A Sudden Snap or a Garage Door That Refuses to Lift?

Hearing a loud gunshot-like bang from the garage or discovering your door is simply too heavy to lift manually indicates a broken torsion or extension spring. If your vehicle is trapped or your home is unsecured in Cave Creek, call Good Golly Garage Doors for emergency service or to discuss financing options.

When a spring snaps, the entire counterbalancing system of your garage door fails, turning a routine convenience into a heavy, dangerous hazard. We provide:

• Same-day repair services to restore your door’s functionality before the desert heat sets in.
• Professional technicians are available 24/7 to resolve dangerous spring failures safely.
• No hidden fess so you know exactly what the repair entails.
• Our Local licensed and insured professionals ensure your peace of mind.

We understand that a broken spring is not just an inconvenience; it is a security risk and a disruption to your daily life.

Expert Spring Repair: Scope, Timeline, and Inclusions

When you schedule a service visit, the priority is safely releasing the remaining tension and installing a calibrated replacement that matches your door’s specific weight and track lift.

The Technical Assessment

Before a technician touches a winding bar, they must perform a site assessment. This is not a generic check; it involves calculating the precise Inch Pounds Per Turn (IPPT) required to lift your specific door. Installing a generic spring on a heavy custom wood door or an insulated steel door will result in a motor burnout or dangerous imbalance.

The service includes:

• Weight Calculation: Weighing the door to determine the exact spring strength required.
• System Inspection: Checking cables for fraying, drums for cracks, and bearings for wear, as these components often suffer damage when a spring breaks.
• Spring Matching: Selecting between standard-cycle (typically 10,000 cycles) and high-cycle (20,000+ cycles) springs based on your usage patterns.
• Balance Testing: Ensuring the door stays neutral when halfway open, preventing strain on the opener.

Torsion vs. Extension Springs

Your home likely utilizes one of two systems, and understanding the difference is key to the repair process.

• Torsion Springs: These are mounted horizontally above the door opening on a shaft. They are the most common in modern Arizona homes because they offer a smoother lift and are generally safer as they are contained on the shaft. When these break, the door usually refuses to open at all.
• Extension Springs: These run parallel to the ceiling tracks on either side of the door. They stretch and contract to lift the door. Extension springs require safety cables to prevent them from becoming projectiles if they snap. If you have this older system, the service visit may include a recommendation to convert to a torsion system for increased safety and reliability.

The Professional Spring Replacement Process

Replacing a garage door spring is widely considered the most dangerous aspect of garage door maintenance due to the extreme potential energy stored in the coils. Professional replacement follows a strict safety protocol to protect your property and the technician.

Step 1: Securing the Environment

• First, the technician disengages the electric garage door opener to prevent accidental activation.
• Next, the door is clamped to the track or blocked to prevent it from crashing down if the remaining tension shifts unexpectedly.
• Then, the work area is cleared to ensure a safe radius for the use of winding bars.

Step 2: Unwinding and Removal

• If one spring is broken but the other is intact (in a dual-spring system), the technician must carefully unwind the tension from the unbroken spring.
• Using hardened steel winding bars, the technician releases the tension quarter-turn by quarter-turn.
• Once all tension is removed, the center bearing plate and drums are loosened, allowing for the slide-off removal of the old spring coils.

Step 3: Installation and Winding

• The new springs, matched specifically to your door’s IPPT, are slid onto the torsion shaft.
• The technician replaces worn center bearings or end bearing plates if necessary, as these are difficult to access later.
• The springs are wound to the specific number of turns calculated based on the door height (typically 7-8 full turns for a standard 7-foot door).
• The winding cones are secured to the shaft with set screws.

Step 4: Lubrication and Testing

• Dry coils bind and skip, causing noise and premature wear. The technician applies a non-silicone, lithium-based lubricant to the coils.
• The door is lifted manually to check the balance. A properly balanced door should be liftable with one hand and stay in place when released waist-high.
• Finally, the electric opener is reconnected, and the force settings are adjusted to account for the fresh springs.

Decision Guide: When to Replace vs. Repair

Homeowners often ask if a spring can be welded or repaired. The answer is definitively no. Once the steel coil has separated, the structural integrity is compromised, and it must be replaced. However, the real decision lies in whether to replace just the broken spring, both springs, or the entire counterbalance system.

The “Replace Both” Rule

If your garage door utilizes a two-spring system and only one has snapped, the industry standard is to replace both simultaneously.

• Cycle Life Synchronization: Springs are installed in pairs and undergo the same number of cycles (open/close). If one breaks from fatigue, the second is likely days or weeks away from failure.
• Cost Efficiency: You avoid paying for a second service call and emergency trip charge by addressing both springs at once.
• Balanced Lift: Mixing an old, stretched spring with a tight, new spring causes the door to rack (twist) in the opening, leading to track damage and roller failure.

Upgrading to High-Cycle Springs

Standard builder-grade springs are rated for approximately 10,000 cycles. For a family that uses the garage as the main front door leaving for work, kids coming home, running errands you might burn through 10,000 cycles in 3 to 5 years.

• Who needs a high-cycle? If you open your door 4+ times a day, upgrading to high-cycle springs (rated for 25,000 to 50,000 cycles) is a cost-effective investment.
• The difference: These springs use a heavier gauge wire and are physically larger, allowing them to lift the same weight with less stress on the metal.

Assessing Related Components

Sometimes a broken spring is a symptom of a seized bearing or a door that is binding in the tracks.

• Bearings: If the shaft cannot rotate freely due to rusted bearings, the spring has to work harder, shortening its life.
• Cables: When a spring breaks, the cables often go slack and can jump off the drum. If cables are frayed or kinked, they must be replaced during the spring service to ensure safety.

Why Professional Service is Critical for Springs

Attempting to repair a garage door spring without proper training and tools is statistically one of the most dangerous DIY home repair tasks. The torque stored in a wound spring is sufficient to inflict severe impact injuries, break bones, or sever fingers.

Specific Hazards of DIY Repair

• Incorrect Tools: Homeowners often attempt to use screwdrivers or makeshift rods to wind the springs. These tools can slip under high tension, becoming high-velocity projectiles. Professionals use winding bars specifically designed to fit the winding cone casting without slipping.
• Wrong Spring Size: Buying a spring online based on “looks” often leads to the wrong wire gauge or length. An undersized spring will be wound too tight to lift the door, leading to failure. An oversized spring will make the door shoot up uncontrollably, damaging the opener and potentially hitting someone.
• Cable Danger: The bottom brackets where cables attach are under extreme tension, connected to the spring. Removing these bolts while the spring is wound is a common, often catastrophic, error made by untrained individuals.

The Value of Calibration

A professional repair is not just about making the door go up and down; it is about balancing the system so the door “floats.”

• A perfectly balanced door puts minimal strain on the electric opener, extending the life of the motor and gears.
• Correct tension prevents the door from crashing down if the opener is disengaged, a critical safety feature for emergency egress.

When your garage door fails, you need a solution that prioritizes safety, longevity, and functionality. Don’t let a broken spring trap your vehicle or compromise your home’s security. For reliable, expert spring replacement, trust Good Golly Garage Doors to restore your home’s access safely and efficiently.

Get Your Garage Door Back on Track: Fast, Safe, and Built to Last

When a broken spring puts your day and your safety on hold, Good Golly Garage Doors is ready to act. Our Cave Creek technicians deliver rapid, same-day spring replacement using precision-matched, professional-grade components. With no hidden fees, we make it easy to restore your garage door’s reliability without stress or surprises. Don’t risk injury, property damage, or ongoing inconvenience by waiting. Whether it’s an emergency repair, an upgrade to high-cycle springs, or flexible financing options, we’re here 24/7 to help. Call Good Golly Garage Doors now and secure your home with confidence today.