Broken Garage Door Spring? Space City Garage Doors Can Help.

Garage Door Spring FAQs

• How Can I Tell if My Garage Door Spring Is Broken?

  Common signs of a broken garage door spring include a loud bang from the garage, a door that suddenly won’t open, a door that feels extremely heavy, or a visible gap in the torsion spring above the door. You may also notice loose cables, an uneven door, or a garage door that opens only a few inches before stopping.

  Because the spring system counterbalances the weight of the garage door, a broken spring can leave the opener trying to lift more weight than it was designed to handle. If you suspect a broken spring, avoid repeatedly operating the door or opener and have the spring system professionally inspected.

• Can I Use My Opener With a Broken Spring?

  You should not continue using your garage door opener with a broken spring. The opener is not designed to lift the full weight of the door without a properly functioning spring system, and doing so can damage the opener and other components.

• Should I Replace Both Garage Door Springs?

  When one torsion spring breaks, the companion spring has usually experienced similar wear. Replacing both springs at the same time often provides more balanced, reliable performance and helps avoid a second failure soon after the first repair.

• Should My Garage Door Have One Torsion Spring or Two?

  Some residential garage doors are originally installed with a single torsion spring, while others use two springs. Both configurations can properly counterbalance a garage door when the springs are correctly engineered for the weight, height, track configuration, and construction of the door.

  For many double-car garage doors, Space City Garage Doors may recommend a two-spring system. Using two properly sized springs distributes the spring load across the system and, if one spring breaks, the second spring may help support some of the door’s weight. The correct spring configuration ultimately depends on the specific garage door and should be determined by properly weighing and evaluating the door.

• What Are High-Cycle Garage Door Springs?

  Garage door spring life is measured in cycles, with one complete opening and closing of the garage door equal to one cycle. A common industry standard for garage door spring systems is a minimum life cycle of 10,000 cycles. For homeowners who use their garage door as a primary entrance to the home, those cycles can accumulate surprisingly quickly.

  Space City Garage Doors stocks high-cycle spring options on our service trucks for homeowners who want a longer expected service life. We offer 20,000-, 30,000-, and 50,000-cycle springs, along with other options. Our technicians can evaluate your garage door and recommend the appropriate spring specifications and cycle-life option for your application.

• What Does 10,000 Cycles Mean for Your Home?

  A garage door cycle is one complete opening and closing of the door. How quickly your springs reach their rated cycle life depends largely on how often you use your garage door.

  • 5 cycles per day = approximately 1,825 cycles per year. A 10,000-cycle spring would reach its rated cycle life in approximately 5½ years.
  • 8 cycles per day = approximately 2,920 cycles per year. A 10,000-cycle spring would reach its rated cycle life in approximately 3½ years.

  For homeowners who use the garage door as the primary entrance to their home, higher daily usage can add up quickly. High-cycle springs provide a longer expected service life by increasing the number of cycles the spring is engineered to perform.

• How Do I Know the Correct Springs Are Being Installed on My Garage Door?

  Garage door springs are not one-size-fits-all. The correct torsion springs must be properly selected for the specific garage door and application. Factors include the weight and height of the door, track and lift configuration, cable drums, and spring system.

  Every Space City Garage Doors technician carries a digital scale and the tools needed to accurately weigh the garage door and verify its closed-door weight. This allows us to determine the proper spring specifications for the application rather than simply installing whatever spring happens to be available on the service truck.

  Once the properly selected replacement springs are installed, the technician manually operates the door to verify that it is properly balanced.

  It’s important to understand that the garage door opener does not balance the garage door. The spring system counterbalances the weight of the door so it can be operated manually with little resistance. The garage door opener’s primary function is to automate the opening and closing of a properly balanced garage door.