Garage door spring repair in Kensington
Five minutes from my base, just across the 15. Heavy wood doors on 1920s Spanish Revival houses need a spring sized to the real weight, and I weigh it.
- 5 min away
- Licensed & insured · CSLB #1136749
- Heavy-door springs
Snapped spring on a Kensington door?
If the opener strains and quits a foot off the ground, or the door feels like it's full of sand, check the spring above the door for a gap. For garage door spring repair in Kensington, call me at (619) 930-7869. Leave the door alone until I get there. A heavy door on a broken spring can drop fast.
Most of Kensington was built out in the late 1920s, when Spanish Revival was the look across San Diego, and plenty of those homes still have wood garage doors, some of them custom-made. Wood is heavy, and decades of paint make it heavier. I put a scale on the door before I pick a spring, because the spring that came off it is rarely the right size anymore.
What I check first
- 1
Diagnose
I look at the whole door, not just the broken part: springs, cables, drums, rollers, hinges, track and the opener. On a spring job I measure the old spring: wire size, length, inside diameter and wind.
- 2
Explain
I show you what broke and why, then give you the price before I touch anything. Say no and I pack up. No trip fee, no pressure.
- 3
Repair
A spring sized to your door, from the truck. I balance the door, run it through full cycles, reset the opener's force limits and lube the moving parts before I leave.
What breaks springs in Kensington
Weight first. An undersized spring on a heavy wood door gets stretched past its comfort zone every time the door opens, and it fails years early. Upsizing the wire, or going to two springs instead of one, takes that strain off and keeps the opener from lifting what the spring should.
The ground is the second thing. Kensington sits on a narrow mesa with steep slopes on three sides, and lots that fall away often have a garage below the street or a floor that isn't level. A door that lands on one corner first twists a little every time, and one spring and one cable take the extra load.
Shade and slope also mean some garages stay cool and damp, and bare spring steel will rust there. A coat of light oil twice a year slows it down.
Finishing a heavy-door spring job
Spring sized to the door's measured weight, new bearings at the ends of the bar, cables wound even on both drums, and a wood door that stays put at any height.
Spring snapped? I can usually come today or tomorrow.
Free estimate, no trip fee · Callback within the hour · Se habla español
"I had an entire motor replaced and a new one installed so the garage door would lift and open without loud noise."
Kensington spring questions
My wood door is really heavy. Will a normal spring work?
Not usually. I weigh the door and size the spring to it, sometimes two springs on one bar. A properly sized spring makes a heavy door feel light.
My garage floor slopes. Does that affect the spring?
Indirectly. A door that hits one side first wears that side's cable and spring faster. I'll set the door so it closes evenly.
Will you change how my historic door looks?
No. Springs and cables are behind the door. The face stays exactly as it is.
How long until you can get to Kensington?
About 5 minutes from my base in Normal Heights. Same-day is normal for a broken spring.
Can I wait a few days with a broken spring?
You can if the door stays shut and nobody touches it. Just don't run the opener. It will burn itself out trying.
Faster by phone. This works too.
Tell me what's going on and I'll call you back with what I think it is. Free estimate, no trip fee.
(619) 930-7869