It finally happened. You walk out to your car one morning to find your garage door won’t open.
You have a broken spring.
While it’s best to call out a technician to get the door open for you, sometimes you don’t have a choice. You’ve got to get your car out of the garage so you can get to work… like now. But how do you do it?
If you find yourself in this situation, here are some helpful tips on how to open your garage door with a broken spring.
Don’t Attempt It on Your Own
With a broken spring, a garage door has nothing to support its weight. And depending on the type of door you have, along with the spring system, that could mean it’s A LOT of dead weight.
You shouldn’t try to lift that on your own. It could cause injury and be nearly impossible to do. And trying to use the garage door opener can damage or even break the unit.
Instead, enlist the help of a friend, family member, or neighbor. Have it be someone who is physically capable to assist with such a heavy task.
Follow These Steps
When it’s time to manually open a garage door with a broken spring, don’t rush it. You want to make sure you don’t damage the door or yourself in the process.
- On the front side of the garage door, place a six-foot ladder on both sides. You’ll use the ladders to keep the door propped once it’s up.
- With your helper on one side and you on the other, lift the door carefully off the ground. If you don’t have handles to help, you may need pry bars to lift it up enough to grab.
- Lifting at the same pace, pull the door up until it’s open. It’s important that you both open the door with equal balance so you don’t damage the garage door panels.
- Place vice grips on each track, below the door, to help it stay open.
- Then position the ladders under the door. You can keep the vice grips on the tracks as an added safety precaution or rest the door on top of the ladders.
- Once you have your car and everything else you need out of the garage, remove the ladder and grips. Then slowly lower the door, again with the same pace and balance.
Call a Professional Technician
Leave your garage door closed until a professional technician arrives. Because the more you try to open your garage door with a broken spring on your own, the more likely you’ll risk injuring yourself. Not to mention causing further damage to the door.
Your technician will know how to fix the spring and inspect your garage door to make sure everything else is ok. They can also inform you on how to prevent a broken spring from causing another inconvenient surprise again.
Know How to Open Your Garage Door with a Broken Spring Safely
You never realize how important a functioning garage door is until you don’t have one. But with these tips, you’ll know how to open your garage door with a broken spring and get on with your day.
Need help with your garage door repair? Contact us today! We’ll give you a free estimate and guarantee to beat any competitors price.