Urgent repair
Broken Garage Door Springs
A broken spring is the single most common reason a garage door stops working, and it is the one repair you should never attempt yourself.
Quick answer
Broken Garage Door Springs: what you need to know
A garage door spring counterbalances the weight of the door, which on a double sectional door is typically 80 to 120 kilograms. Torsion springs mount on a shaft above the opening and are rated in cycles, commonly around 10,000 for standard residential springs or 25,000 and above for high-cycle springs, which equates to roughly ten years at four openings per day. Tension springs run along the tracks on lighter doors, and roller doors carry their spring inside the drum. A broken spring is identified by a loud bang, a visible gap in the coil, a door that will not stay up when lifted by hand, or an opener that strains and reverses. Springs store enough energy to cause serious injury and must be replaced by a technician with proper winding bars. Doormec replaces garage door springs across the Illawarra, Wollongong, Northern Suburbs and South Coast for a $170 callout plus parts, with 24-hour emergency service on 0490 774 111.
This is one we treat as a priority callout. If the door is stuck open, a vehicle is trapped, or the property is not secure, ring 0490 774 111 and say so when you call.
Signs
How you know this is the problem
- A loud bang from the garage, often heard from inside the house
- The door will not open, or the opener strains, moves the door 100mm and reverses
- A visible gap in a torsion spring coil above the opening
- The door feels extremely heavy when lifted by hand with the opener disengaged
- The door will not stay where you leave it, and drops when released
- One side of the door lifts higher than the other
Causes
Why it happens
Normal cycle fatigue, which is what happens to most springs eventually
Corrosion, which is significantly accelerated in coastal suburbs such as Windang, Thirroul and Shellharbour
Under-specified springs fitted at build, common on builder-grade estate installations
Poor balance left uncorrected, which loads one spring harder than the other on a two-spring door
Our process
How Doormec repairs it
- 01
Diagnose and confirm
We confirm the spring is the actual fault rather than a symptom, and check the cables, drums and bearings at the same time, because a spring failure often takes a cable with it.
- 02
Match the specification
We measure wire gauge, inside diameter and length, and calculate against the actual door weight rather than assuming the original was correctly specified.
- 03
Replace and wind safely
The old spring is de-tensioned in a controlled way with proper winding bars and the replacement wound to the calculated turn count.
- 04
Rebalance and test
The door is balanced so it holds position anywhere in its travel, then the opener force and travel limits are reset and the auto-reverse tested.
Answers
Broken Garage Door Springs questions
Can I replace a garage door spring myself?
No. A wound torsion spring stores enough energy to break bones and has killed people. It requires proper winding bars sized to the spring, and the de-tensioning sequence has to be done in the right order. This is the one garage door job where the safety advice is not a liability disclaimer, it is a genuine warning.
Should both springs be replaced if only one broke?
On a two-spring door, yes, almost always. The springs were installed together and have done the same number of cycles, so the second one is on borrowed time. Replacing both while we are there costs one callout rather than two, and it keeps the door balanced evenly, which matters for the opener.
How long does a garage door spring replacement take?
For a standard residential door with springs in stock, typically 45 minutes to 90 minutes including rebalancing and resetting the opener. Wide-span or shed doors take longer because the spring has to be calculated to the actual curtain weight rather than picked from a chart.
How long should a new garage door spring last?
A standard residential spring is rated at around 10,000 cycles, which is roughly ten years at four openings per day. A high-cycle spring is rated at 25,000 or more. Coastal corrosion shortens both, which is why we recommend upgraded specification in suburbs like Windang, Thirroul and Shellharbour.
Related
Other repairs you might need
Broken or Worn Garage Door Cables
Lift cables carry the entire weight of the door between the spring and the bottom bracket, and they fail from the inside where you cannot see it.
Read moreGarage Door Motor & Opener Repair
Most openers we are called to are not actually faulty. They are healthy motors fighting a door that has gone out of balance.
Read moreGarage Door Will Not Open or Close
A door stuck open is a security problem and a door stuck closed usually means the car is trapped. Either way this is the call we prioritise.
Read moreNeed broken springs sorted?
Ring Doormec for a straight answer on what is wrong, what it costs and how soon we can be there. Standard service call is $170 plus parts, and emergency callout runs 24 hours.