What a spring actually does
A garage door spring does not lift the door. It counterbalances it. A sixteen foot insulated steel double door weighs somewhere between one hundred forty and two hundred pounds depending on gauge and insulation, and the spring system is wound to store almost exactly that much force. When the balance is right, the door feels weightless in your hands and you can stop it halfway and it stays there. The opener is not lifting two hundred pounds. It is nudging a balanced load a few inches at a time. That distinction explains almost every spring related failure we see.
Torsion versus extension
Torsion springs mount on a steel bar above the door opening and wind up as the door comes down. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side and stretch as the door lowers. Torsion is the better system for almost every application. It balances more evenly across the door width, it lasts longer, and when it fails it fails in place rather than launching. Extension springs are still common on older Dallas area homes and on lighter single bay doors, and they should always have containment cables running through them so a break cannot send steel across the garage.
Why springs break when they do
Springs are rated in cycles, not years. One cycle is one full open and close. A standard builder grade spring is rated around ten thousand cycles. A household that opens the door four times a day reaches ten thousand cycles in under seven years. A household that opens it eight times a day gets there in three and a half. This is why two identical houses built the same week can have springs fail four years apart, and why the honest answer to how long a spring lasts is a question about your household rather than a number.
Both springs, not one
On a two spring door, when one breaks the other has been through exactly the same number of cycles and is at the same point in its life. Replacing only the broken one means the second will typically fail within months, and you will pay a second service call to do half the same job. We replace in pairs, and we say so up front rather than discovering it at the door.
Getting the weight right
The most common mistake we correct is a spring sized for the wrong door. Doors get repainted, get insulation added, get sections replaced with a different gauge, and the weight changes. A spring wound for the original weight will not balance the door as it exists now. The correct method is to weigh the door, calculate the required inch pounds of torque, and select wire size, inside diameter and length to match. Guessing from door size alone produces a door that either drifts down when stopped or rockets up and slams the top of the track.
What this means for your opener
An unbalanced door destroys openers. The motor is designed to move a counterbalanced load, and when the spring is undersized the opener carries the difference on every single cycle. Homeowners often replace an opener that failed early without ever learning that the spring behind it was the actual cause, and the new opener then fails the same way. If your opener died young, the spring system is the first thing to check.
Signs you are looking at this problem
- The door will not open, or the opener strains and stops
- A loud bang from the garage, often mistaken for a gunshot
- A visible gap in the coil of the spring above the door
- The door feels extremely heavy when lifted by hand
- The door drifts down on its own when stopped halfway
- The door opens crooked, one side leading the other
Safety note. Torsion springs hold several hundred pounds of stored energy. Winding and unwinding them requires correctly sized winding bars and a specific technique, and improvised tools slip. This is the one garage door repair we ask homeowners not to attempt themselves, not as a sales position but because the injuries are severe and common.
How springs are specified, and why the numbers matter
A torsion spring is defined by four measurements: wire diameter, inside diameter, wound length and wind direction. Change any one of them and the spring delivers a different amount of lift. The correct specification comes from the weight of the door it is counterbalancing, which is why a proper job involves either weighing the door or calculating from measured section weights rather than looking up a nominal size. A sixteen by seven insulated steel panel and a sixteen by seven carriage style door with a wood overlay and decorative hardware can differ in weight by a substantial margin, and fitting the same spring to both means one of them is wrong. When a heavier door goes on with springs carried over from a lighter original, the door still operates, badly, and it quietly consumes openers, cables, drums and bearings for years afterwards while everyone blames the opener.
Single spring, double spring, and replacing in pairs
Many doors run a single torsion spring and many run two. On a two spring system, when one breaks, the correct scope is to replace both. They were installed together, they have accumulated the same cycle count, and the surviving one is statistically weeks or months behind the one that just went. Replacing only the broken spring means paying the labour twice within a short period, and in the interim the door runs on a mismatched pair which loads the tube and bearings unevenly. On a single spring system the same logic applies to the associated components. Cables that have been through the same number of cycles are work hardened whether or not they show visible fraying, and the end bearings and centre bearing have the same service history. The labour to open the system is the same for one component or four, which is why doing it once and properly is cheaper than doing it in instalments.
Straightforward process, no theatre
You call, you describe what the door is doing, and you get an honest read on whether it sounds urgent. If it does, we say so. If it sounds like something you can safely leave until tomorrow, we say that instead, because a same day call out you did not need is money wasted.
On site, the technician inspects the full system before quoting. Garage doors are a set of parts under load working together, and treating one part in isolation is how people end up paying twice. You will be shown what has failed, told what caused it, and given a price before anything is taken apart.
Garage door problem?
Describe what the door is doing and you will get an honest read on whether it needs a visit today, whether it is safe to leave until tomorrow, and roughly what is likely to be wrong with it.
Call (214) 271-8110Common questions
How long does a garage door spring last?
Springs are rated in cycles rather than years. A standard builder spring is rated near ten thousand cycles, and one cycle is one full open and close. A household cycling the door four times a day uses that up in around seven years. At eight times a day it is closer to three and a half. Higher cycle springs rated to twenty five thousand or more cost modestly more and are usually worth it on a door that gets heavy use.
Should both springs be replaced when only one broke?
Yes, on a two spring door. Both springs have been through identical cycle counts and are at the same point in their fatigue life. Replacing one leaves the other likely to fail within months, which means a second service call for half the same job. Replacing in pairs also keeps the door balanced, which matters for the opener.
Why does my door open but not close?
Almost always the photo eye sensors at the bottom of each track. If something is breaking the beam, or a sensor has been knocked out of alignment, the opener will refuse to close as a safety function while still allowing opening. Check for obstructions first, then look at whether the indicator lights are steady. A blinking opener light is usually reporting exactly this.
Can I replace a garage door spring myself?
This is the one repair we genuinely advise against doing yourself. A torsion spring holds several hundred pounds of stored energy and releasing it requires correctly sized winding bars and a specific technique. Screwdrivers and rebar slip. The injuries from this particular job are severe and they are common enough that it is worth the service call.
How much does garage door repair cost?
It depends entirely on what failed, and any number quoted before someone has looked at the door is a guess. Spring replacement, roller and hinge work, cable replacement and opener repair all sit in different ranges, and the same symptom can have a cheap cause or an expensive one. What you should expect is a written price after diagnosis and before work, with the parts named.
How long does a garage door opener last?
Fifteen to twenty years is typical for a unit that is moving a properly balanced door. Openers attached to poorly balanced doors fail far sooner because they are carrying weight they were never designed to lift. If an opener failed inside ten years, the spring system is worth checking before the replacement goes in.
Where we provide this service
Coverage runs across the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.