If you heard a bang like a gunshot in the garage and now the door won't lift, or the opener strains, lifts it six inches and quits, you almost certainly have a broken garage door spring. Springs do all the heavy lifting; the opener only guides the door. A 16x7 insulated steel door weighs 180 to 250 lbs, and with a failed spring nothing short of two strong adults is moving it.
Signs of a Broken Garage Door Spring
- A visible 2-inch gap or separation in the torsion spring above the door.
- The door opens crooked, jerks, or slams down instead of gliding.
- The opener hums and strains but the door barely moves.
- The top section flexes or bends when the opener pulls.
- Loose, slack or dangling cables, or cables jumped off the drums.
- Manual lift feels impossibly heavy with the opener disengaged.
Same Day Garage Door Spring Replacement
Our trucks carry the full range of torsion wire sizes and lengths plus extension springs, safety cables, drums, bearing plates and center brackets, so we finish on the first visit instead of ordering parts. We always replace springs in matched pairs: if one failed at 10,000 cycles, its twin is on the same clock, and replacing both keeps the door balanced and protects your opener from burning out.
Standard vs. High-Cycle Springs
| Spring Grade | Rated Cycles | Realistic Texas Lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Builder grade (what most homes have) | 10,000 | 5–6 years |
| Our standard upgrade | 20,000–25,000 | 10–14 years |
| High-cycle premium | 50,000+ | 20+ years |
One cycle equals one open plus one close. A busy family averages four to six cycles a day, and Texas heat cycling shortens spring life further, which is why we usually recommend the 25,000-cycle upgrade. Read more: 7 warning signs of a failing garage door spring.