· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Garage Door
Garage door springs do the work of lifting the door; the opener only guides it. They are rated in open-close cycles rather than years, which is why two identical doors can be years apart.
Cycles, not years
A standard spring is often rated around ten thousand cycles. A household opening the door four times a day reaches that in roughly seven years; one opening it ten times a day gets there in under three.
High-cycle springs rated for twenty thousand or more cost modestly more and are worth specifying on a door that is the main household entrance.
Why both get replaced
On a two-spring door, both springs have done the same work. When one breaks, the other is at the same point in its life, and replacing only the broken one means a second call within months.
Replacing both also keeps the door balanced, which matters for the opener and for the door itself.
- Springs are rated in cycles, ask for the rating
- High-cycle springs on a frequently used door
- Replace in pairs on a two-spring system
- Have the door rebalanced after replacement
- Check the cables at the same time — they wear together
Signs one is going
A door that feels heavier than it did, that opens crookedly, or that the opener strains on. A visible gap in the spring coil is a broken spring.
A loud bang from the garage with no obvious cause is very often a spring letting go, and the door will be extremely heavy afterwards.
Why this is not a DIY job
Torsion springs are wound under very high tension and release that energy violently if handled wrong. Winding bars, not screwdrivers, and experience are what make it safe.
It is among the more common serious home-repair injuries, and the cost of having it done is not large relative to that.