Garage Door Spring Repair in Lubbock, TX

What Garage Door Springs Do

That’s why a broken spring stops everything. A two-car steel door can easily weigh more than 100 pounds, and insulated or wood doors weigh much more. With the spring gone, that weight lands on the opener, which isn’t built to lift it, and on the cables and the person trying to raise the door by hand. Spring failure is the most common reason Lubbock homeowners call for garage door repair in Lubbock, and it is also the job where safety matters most.

Torsion Springs vs. Extension Springs

There are two spring systems on residential doors, and the repair is different for each.

Torsion springs

Torsion springs sit on a steel shaft directly above the door opening. Most single doors have one and most double doors have one or two. As the door closes, cables wind onto drums at each end of the shaft and twist the spring, storing energy. When the door opens, the spring unwinds and lifts. Torsion systems are smoother, easier to balance and more contained when a spring breaks, which is why most newer Lubbock homes have them.

Extension springs

Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door and stretch as the door closes. They are common on older and lighter doors, including many detached garages in older central neighborhoods. Each spring should have a safety cable running through its center. Without it, a breaking extension spring can whip across the garage. If yours don’t have safety cables, ask the technician to add them.

7 Signs Your Garage Door Spring Is Broken or Failing

• A loud bang from the garage when no one was using the door.
• A visible gap of an inch or two in the coils of a torsion spring above the door.
• The door opens a few inches and stops, or the opener strains and reverses.
• The door feels extremely heavy when lifted by hand after pulling the release.
• Loose or tangled cables hanging beside the door.
• The door closes fast or slams in the last foot of travel.
• The door sits crooked, with one side higher than the other.

If two springs are fitted and only one broke, the door may still move but will be badly out of balance. That puts extra strain on the opener, which is why a spring failure is often followed by an opener problem if the door keeps being used.

Why Springs Break, and Why It Happens in Lubbock

Springs are rated in cycles, where one open and one close equals one cycle. Many builder-grade springs are rated around 10,000 cycles. A household that uses the garage as its main entrance can put four, six or more cycles a day on the door. At four a day, 10,000 cycles is about seven years, and at eight a day it’s less than four. Many Lubbock homes are still running the original springs installed when the house was built, so a break is a matter of when, not if.

A few other things shorten spring life. Rust and dirt on the coils add friction, and wind-blown dust gets into everything in a West Texas garage. Temperature swings from summer heat to winter cold stress the steel, and springs often snap on the first cold morning of the season. An out-of-balance door or a door that was fitted with springs the wrong size for its weight wears springs out fast. And a heavier door, such as an insulated replacement on the original hardware, needs springs sized for the new weight.

Safe Checks You Can Do First

You can confirm a broken spring without touching anything under tension:

• With the door closed, look at the torsion spring above the opening for a gap in the coils.
• Check whether the lift cables on both sides are tight and on their drums.
• Look at extension springs along the tracks for a break or a stretched-out section.
• Note whether there are one or two springs, and if you can see a color code or tag on the spring.
• Unplug the opener so no one tries to run it again before the repair.

If you need to get a car out before help arrives, read the emergency garage door guide first rather than forcing the door.

What a Proper Spring Replacement Includes

1. Weigh or measure the door and identify the existing spring wire size, length and inside diameter, so the new springs match the door’s actual weight.
2. Secure the door in the closed position and safely unwind any remaining tension.
3. Replace the springs, usually both on a two-spring door, and inspect the shaft, bearings, drums and cables while everything is apart.
4. Replace worn cables if they are frayed or rusted, since they share the load with the springs.
5. Wind and balance the springs so the door stays put when lifted halfway by hand.
6. Lubricate and test the door with the opener, check the travel limits and run the safety-reverse test.

Ask the technician which cycle rating they’re installing. Standard springs keep the price down; high-cycle springs rated for 20,000 cycles or more cost more but can double the time until the next break. If your door is heavy because of hail damage or an added layer, mention it, since the springs have to be sized for that weight.

What Affects the Cost of Spring Repair

Be wary of very low advertised spring prices. Ask whether the price is per spring or for the pair, whether labor is included, and whether the door will be balanced and tested afterward.

Making New Springs Last Longer

A few habits help springs reach their rated life. Spray the coils with a garage-door lubricant a couple of times a year to cut friction and rust. Watch for the door drifting up or down when you stop it halfway, which is a sign the balance is off. Keep the door’s other moving parts in good shape, since binding rollers and dry hinges make the springs work harder. And have the door looked at during a routine tune-up every year or two, so worn cables and bearings are caught before they fail.

If your door has been hit by hail, wind or a car, the extra strain and binding can shorten spring life too. Our guide to hail and storm damage explains what to look for.