Garage Door Spring Replacement

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Torsion vs. extension springs

Most modern doors use a torsion spring — the thick coil mounted on a bar above the door. Older or lighter doors may use extension springs running along each side track. Both do the same job: counterbalance the door's weight so a 200-lb door feels like 10 lbs. When one breaks, the opener can't do the job alone.

Why springs break

• Cycle life. Standard springs are rated ~10,000 cycles — about 7–10 years of normal family use. After that, metal fatigue wins.
• Cold snaps. NJ's January/February deep freezes make spring steel brittle. More springs get replaced in winter than the rest of the year combined.
• Rust and skipped maintenance. A spring that's never been lubricated works harder every cycle. A $10 can of garage door lubricant once a year genuinely extends spring life.
• Wrong spring from a previous repair. An undersized spring wears out fast and strains the opener. Pros match spring size to your door's actual weight.

Why this isn't a DIY job

A wound torsion spring stores enough energy to break bones. The internet is full of confident tutorials and emergency rooms are full of people who followed them. Proper winding bars, a clamped door, and experience with how many quarter-turns your specific spring needs — that's the difference between a 45-minute repair and a disaster.

What a proper replacement includes

• Matching the spring to your door's actual weight — not just swapping like-for-like if the old one was wrong
• Replacing both springs on a two-spring door (the second is living on borrowed time)
• Inspecting cables, drums, bearings, and the center bracket while on site
• Lubricating all moving parts and rebalancing the door
• Testing the opener force settings and safety reverse

Common questions