A broken garage door spring usually announces itself: a loud bang from the garage, then a door that will not open or suddenly feels far too heavy. If you think a spring has broken, stop using the door, by hand and with the opener, until a technician has repaired it. This guide covers the signs, what you can look at without touching anything, and what happens next.
What the springs do
A garage door goes up and down with the help of its springs. They counterbalance the door so that a person, or the opener, only has to guide it. Chamberlain’s support guidance puts it plainly: garage doors are heavy and rely on spring tension, and a door with weak or broken springs can fall quickly and without warning.
Most doors have one of two spring types. Torsion springs are wound around a steel shaft above the door opening. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side.
Signs that a spring has broken
- A loud bang. Amarr notes that a breaking torsion spring can make a loud bang, and that the broken piece stays on the shaft.
- The door feels unusually heavy, will not stay open or slams shut. Chamberlain lists all three as reasons to stop immediately and call a garage door professional.
- The opener strains or stops. Amarr explains that broken or worn springs make the door heavy and put extra load on the opener.
- You can see the break. A broken torsion spring shows a gap in the coil above the door. A broken extension spring hangs loose beside the track.
- The door no longer moves smoothly. DASMA says a door that does not go up and down smoothly may be an unsafe condition, such as a spring system that is out of balance.
Extension springs deserve extra care. Amarr warns that when one breaks, parts can be thrown around the garage, and DASMA says doors with extension springs need a safety cable running through each spring to contain it. If your extension springs have no safety cable, ask a technician to add one.
What you can look at, and what to leave alone
If the door is closed, you can look from the floor, standing clear of the door:
- Look at the spring above the door, or along the tracks, for a visible break.
- Look at the cables on each side of the door for fraying. A frayed or loose cable is also a reason to stop using the door and call.
- Note whether the door is closed, open or partly open, so you can tell the technician.
If the door is open or partly open, do not stand under or near it to look. Skip these checks and call.
Leave to a technician:
- Anything that involves touching the springs, cables or bottom brackets. Genie, Amarr and DASMA all warn that these parts are under high tension and tell owners not to remove, repair or adjust them.
- Lifting or lowering the door to “test” it. Genie and Amarr both say not to operate a door with a broken spring, by hand or with the opener.
- Pulling the red emergency release while the door is open. Chamberlain says to use it only when the door is fully closed, if possible, because a door with weak or broken springs may fall.
What happens if you keep using the door
- The opener takes a load it was not built for. Amarr says the extra load from broken or worn springs can be dangerous for the opener’s reversing mechanism and can cause the opener to fail early.
- The door can come down fast. Without working springs, nothing slows the door if it slips. That is a danger to anyone under it, and to a car in the opening.
- One working spring is not enough. On a door with two springs, one broken spring still means the door should not be used. DASMA’s advice is to replace both springs, even if only one has broken.
What to do while you wait for the repair
- Stop using the door, and tell everyone in the house not to use it.
- Do not force the door open or closed.
- Keep children, pets and vehicles clear of the door.
- If the door is closed, leave it closed and use another entrance.
- If the door is stuck open, or your car is inside, see can you lift a garage door with a broken spring? for what to do.
Why springs break
Springs wear out with use. DASMA’s safety guidance says so directly, and recommends having the springs on an older door inspected by a professional and replaced if needed. DASMA’s technical sheet on spring life also points to rust, which weakens the spring wire, to harsh climates, and to skipped maintenance. It notes that lubricating the springs, where the door manufacturer’s instructions call for it, helps them last.
Why this is not a do-it-yourself repair
Genie tells owners not to remove, repair or adjust springs or anything the spring parts are fastened to, and says repairs to high-tension springs must be made by a professional with the proper tools. Amarr’s care guidance likewise tells owners not to remove, repair or adjust springs or cables, and DASMA says spring systems should be repaired only by trained professionals. After the spring is replaced, the door’s balance and the opener’s safety reversal should be checked. DASMA’s maintenance guide describes both tests. See our garage door spring repair page for the service itself.
Need a hand in Madison, Milwaukee or Rockford?
If you think a spring has broken, leave the door alone and call the team that serves your area: Madison (608) 420-2377, Milwaukee (414) 800-9271 or Rockford (815) 800-2025. Twins offers a $0 service call with repair.
Manufacturer and industry sources
- Genie: maintenance and safety tips
- Chamberlain Group: how to manually open or close a garage door
- Amarr: residential garage door troubleshooting guide and FAQs
- Amarr: guide to garage door springs
- DASMA: garage door safety tips
- DASMA: automatic garage door opener safety and maintenance guide
- DASMA Technical Data Sheet 190: factors affecting spring cycle life
