Broken Garage Door Spring? what to choose?

There are two types of Garage door Springs in our industry today.

Oil tempered vs Galvanized

One of the more common questions customers ask us is “What is the difference between oil soaked and galvanized springs?”  Of course, this is almost always followed up with “Which do i choose?”

Oil tempered and galvanized springs both serve the same purpose.  They provided the lifting power for opening up your garage door.  These are what lift the door not the garage door opener like most people think. Properly sized, torsion springs can hold your garage door open at virtually any point off the ground, as they work off a counter balance and make moving the door as simple as opening a swinging door.

The difference between oil tempered and galvanized springs starts in the manufacturing process and continues through to the installation.  The oil tempering process heat treats the wire in the spring to better withstand static pressures.  That is, the spring is meant to hold the weight of the door stably when the door is open, closed, or any position in between. 

 Oil tempered springs are black and sometimes have a slight residue on them.  Oil tempered springs will oxidize or rust in wet climates.  

Galvanized springs on the other hand have a zinc coating bonded to them which makes them shiny and silver, "pretty looking as they say!" these springs are not heat treated. The zinc coating on galvanized springs keeps them from oxidizing.

Once installed, galvanized springs will stretch slightly and have a tendency to loose there pressure, needing an adjustment after three to six months to avoid damaging the garage door opener.  Oil tempered springs hold their tension without stretching and do not require such an adjustment.

So the differences amount to the post installation stretch adjustments and the oxidation resistance.  Here in Texas, oxidation is not a problem.  Thus, the choice is simple: we use oil tempered springs so we don’t have to return to the door and tighten the spring, saving your time and ours for a second service call.

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