Can a misadjusted spring damage my garage door opener?

Yes. An opener is designed to move a balanced door, not to lift the door's weight. When spring tension is too low, the opener has to pull the extra load on every trip up and hold it back on the way down. Over time that wears the gears, chain or belt, trolley and motor, and it can make an opener fail years earlier than it should.

How the damage shows up

• The opener sounds labored, slows down or reverses partway up
• Worn or stripped drive gears, often heard as the motor running while the door does not move
• A bent opener arm, damaged trolley or bowed top panel
• Force or travel settings that keep needing changes

Too much tension causes problems too. The door may drift upward on its own or not sit firmly on the floor, and the opener has to work to hold it down.

Why turning up the force is not the fix

Raising the opener's force setting to push a poorly balanced door hides the real problem and can make the safety reversal less responsive. The right fix is to correct the springs so the door is balanced, then set the opener to match.

What to do

If you suspect the springs are off, stop adjusting the opener and have the door checked. Spring tension should be set by a technician. See why we don't recommend adjusting it yourself. We balance the door by hand, then set the opener so it is not fighting the spring. If the opener has already been damaged, it can be checked on the same visit through opener repair.

Read more

• Adjusting garage door springs
• Garage door opener repair
• Garage door spring replacement

Related questions

• Does cold weather mean my garage door needs new springs?
• Do you replace broken torsion and extension springs?
• How long does a garage door spring replacement take?
• Why does a heavy garage door need different springs?
• Can any garage door use high-cycle springs?

Have a different question? Call (916) 838-8182 or browse all garage door questions.