The professional guide to garage door spring repair
A garage door spring balances the weight of the door and makes it easy to open and close, by hand or with the opener. It is made of high-tension steel with a limited lifespan, and it loses effectiveness with time. Springs are rated in cycles, such as "10,000-use" or "20,000-use". That sounds like a large number until you do the math: a garage door opens several times a day, every day, every year.
How do I know I need a garage door spring repair?
With years of use every garage door becomes less effective. The steel loses resiliency, the door begins to feel heavier and loses balance. When springs are new you need around 10 pounds of force to lift the door. Near the end of their lifespan, you need almost as much force as the door weighs.
Worn springs also load the opener. Another sign is hearing the electric opener strain as it tries to lift the door.
Worn springs can cause significant damage if they break suddenly, because they let go violently. If you are around when it happens you will hear a loud, gunshot-like bang. The break usually happens when the spring is fully loaded, twisted or stretched to its full tension. With a broken spring the door is extremely heavy to lift by hand and the opener will fail to lift it at all.
Do I need professional help?
It is always better to let the pros take care of a garage door spring. Even for a handy homeowner with the right tools and a beginner's understanding of the mechanism, this job is tricky and dangerous. There are several steps that must be done in a particular order, and the replacement spring has to be the right size. A small mistake causes serious injuries and heavy expenses.
Our team completes a spring replacement within an hour or two, and we only install high-quality springs. Before we quote anything beyond the written estimate, we show you the broken spring.
Questions we get about this job
How do I know I need a garage door spring repair?
The door feels much heavier by hand, the opener strains or stops, or you heard a loud bang. A visible gap in the spring above the door confirms it.
Do I need professional help to replace a garage door spring?
Yes. Springs are under high tension and must be sized and wound correctly. A mistake causes injuries and expensive damage. We replace them in an hour or two.
