Broken spring repair
Garage door spring repair across Broward and Palm Beach County
Call and describe what the door is doing. We bring torsion and extension springs sized to your door, replace the matched pair, and test the balance before we leave.
What you’re seeing, and what it usually is
Torsion springs fail without warning. Here’s what each sign usually means.
| What the door is doing | What it usually is | When to call |
|---|---|---|
| The door won’t budge, even though the opener is straining | A broken or badly weakened torsion spring | Call today |
| The door slammed down fast and hard on its own | A spring that let go mid-cycle | Call today |
| A loud bang from the garage, then the door won’t move at all | The spring snapping under tension | Call today |
| The door looks crooked, lower on one side than the other | A broken cable or uneven spring wear | Call today |
| The opener runs and strains but the door barely lifts | A spring that’s lost most of its tension | This week |
| A visible gap opening up in the spring’s coils | Wear building toward failure | This week |
| The door feels noticeably heavier to lift than it used to | Spring tension fading with age and cycles | Routine |
The parts that fail
The parts that do the lifting
A garage door is a counterbalance system. Here’s what holds the weight.
Photo from one of Eric’s own jobs.
- Torsion spring
The door feels like it weighs a ton to lift by hand, or won’t stay up on its own.
- Cable drum
The door hangs crooked, with one corner sitting lower than the other.
- Lift cable
A cable looks frayed, or has already snapped, and the door won’t move safely.
- Horizontal track
The door binds, or jumps its rails partway through the cycle.
- Roller and hinge
A loud grinding or popping sound every time the door opens or closes.
- Manual release cord
The red pull that lets you lift the door by hand when the power is out.
- Opener rail
The chain or belt slaps, or the trolley slips and the door stops halfway.
- Opener and sensors
The motor hums but nothing moves, or the door reverses with nothing in the way.
How a spring repair visit goes
Same steps, every time, in this order.
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You call, we ask what the door is doing
Heavy? Crooked? A bang and then nothing? That gives us a first idea (the spring, a cable, or something else) and a rough price if you want one. We confirm it at the door.
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We check the whole system, not just the spring
Drums, cables, hinges and rollers get a look too, because a broken spring often means a cable or roller is close behind it.
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We bring both springs, sized to your door
Torsion springs work in a matched pair. The surviving spring is close to the same age and cycle count, so we replace both rather than leave a mismatch.
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We test, cycle, and show you what changed
The door gets cycled several times, checked for balance, and we walk you through what was replaced before we leave.
Springs, drums and cables, plain and simple
- Torsion vs. extension springs
Most doors use one or two torsion springs on a shaft above the door. Older doors sometimes use extension springs along the horizontal tracks instead. We work on both, and tell you which is on your door before we quote anything.
- Why both springs come off together
A torsion pair carries the door’s weight equally. The surviving spring shares the broken one’s age and cycle count, so we replace the pair rather than leave a mismatched lift.
- Drums and cables
The drums wind the lifting cables as the door moves. A frayed or popped cable is a common reason a door hangs crooked, and we check both while we’re already in there for a spring.
- Craftsman
- Chamberlain
- LiftMaster
- Genie
- Amarr
- Northwest Door
- Clopay
Recent work
Jobs we’ve done nearby
No stock photography: these are Eric’s own jobs.
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What South Florida does to a spring
Coastal salt air sits on metal hardware and doesn’t let go the way inland air does, which is hard on springs, cables and the rest of the counterbalance system.
- A spring's working life is mostly about care, not luck: the door industry's own technical guidance names handling, installation and everyday door usage as the leading factors that shorten a torsion spring's cycle life Source
- Rust on the spring wire reduces its effective strength and shortens cycle life, which is why manufacturers call regular lubrication of the counterbalance hardware, and keeping the spring dry, the standard defense in a humid coastal climate Source
Opening protection
A repair still has to leave your door up to code
We’re replacing hardware, not the door panel. But if a spring repair turns up more damage than expected, here’s the wind code that panel has to meet, county by county.
Three facts, with their sources
- Broward County (HVHZ)
- Every garage door, glazed or not, must pass the large-missile impact test. Florida Building Code, Chapter 16
- Palm Beach County (Wind-Borne Debris Region)
- A solid door with no glass only needs a wind-pressure rating, not the impact test. FBC 2023, section 1609.1.2
- Replacing a door is new work
- A replacement must meet today’s wind code, whatever the old door was rated for. Palm Beach County permit brochure
Reviews
What customers say about this kind of job
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“The servicemen that came today for my garage was outstanding. Punctual very easy to communicate with clean and I would recommend him to work on your garage. He was also very helpful with setting up the remotes and very caring.”
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“Such a good experience, Eric did an amazing job, last guy I had out kinda screw me with undersized springs, however Eric was able to tweak it so they now work great.. highly recommend”
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“I've used Eric twice. He was responsive, fast, and knowledgeable. He replaced my rollers and springs. Garage door is like new. Highly recommend 10/10.”
Real reviews, quoted as written.
Spring repair questions
Why did my garage door spring break with no warning?
Torsion springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles and usually let go at the end of that life, not gradually. A bang and a door that won’t move is the normal failure, not a sign of anything else wrong.
Can I replace just one garage door spring?
You can, but the surviving spring is close to the same age and cycle count as the one that broke. We replace both so the door lifts evenly.
Is a broken garage door spring dangerous to fix myself?
A wound torsion spring holds real force, which is why this is a job most homeowners leave to someone who does it regularly. Treat an already-broken spring as something not to lift by hand.
How long do garage door springs usually last in South Florida?
About 10,000 cycles, roughly 3 to 10 years depending on use. Salt air can shorten that by accelerating rust on the spring and its hardware.
What’s the difference between a torsion spring and an extension spring?
A torsion spring sits on a shaft above the door and twists as it closes. An extension spring stretches along the horizontal tracks instead. We work on both.
Will the new spring actually match my door?
We bring springs sized to your door’s weight and shaft, not a generic size, and replace the drums or cables too if they’re worn.
Open 24 hours, every day
Call before the door gets any harder to lift
A person answers, day or night.
(561) 645-7806