2026-03-28 6 min read
Most homeowners in Sunapee don't think about their garage door springs until the moment they absolutely have to. usually when the door won't open, the opener is making a horrible grinding noise, or they heard what sounded like a gunshot from the garage at 6 in the morning. That loud bang is almost always a torsion spring letting go under tension, and it means the door is going nowhere until the spring gets replaced.
The good news is that spring failure rarely happens without warning. The warning signs are easy to miss if you don't know what to look for, but they're there. Here's what to pay attention to. and why this repair should always go to a professional.
Your garage door weighs anywhere from 130 to well over 200 pounds depending on the material and whether it's insulated. Springs counterbalance that weight, making it possible for a relatively modest electric opener. or one person. to lift the door without strain. Without functioning springs, you're asking the motor to do all the heavy lifting on its own, which it's simply not designed to do.
There are two main types: torsion springs, which mount horizontally above the door opening and twist to store energy, and extension springs, which run along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door and stretch to counterbalance weight. Torsion springs are more common in modern installations and generally more durable, typically rated for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. Extension springs are more common in older garages around Sunapee and the New London area, and they're more prone to causing imbalance if one side fails.
Disconnect your opener by pulling the red emergency cord and try to lift the door manually. A properly balanced door should feel light. you should be able to lift it with one hand and it should stay put when raised halfway. If it feels like you're lifting dead weight or it immediately wants to drop back down, the springs are losing tension or one has already broken.
When a torsion spring snaps under full tension, the sound can be startling. often compared to a gunshot or a car backfiring. If you hear this and your door stops working, that's almost certainly what happened. Do not try to force the door open with the opener or by hand after this. A door without spring support can drop suddenly and without warning, and a broken spring itself can be dangerous. Reach out to our team for same-day service when this happens.
A well-balanced door raised manually to any height should stay there on its own. If it slowly creeps down. or drops quickly. when you let go, the springs no longer have enough tension to hold the door's weight. This is a strong indicator that replacement is needed soon.
If your door looks tilted or rises unevenly. one side higher than the other. one spring has likely failed while the other is still partially functional. This puts significant stress on the cables and tracks and can cause additional damage if you keep running the door. You may also notice the opener straining, humming, or stopping partway through the cycle.
If you look at the torsion spring above your door and see a gap of an inch or more in the coil, the spring has snapped. For extension springs, look for any section that has come loose, stretched significantly, or is hanging at an odd angle. Rust is also worth noting. moisture exposure over time weakens the metal and shortens spring life considerably. In the Lake Sunapee region, where humidity is present year-round and winters bring significant freeze-thaw cycling, rust can accelerate spring wear more than homeowners expect.
Standard residential springs are rated for roughly 10,000 cycles, where one cycle equals one full open-and-close. At an average of four cycles per day, that works out to roughly seven to nine years. Heavier doors, more frequent use, or poorly maintained springs can shorten that significantly.
If your home has had the same springs since it was built and you've never had them replaced, it's worth having them evaluated. especially if the door is more than seven years old. Proactive replacement before a spring breaks is far less disruptive than an emergency call when the door is stuck shut with your car inside. Browse our frequently asked questions for more on what a spring inspection involves.
This is one of the few garage door repairs where the DIY answer is a straightforward no. Torsion springs are wound under extreme tension. a single spring stores enough mechanical energy to cause serious injury if it releases suddenly during handling. Proper spring replacement requires specialized winding bars, clamps, and specific knowledge of how to safely transfer and release that tension. Even experienced handymen who are comfortable with most home repairs should leave this one alone.
Worn-out springs can also shorten the life of your opener motor, since the motor ends up compensating for the lost spring tension on every single cycle. Catching a failing spring early. and having it replaced by a qualified technician. protects the rest of the system. You can learn more about the services Sunapee Garage Doors provides for spring replacement and full system inspections.
A qualified technician will inspect not just the springs, but the cables, rollers, and opener to confirm nothing else was damaged in the process. They'll measure the door and select the correct spring type and tension rating for the door's actual weight. an important detail, since the wrong spring size leads to premature failure. After installation, they'll test door balance, opener performance, and all safety features before they leave.
Most spring replacements take about an hour. If you're dealing with a broken spring and want to understand your options before the technician arrives, our post on emergency access and safety during a door failure is worth a quick read.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if one spring is broken? A: No. Operating the door with a broken spring puts dangerous strain on the opener motor, the cables, and the tracks. and creates a serious risk of the door dropping unexpectedly. Stop using the door and call for professional repair.
Q: Do I need to replace both springs at the same time, even if only one broke? A: Yes, and this is important. If one spring has reached the end of its cycle life and broken, the other spring is almost certainly close behind. they've been under the same stress for the same amount of time. Replacing both at once saves you from a second service call within months and keeps the door balanced evenly.
Q: How do I know if my garage has torsion or extension springs? A: Look above the door when it's closed. If you see a single large coil running horizontally across the top of the opening, that's a torsion spring. If you see springs running along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door toward the ceiling, those are extension springs. Either way, the replacement process requires a professional.