Short answer: A sound like a gunshot from the garage, followed by a door that suddenly weighs a ton and won't open, points to one culprit almost every time: a broken torsion spring. Here's why they fail, why this is the single repair we tell homeowners to leave alone, and what a proper replacement actually involves.
A sound like a gunshot from the garage, followed by a door that suddenly weighs a ton and won't open, points to one culprit almost every time: a broken torsion spring. Here's why they fail, why this is the single repair we tell homeowners to leave alone, and what a proper replacement actually involves.
Why torsion springs break — and why yours may have gone early
The torsion spring is the tightly wound coil mounted on the metal shaft above the door, and it does the real work of lifting — the opener just guides a door the spring has already balanced. Every open-and-close is one cycle, and a standard spring is often rated for something in the range of ten thousand cycles, which for a busy household can mean roughly seven to ten years. Several things shorten that life. Damp, salty coastal air is a big one in this area: moisture works its way between the coils and rusts them from the inside, and rusted steel fatigues and snaps sooner. Cold snaps make brittle metal fail on the first morning cycle, an undersized spring wears out fast, and single-spring setups have no backup when that one coil lets go.
Why this genuinely isn't a DIY repair
We're not saying this to sell a service call — torsion springs are the part of a garage door that seriously injures people. A wound spring stores an enormous amount of energy, and it's held in place under that tension by set screws no bigger than the ones on a doorknob. Loosen the wrong thing, or let a winding bar slip, and that stored force releases in an instant with enough violence to break fingers, wrists, or worse. Doing the job safely takes the correct winding bars, exact knowledge of the wire size, coil length, inside diameter, and wind direction, and the technique to unwind and re-tension without the assembly getting away from you. It's precise, high-stakes work, and it's where an experienced tech earns their keep.
What a proper replacement looks like
A good replacement starts with measurement, not guesswork: a technician reads the wire gauge, overall length, and inside diameter off the old spring so the new one matches the door's exact weight. If your door runs a single spring, this is the moment to consider converting to a balanced pair, which halves the load on each coil and roughly doubles service life — worth the small upcharge in a corrosive coastal climate. With the new spring wound and set, the tech disconnects the opener and lifts the door by hand to test balance; a properly sprung door hovers at waist height instead of crashing down or springing up. Expect them to also check the cables and safety cables, and lubricate the moving parts. Cost typically lands in the low-to-mid hundreds depending on spring size, whether it's one or two, and any high-cycle upgrade — always confirmed on-site, never a blind promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why torsion springs break — and why yours may have gone early?
The torsion spring is the tightly wound coil mounted on the metal shaft above the door, and it does the real work of lifting — the opener just guides a door the spring has already balanced. Every open-and-close is one cycle, and a standard spring is often rated for something in the range of ten thousand cycles, which for a busy household can mean roughly seven to ten years. Several things shorten that life. Damp, salty coastal air is a big one in this area: moisture works its way between the coils and rusts them from the inside, and rusted steel fatigues and snaps sooner. Cold snaps make brittle metal fail on the first morning cycle, an undersized spring wears out fast, and single-spring setups have no backup when that one coil lets go.
Why this genuinely isn't a DIY repair?
We're not saying this to sell a service call — torsion springs are the part of a garage door that seriously injures people. A wound spring stores an enormous amount of energy, and it's held in place under that tension by set screws no bigger than the ones on a doorknob. Loosen the wrong thing, or let a winding bar slip, and that stored force releases in an instant with enough violence to break fingers, wrists, or worse. Doing the job safely takes the correct winding bars, exact knowledge of the wire size, coil length, inside diameter, and wind direction, and the technique to unwind and re-tension without the assembly getting away from you. It's precise, high-stakes work, and it's where an experienced tech earns their keep.
What a proper replacement looks like?
A good replacement starts with measurement, not guesswork: a technician reads the wire gauge, overall length, and inside diameter off the old spring so the new one matches the door's exact weight. If your door runs a single spring, this is the moment to consider converting to a balanced pair, which halves the load on each coil and roughly doubles service life — worth the small upcharge in a corrosive coastal climate. With the new spring wound and set, the tech disconnects the opener and lifts the door by hand to test balance; a properly sprung door hovers at waist height instead of crashing down or springing up. Expect them to also check the cables and safety cables, and lubricate the moving parts. Cost typically lands in the low-to-mid hundreds depending on spring size, whether it's one or two, and any high-cycle upgrade — always confirmed on-site, never a blind promise.
How do I get help with this?
Call (650) 434-4104 and describe the situation, your exact location, and what you need. Timing is confirmed on that call rather than promised in advance.
Call for help: (650) 434-4104 — a straight answer and an honest estimate before any work begins.