August 19, 2026 · 4 min read
Broken garage door spring: what to do next
Springs do the heavy lifting on a garage door. The opener only guides it. So when a spring snaps, a 150 to 300 pound door suddenly has nothing counterbalancing it.
This is the single most common emergency call we take, and the single worst repair to attempt yourself.
How to confirm it is the spring
Look at the shaft above the door opening, or along the tracks on an older extension-spring setup.
- A visible two to three inch gap in the coil is the giveaway.
- The opener strains, hums, or lifts the door a few inches and stops.
- Pulling the red release cord leaves a door that is far too heavy to lift by hand.
- The door lifts crooked or slams down when released.
Why springs break
Torsion springs are rated in cycles. One up and one down is a cycle. A standard spring is often rated around 10,000 cycles, and a household that opens the door four times a day gets through roughly 1,500 cycles a year. Cold snaps accelerate failure because steel contracts and any existing weak point gives out.
Rust from a humid or unheated garage and a lack of lubrication shorten that lifespan noticeably.
What not to do
Do not use the opener. Forcing it against a dead spring burns out gears and can bend the top panel.
Do not try to unwind or replace a torsion spring with adjustable wrenches or rebar. Winding bars and correct spring sizing exist for a reason, and the stored energy in a wound spring is enough to break bones.
Replace in pairs
If your door has two springs and one failed, the other is the same age and close behind. Replacing both at once keeps the door balanced and saves a second service call within the year.
What a proper spring job includes
Measuring wire size, inside diameter, and length so the new spring actually matches the door weight; replacing in pairs where applicable; balancing the door so it holds at waist height; then re-testing opener force and the safety reverse.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does garage door spring replacement take?
- Most single-door spring replacements are finished in about an hour once the correct spring size is confirmed.
- Can I still open my garage door with a broken spring?
- Usually not safely. The door will be extremely heavy and can drop. If a vehicle is trapped inside, call us rather than lifting it with help from neighbors.
- Should I replace both springs?
- On a two-spring door, yes. The second spring has the same cycle count and typically fails soon after the first.
