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Garage doors · Stop using the opener

Garage door spring broken

A loud bang from the garage with nothing visibly wrong is almost always a spring. The door will look fine and weigh roughly twice what it did. Stop pressing the opener, and leave torsion spring replacement to a pro.

Quick answerIf you heard a loud bang and the door now won’t lift, or lifts a few inches and stops, a spring has almost certainly broken. Do not keep pressing the opener: it is now lifting the full weight of the door, and the gearbox fails next. Do not attempt torsion spring replacement yourself. The stored energy causes serious injuries, and winding bars are not optional.

The springs, not the opener, do the heavy lifting on a garage door. The opener only guides a door that the springs have already balanced. When a spring breaks, the door looks exactly the same but suddenly behaves like dead weight, and everything connected to it is now under strain.

1Why springs break

  • They wear out by cycles. Standard springs are rated around 10,000 cycles, roughly seven years at four openings a day. A busy household that uses the garage as the front door reaches that sooner.
  • Metal fatigue. Every open and close twists or stretches the coil. Eventually it cracks, usually with a bang that sounds like something fell.
  • Rust and cold. Surface rust adds friction between the coils and speeds fatigue. Breaks often seem to cluster in cold weather.
  • Poor balance. A door that was set up with the wrong spring for its weight, or that has been dragging on bad rollers, wears its springs faster.

2How to confirm it’s the spring

  1. Look above the closed doorOn a torsion system, the spring sits on a shaft above the door opening. A break shows as a visible gap in the coil.
  2. Look along the tracksOn an extension system, the springs run alongside the horizontal tracks. A broken one hangs loose or is stretched out of shape.
  3. Notice how the door behavesThe opener strains, the door rises a few inches and stops, or it reverses. You may hear the motor running with little movement.
  4. Don’t test it by handWithout a working spring the door is very heavy and can drop. Keep people and cars clear of the opening until it’s fixed.

Loud bang with nothing visibly wrongDoor rises a foot then stopsTorsion vs extension springs

3DIY or pro

What you can do

  • Stop using the opener and unplug it if the door is stuck
  • Leave the door where it is if it’s partly open, and keep people clear
  • Note whether you have torsion or extension springs
  • Check whether extension springs have a safety cable running through them

Call a pro

  • Any torsion spring replacement
  • Cables, drums or bottom brackets also damaged
  • Extension springs with no safety cable
  • The opener was run after the break and now struggles or grinds
Stored energy is the danger

A wound torsion spring holds enough force to break bones. Winding bars are not optional, and screwdrivers or improvised rods slip. The bottom brackets and cables are under the same tension, so leave them alone too.

If your door has extension springs, a safety cable should run through each one so a broken spring can’t whip across the garage. See extension springs with no cable running through them.

4What drives the cost

Price depends on how many springs the door uses, the spring type and size for your door’s weight, whether cables, rollers or drums are worn and replaced at the same visit, and whether it’s an after-hours call. Because springs on the same door age together, many technicians recommend replacing both on a two-spring door. Ask what cycle rating the new springs carry; higher-cycle springs last longer for a modest difference.

Garage door cost

Spring snapped and the door won’t lift?

Talk to a local garage door technician who will replace the spring with the right tools and check the cables and opener while they’re there.

877-360-4657

5Questions

Can I still open the door with the opener?

Don’t. The opener is now lifting the full weight of the door, and the gearbox fails next. If you must get a car out, wait for a technician.

Should I replace both springs if only one broke?

On a two-spring door, usually yes. They have done the same number of cycles, so the second one is often close behind.

How long should a new spring last?

Standard springs are rated around 10,000 cycles, roughly seven years at four openings a day. Higher-cycle springs last proportionally longer.

Why did my opener stop working at the same time?

It probably didn’t fail on its own. With a broken spring the door is too heavy, so the opener strains, stops or reverses. Fix the spring first, then judge the opener.

Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.

877-360-4657