# Why a heavy door feels light in your hand

Source: https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works/why-a-heavy-door-feels-light · part of [How your garage door works, and what to do when it does not](https://garagedoorscience.com/academy/how-your-garage-door-works) · 4 min

Think about the last time you watched your garage door rise on the remote. It probably did not look like hard work. That is surprising, because DASMA, the door makers' trade group, says "a garage door is the largest moving object in the home." So why does something that big move so easily?

The answer is two parts working together: the springs and the cables.

## The springs do the lifting

Clopay, a door maker, says that every time you hit the remote or lift the door, the springs "do the heavy lifting behind the scenes." When your door is closed, those springs are full of stored energy: torsion springs are wound tight, and extension springs are stretched.

The cables carry that energy to the door. Steel cables run along the sides of the door, and as it opens, the energy from the springs travels through those cables and pulls the door upward.

Together, this is called counterbalance. The springs carry the door's weight so you, and your opener, do not have to. The right balance means you can lift the door with minimal effort, and the opener motor does not have to strain.

That is why a change in how your door feels matters. If the door feels unusually heavy, or the opener is straining more than usual, the spring may have lost its tension.

## Why this is a job for a technician

The same energy that makes your door feel light sits in the springs all the time. Clopay says both torsion and extension springs are under extreme tension, and even a small mistake can cause serious injury or property damage.

So leave the springs and cables alone. Do not adjust them, loosen anything attached to them, or try to fix them yourself. Springs and cables are always a technician's job. Your job is to notice how your door feels and sounds, and to call a technician when something changes.

## Try this

If your door has started to feel heavier, or the opener sounds like it is working harder, describe it to [the Virtual Technician](/diagnose). It asks a few questions and tells you what it points to.

## Go further

- Lab: [The Science of Garage Doors](https://garagedoorscience.com/labs/science-of-garage-doors)
- Video: [The science of garage doors, explained](https://garagedoorscience.com/videos/science-of-garage-doors-explained)
- Article: [Garage door balance test: how to check if your door is balanced](https://garagedoorscience.com/blog/how-to-check-garage-door-balance)

## Sources

- [Automatic Garage Door Opener Safety and Maintenance Guide](https://www.dasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AutomaticGDOSafetyMaintenanceGuide.pdf)
- [Garage Door Spring Systems: A Buying Guide for Homeowners](https://www.clopaydoor.com/residential/buyingguide/garage-door-spring-system)