It usually happens when you are not even touching the door. You hear a loud bang from the garage, like a gunshot or a dropped piece of lumber. Nothing looks wrong at first. Then you hit the opener, the motor hums, the door rises a few inches and stops, or it will not move at all. Most of the time, that bang was a garage door spring letting go. Here is how to tell for sure, what to do in the first few minutes, and what a proper repair should include.
What the springs actually do
Your garage door is heavy. A typical two-car door weighs well over a hundred pounds, and the wind-rated and impact-rated doors common in Broward and Palm Beach County weigh even more. The opener does not lift that weight. The springs do.
When the door is closed, the springs are wound tight and loaded with energy. As the door opens, they release that energy and do almost all of the lifting. A properly balanced door should feel light enough to lift by hand with the opener disconnected. The opener just guides it up and down.
That is why a broken spring stops everything. Without the spring, the opener is suddenly trying to lift the full weight of the door on its own, and it cannot.
Torsion springs vs. extension springs
Most homes have one of two spring systems.
Torsion springs sit on a metal bar above the door, running parallel to the top of the opening. They twist as the door moves. Most newer and heavier doors use torsion springs because they lift more smoothly and last longer.
Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door, above the rollers. They stretch as the door closes and contract as it opens. They are more common on older and lighter doors.
Spring life is measured in cycles, where one cycle is one trip up and one trip down. According to Raynor, torsion springs typically last 10,000 to 15,000 cycles, while extension springs average 5,000 to 10,000. For a family that opens and closes the door four times a day, that works out to roughly 7 to 10 years for a torsion spring and 3 to 5 years for an extension spring. If the garage is your main entrance, you will get there sooner.
Signs your spring is broken
Some breaks are obvious. Others are easy to miss until the door will not open. Look for:
- A gap in the spring. On a torsion spring, you will see a two-inch or larger gap where the coil has snapped apart. On an extension spring, one side may be hanging loose or sagging.
- The door is suddenly very heavy. With the opener disconnected, the door feels like dead weight and will not stay up.
- The door only opens a few inches. Most openers have a safety limit that stops them when the load is too heavy.
- The door goes up crooked or jerks. One side may be lifting while the other lags, especially with extension springs.
- Loose or tangled cables. When a spring breaks, the lift cables often slacken and can jump off their drums.
- The opener strains, hums, or clicks. The motor is trying to do the spring's job.
- The door slams down when closing. Without spring tension, there is nothing slowing it.
If you see any of these, stop using the door until it is checked.
What to do right now
Do not keep pressing the opener. Running an opener against a door with a broken spring can strip its gears, burn out the motor, or bend the top panel.
If the door is closed, leave it closed. It is in its safest position. Use another door and keep everyone away from the garage door until it is repaired.
If the door is stuck open, do not pull the red emergency release cord. The release disconnects the door from the opener, and with a broken spring there may be nothing holding the door up. It can come down fast and hard. Keep people, pets, and cars out from under it and call for help.
Keep kids and pets out of the garage. A door with a broken spring is unpredictable.
Do not try to fix it yourself. More on that below.
Why spring repair is not a DIY job
Garage door springs store a huge amount of energy. A torsion spring is wound with special steel winding bars, and if a bar slips or the wrong tool is used, the spring can unwind violently. Extension springs under tension can snap and send metal flying if their safety cables are missing. Spring and cable work is the most dangerous part of any garage door repair, and it is the reason professional technicians carry specific tools and are trained to size and wind springs to the door's exact weight.
Online videos make it look simple. The people making those videos have usually done it hundreds of times. If a spring, cable, or bottom bracket is involved, call a professional.
Why springs wear out faster in South Florida
Springs are made of steel, and South Florida is hard on steel.
Humidity. Moisture in the air settles on the coils day and night. Over time, that leads to surface rust, which adds friction between the coils and creates weak spots where a spring is more likely to snap.
Salt air. In coastal cities like Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, and Jupiter, salt speeds up that corrosion even more. Our garage door rust prevention guide covers how to slow it down.
Heavier doors. Wind-rated and impact-rated doors carry extra steel and reinforcing struts. The springs have to be sized for that weight. When a door is replaced or upgraded and the springs are not matched to it, they work harder and fail early.
A light coat of garage door lubricant on the springs a few times a year helps fight rust and reduce friction. Our guide to lubricating your garage door walks through it.
What a proper spring repair includes
Replacing a spring is not just swapping a part. A good repair should cover:
- Matching the spring to your door. Springs are sized by wire thickness, length, and inside diameter for your door's exact weight and height. The wrong spring leaves the door unbalanced.
- Replacing both springs on a two-spring door. If your door has two springs and one broke, the other is the same age and has been through the same number of cycles. It is usually close behind. Replacing both at once keeps the door balanced and saves a second service call.
- Checking the cables, drums, and bottom brackets. A spring break often throws the cables off their drums or frays them. Worn cables should be replaced at the same time.
- Inspecting rollers, hinges, and bearings. These parts wear together. A quick check now prevents another breakdown next month.
- Balancing the door. With the opener disconnected, the door should stay in place when lifted halfway. That confirms the springs are set correctly.
- Testing the opener and safety reverse. The opener's force settings and safety sensors should be checked once the door is balanced again.
If the door came off its tracks when the spring broke, that needs to be corrected too. Our off-track door fix service handles that.
How to make your new springs last
- Do a balance check a couple of times a year. With the door closed, pull the emergency release, lift the door by hand to about halfway, and let go. If it drifts up or down, the springs need adjusting. Only do this check when the springs are intact.
- Keep the springs lubricated to slow rust and reduce friction.
- Listen for changes. New squeaks, grinding, or a door that suddenly sounds different are early warnings.
- Schedule a tune-up before hurricane season. It is a good time to have springs, cables, and hardware checked. Our hurricane playbook has the full pre-season list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my garage door spring is broken? The most common signs are a loud bang from the garage, a visible gap in a torsion spring, a door that feels very heavy or only opens a few inches, and an opener that hums or strains.
Can I open my garage door with a broken spring? It is not recommended. The door is carrying its full weight with nothing to counterbalance it, which makes it heavy and unpredictable. If you must get a car out, call a professional rather than forcing it.
Should I replace both garage door springs at the same time? On a two-spring door, yes in most cases. Both springs have the same age and wear, so the second one is usually close to breaking too.
How long do garage door springs last in Florida? Torsion springs are commonly rated for 10,000 to 15,000 cycles, or roughly 7 to 10 years at about four uses a day. Humidity and salt air can shorten that, so regular lubrication and inspection help.
Is it safe to replace a garage door spring myself? No. Springs are under high tension, and spring work is the most dangerous part of garage door repair. It should be done by a trained technician with the right tools.
Get your door back in service
A broken spring is one of the most common garage door repairs, and one of the ones you should never put off. Ultra Garage Doors keeps torsion and extension springs on our trucks and offers same-day spring repair across Broward and Palm Beach County, with 24/7 emergency service when a door is stuck open. We have been doing this from our Coral Springs home base since 2007, and every price is quoted up front before the work begins.
Call 561-494-4070 or request service online. Learn more about our garage door repair services.