Normal cycle fatigue
Standard springs are rated around 10,000 cycles. A house that opens the door four times a day works through about 1,500 a year.
Fix: Replacement, and high-cycle springs if this is the door you use as your front door.
Broken garage door spring
A broken torsion spring leaves an obvious gap in the coil. Look at the shaft above the door: an intact spring is one continuous tight coil, and a broken one has a two or three inch break in it. That spring carries the whole weight of the door, so once it goes the door won't lift and the opener can't make up for it.
Call (510) 694-8090Stop: A wound torsion spring holds a lot of energy and it lets go all at once. Changing one without proper winding bars is how people get badly hurt. This is the one job to leave alone.
What causes it
Corrosion
Damp, salt-laden air pits the steel and shortens the life of the spring. Shoreline garages get more of it.
Fix: Galvanized springs are worth asking about near the water.
Wrong spring for the door
A previous replacement used a spring that didn't match the weight of the door, so it wore out early.
Fix: Weigh the door and match the spring to it.
One of a pair already failed
The survivor took the full load and followed not long after.
Fix: Replace them in pairs.
Before you call
Worth trying
- Look for the gap in the coil
- Leave the door down
- Park on the street if the car isn't already trapped
Leave alone
- Lift the door by hand
- Use the opener
- Buy springs online and fit them yourself
We fix broken garage door spring the same day
You get the price before we drive out, and someone picks up whatever time you call.
The repair itself
The most common way a garage door fails, and the one job you shouldn't try yourself.