch with a garage door repair company such as Plano Overhead Garage Door. They can take a look and make repairs safely.