Broken Garage Door Spring? What That Bang Means for Your Door

Most people find out the same way: a sharp crack from the garage, loud enough to sound like something hit the house. Press the remote and the door rises an inch, then stops. When that happens, by far the most likely cause is a broken torsion spring, the tightly wound coil on the bar above the door.

Why springs break

The springs carry the weight of the door, not the opener. A typical steel door runs 150 to 250 pounds, and the motor just helps it along. Each spring is rated for a certain number of cycles, one cycle being an open and a close. Builder-grade springs last roughly 10,000 cycles: around seven years for an average household, or nearer four when the garage is the family's main way in and out.

Florida weather speeds that up. Year-round humidity, plus salt in the air near the coast, puts rust on the coils. Rust pits the steel, and a pit is usually where the break starts. Homes close to the Gulf and the bay, in places like St. Petersburg, Clearwater, New Port Richey, Bradenton and Palmetto, tend to lose springs years sooner than homes farther inland. That's why we quote galvanized springs whenever they're available.

What to do right now

• Stop hitting the remote or wall button. The opener keeps trying to lift a door it can't, and that's how its gears get chewed up.
• If the door is open, leave the red emergency release alone. With no working spring, nothing is holding the door up, and it can come down hard.
• If it's closed, keep it closed and use another entrance.
• Car stuck inside? Wait for help. Hand-lifting roughly 200 pounds of unbalanced door is how people get hurt.
• Storm in the forecast and the door won't shut? Call right away. We answer 24/7.

Why both springs get replaced

On a two-spring door, one usually snaps first, but both went in together and have done the same work in the same salty, humid air. The survivor is rarely far behind, often a few months. Doing both on one visit costs less than a second trip, and a matched pair keeps the door lifting evenly. Be wary of anyone who offers to swap just the broken one.

Why spring repair isn't a DIY project

A torsion spring under tension holds enough force to break bones. Unwinding one without proper winding bars, or with a screwdriver instead, is how people end up with serious hand injuries. Lift cables and cable drums are tied to that same tension and are just as risky. Of everything on a garage door, this is the repair we ask homeowners not to attempt at all.