SYMPTOM · THE BANG
THE BANG, THEN NOTHING.
A bang like a firecracker from the garage, and now the door won't budge. That was a spring letting go.
THE BANG, EXPLAINED.
WHY IT WON'T OPEN NOW.
Torsion springs do the actual lifting. Your opener just steers. A spring is wound tight enough to balance 150 pounds or more, and when it finally wears through, it lets go all at once. That's the bang.
With the spring gone, the opener is suddenly asked to deadlift the whole door. It can't, so it hums, clicks, or lifts an inch and quits.
Springs are rated in cycles, one open and close per cycle. A standard spring is good for about 10,000. Use the door four times a day and that's roughly seven years.
We replace both springs, not just the broken one. The other spring has the same mileage, and doing one at a time means paying for two service calls.
CHECK THIS FIRST.
- Look above the door. A broken torsion spring shows a clear gap in the coil.
- Check the cables at each side. A snapped spring often knocks them loose.
- Leave the door and the release cord alone until someone's looked at it.
Do not lift the door yourself. Without the spring it weighs every pound it says it does, and doors this heavy hurt people.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS.
REVIEWED AUGUST 2026
Is a broken garage door spring dangerous?
The spring did its dangerous part when it broke. The danger now is the door: it weighs 150 pounds or more and nothing is carrying that weight. Don't lift it by hand and don't keep running the opener. Call and we'll get a truck out.
Can I replace a garage door spring myself?
We won't pretend it's impossible, but a wound torsion spring stores enough energy to break an arm, and winding a new one takes the right bars, real experience, and respect. This is the one garage door job that is genuinely not a DIY project.
What does spring replacement involve?
We replace both springs, not just the broken one, because the survivor has the same mileage on it. Then we balance the door, check cables and rollers while it's apart, and cycle-test everything. Most spring jobs are done in one visit, parts on the truck.