If you heard a loud bang from the garage and now the door won't budge, or it feels ten times heavier than usual, you've likely got a broken torsion spring. This is the single most common repair call we get in Orléans, especially between November and March.
Garage door springs do the heavy lifting — literally. Torsion springs mounted above the door, or extension springs running along the horizontal tracks, counterbalance the weight of the door so the opener (or you, lifting by hand) only has to move it, not lift dead weight. When a spring breaks, that counterbalance is gone and the door becomes dangerously heavy and unsafe to operate.
Signs you need spring repair
- A loud bang from the garage, often mistaken for a car backfiring or something falling
- The door won't open, or only opens a few inches before stopping
- The opener strains, groans, or trips its safety reversal repeatedly
- You can see a visible gap or separation in the coils of the spring
- The door feels unusually heavy when lifted manually
- One side of the door appears to hang lower than the other
Do not attempt this yourself. A wound torsion spring stores enough energy to cause serious injury. Leave the door closed, don't force the opener, and call us.
How we handle spring repair
- Phone diagnosisDescribe what happened — a bang, a stuck door, a heavy feel — and we can usually confirm it's a spring issue before we arrive.
- On-site inspectionWe check spring size, door weight, and the condition of the other spring, cables, and drums, since a second spring failure often follows shortly after the first.
- Written quoteWe always replace torsion springs in pairs, even if only one broke — the surviving spring is usually close behind and mismatched springs cause uneven wear. We'll explain why, and quote it clearly.
- Same-visit replacementOur trucks carry the common sizes for Orléans homes. We replace the springs, rebalance the door, lubricate hardware, and cycle-test before we leave.
- 3-year warrantyEvery spring repair is backed by a 3-year parts and labor warranty.
Why springs fail more in Orléans winters
Torsion springs are rated for a number of open-close cycles, but temperature plays a big role in when they actually fail. Steel becomes more brittle in deep cold, so a spring that had another year or two of life left in September can snap on a -25°C morning in January. We see a clear spike in spring-repair calls across Orléans, Avalon, and Fallingbrook every winter for exactly this reason.
Torsion vs. extension springs
Most Orléans homes built from the late 1990s onward use torsion springs mounted on a shaft above the door opening — they're more durable and safer by design. Older homes sometimes still have extension springs running along the horizontal tracks. We service and replace both types, matching the replacement to your door's weight and size.