A broken garage door spring is one of the most common — and most disruptive — garage door problems homeowners face. The good news is that broken springs have clear warning signs. The bad news is that springs should never be repaired or replaced as a DIY project. Here’s everything you need to know.
Signs Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken
1. A loud bang from the garage
A snapping torsion spring makes a sound like a gunshot. If you hear a loud bang from your garage — especially when the door isn’t in use — a spring has almost certainly broken.
2. The door won’t open
Garage door springs counterbalance the weight of the door. Without a working spring, the opener motor can’t lift the door. If your opener runs but the door barely moves or won’t budge at all, a broken spring is the likely cause.
3. The door is extremely heavy to lift manually
A properly balanced door should lift easily with one hand when released from the opener. If it feels like you’re lifting 200 pounds, the spring isn’t doing its job — likely because it’s broken.
4. A visible gap in the spring
Look at the torsion spring above your garage door (the horizontal coil). If you see a gap of an inch or more in the coil, the spring has broken and separated.
5. The door is crooked when opening
Extension springs (on the sides of the door) work in pairs. If one breaks, the door will rise unevenly and appear crooked or tilted as it opens.
6. The top panel is bent
Sometimes a broken spring causes the opener to strain against the door’s weight. This can bend or buckle the top panel of the door.
Types of Garage Door Springs
Torsion springs are mounted horizontally above the garage door. They wind and unwind to counterbalance the door’s weight as it opens and closes. These are under extreme tension and are the most dangerous type to replace.
Extension springs run parallel to the horizontal tracks on each side of the door. They stretch and contract as the door moves. Extension springs should always have safety cables running through them.
Why You Should Never Replace Springs Yourself
Garage door springs are under hundreds of pounds of tension. If a spring slips or breaks during replacement, it can cause severe injury or death. This is not an exaggeration — the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports thousands of garage door injuries every year, with spring accidents among the most serious.
Professional technicians have the specialized tools and training to safely release and reset spring tension. Please do not attempt this repair yourself.
How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?
Standard springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. At two cycles per day (one open, one close), that’s roughly 7-10 years. High-cycle springs rated for 20,000+ cycles are available and last twice as long — a good upgrade for busy households.
Houston’s heat and humidity can also accelerate spring wear, so annual lubrication and inspection is especially important in our climate.
What to Do When Your Spring Breaks
- Stop using the garage door immediately
- Do not try to force it open with the opener
- If your car is trapped inside, call us — we can get you out safely
- Call 24/7 Garage Doors at (713) 999-1059 for same-day repair
We serve all of Houston and surrounding areas including Katy, Cypress, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Pearland, Spring, League City, Kingwood, Tomball, Conroe, Humble, Baytown, Pasadena, and Missouri City.