If your garage door spring is broken, please do not try to open your garage door. Whether you have torsion or extension springs, our advice is the same – call a local garage door repair company and schedule a spring replacement. Springs raise & lower your garage door, and once broken, it becomes dangerous to operate the door.
Now that you know what not to do, we’ll cover a few common questions about broken garage door springs.
How to visually tell if the spring is broken?
There are two ways to verify that you have a broken garage door spring.
Broken Torsion Spring
Whether you have one or two, a broken torsion spring will look like this. Torsion springs are mounted on the wall directly above your garage door. Depending on the size of your door, you could have one or two springs.
Snapped Extension Spring
Extension springs are attached to a cable & pulley system, and you’ll know when one is broken because you’ll see it hanging from the track. Extension springs are especially dangerous because when they separate from the pulley system, the released tension has to go somewhere. If you’re home, you’ll hear a loud popping sound and a bang from whatever the spring hits. It could be your car, the wall, or a nearby storage rack.
At a recent lunch, our banker told us about a loud pop he heard during dinner. He checked the windows, attic, and laundry room to identify the noise, but he couldn’t figure it out. Until the next morning when he went into the garage and found a hanging extension spring and a huge gouge in their wall.
Torquemaster System
If you don’t see either of these types of springs, you may have a Wayne Dalton TorqueMaster System. These torsion springs are hidden in a metal tube over your door.
Should you replace the garage door spring yourself?
No. Replacing broken garage door springs is not a DIY project. Our garage door repair techs have years of experience converting extension springs to torsion springs and replacing snapped springs. You wouldn’t try to fix your HVAC unit. Rather, you would call a professional service company because they train and educate their staff to repair equipment effectively.
Spring replacement requires special tools and skills acquired over time. We do not sell parts to homeowners looking to make repairs themselves.
Do you replace extension springs?
No. We convert extension springs to a torsion spring operation rather than replacing extension springs. We don’t like how dangerous extension springs are and how much damage they cause when they break, so we avoid working with them.
How much does garage door spring replacement cost?
Prices vary, but replacement torsion springs for your home in Dallas, Fort Worth, cost between $249 for a single spring or $349 – $800 for a pair of springs. The price to convert extension springs to torsion springs for a safer garage costs $650 – $1,000.
Pricing is always based on your garage door’s weight, size, and material. We discuss this in more detail in our Garage Door Torsion Spring FAQs article.
Should you replace both springs if only one is broken?
Yes and no. Yes, if the springs were both installed simultaneously and you want to save money by replacing both springs in one trip rather than two. No, if you want to wait until the other spring breaks. This approach will cost you around $500 ($249 for each spring, times two trips) instead of $349 for one trip.
Should you replace the springs on your other garage door if you have a spring break?
Not necessarily. Garage door springs are rated for thousands of operations, and we typically use one garage door more than the other. If your 2nd or 3rd garage door is used less often, the springs have much more life than your primary door.
Can garage door springs be repaired?
No. Unlike a flat tire that can be plugged and reused, garage door springs can’t be repaired and reused. Made from steel, once broken, there’s no saving them.
How do you open a garage door with a broken spring?
We do not recommend opening a garage door with broken springs. However, if you are in a dire situation and have help, we’ll walk you through how to open your garage door.
How to open a one-car garage door with a broken spring
Sizes range from 8′ x 7′ to 10′ x 8′ and can be completed by one person if you can lift the garage door’s weight.
- Get your garage door opener remote.
- Go to the middle of your garage door.
- Place your hands in the middle of your garage door.
- Press the opener on your remote.
- Slowly and steadily, you’ll take the place of the spring and will need to lift the door. The operator will guide you as you put enough upward pressure on the door for the operator to mistake your work for the springs.
- If the garage door makes it up, it should stay because there is no pressure on the springs.
How to open a two-car garage door with a broken spring
Follow the same steps above, except you need two people on both sides of the garage door. Because of the garage door’s weight, you should only attempt to open a two-car garage door with a broken spring.
How do you close a garage door with a broken spring?
Garage door springs assume weight and wind up as the door lowers. Think of each garage door section as a book. As the first section lowers, you’re carrying one book, but by the time 4 or 5 sections have come down, you’re carrying 4 to 5 times the weight.
Closing a garage door with a broken spring requires more effort and should be completed with even more caution than opening your garage door.
More common spring replacement or repair questions.
For help replacing your springs, contact a pro
For service from the friendliest garage door experts in Texas, contact our team at Doorvana. We offer turnkey garage door services in and around North Texas. If your garage door springs are broken, call us at 817-500-5988 or fill out a form to get pricing and schedule.
