Repair & service
Broken garage door spring replacement
If it sounded like a gunshot and now the door won't budge, your torsion spring is broken. It's the single most common garage door failure there is, and it's the one where the price spread between companies is widest.
- Price
- $329–$489
- Single spring, installed
- Diagnosis
- $85 · waived with repair
See every symptom and price in one table
| What it's doing | Usually means | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Loud bang, now it won't open | Broken torsion spring | $329–$489 |
| Door won't move at all | Spring, opener, or power | $85–$489 |
| Opener runs, door stays put | Trolley disconnected or stripped gear | $145–$395 |
| Goes down, then reverses | Safety sensors misaligned | $125–$265 |
| Crooked or jammed in the track | Cable came off the drum | $195–$325 |
| Grinding or squealing | Worn rollers and dry bearings | $195–$285 |
| Remote or keypad not working | Battery, reprogram, or logic board | $0–$265 |
| Loud enough to wake the house | Rollers, hinges, or a chain-drive opener | $195–$949 |
| Bottom panel dented or cracked | Section replacement | $395–$1,150 |
| Won't close in the cold | Seal frozen to the slab, or travel limits | $145–$295 |
| Door slams down hard | Broken spring or a failing cable | $329–$689 |
| Nothing's wrong — just a check | 25-point tune-up and safety inspection | $95 |
What's actually wrong
A torsion spring sits on a steel shaft above the door and stores the energy that counterbalances several hundred pounds of steel. It's rated in cycles — one open and one close is a cycle — and a standard 10,000-cycle spring on a door you use four times a day is doing about seven years of work. Cold shortens that.
When it breaks you'll usually see a clean gap of two or three inches in the coil. The opener will strain, hum, or trip its overload, because it was never built to lift the door by itself. It was built to guide a door the springs were already holding.
Safety, plainly
A torsion spring under tension stores enough energy to break bones and has killed people. Winding bars are not screwdrivers and a spring is not a part you order online and fit on a Saturday. This is the one repair on this site where we will tell you flatly: don't.
What the visit includes
- Correct spring sizing by wire gauge, inside diameter and length — measured, not guessed
- Both springs replaced on a two-spring door
- New bearings and end plate check
- Cable and drum inspection with re-seating if needed
- Full balance test and opener force re-set
- The 25-point safety inspection and lubrication, free
What it costs
Published, and the same number we'd give you on the phone. Bands cover the great majority of residential doors; anything outside them is quoted before we start.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Single torsion spring, installed | $329–$489 |
| Pair of torsion springs, installed | $479–$689 |
| High-cycle upgrade (25,000 cycle) | add $95–$160 |
| Extension spring set | $265–$395 |
| Extension to torsion conversion | $545–$895 |
| Diagnosis, waived with repair | $85 |
Before you ask
- We replace springs in pairs on two-spring doors. Fitting one new spring beside a twenty-year-old one saves you about $150 today and costs you a second service call inside a year.
- Spring price varies by wire gauge and length, not by how urgent your morning is. The band above covers the great majority of residential doors; oversized and custom doors are quoted before we start.
- If your opener was run repeatedly against the broken spring, the drive gear may be stripped too. We'll check and tell you before we touch the opener.
Questions we get
How long does it take?
Most single-door spring jobs are done in 60 to 90 minutes on site.
Can I still open it by hand?
Sometimes, with two people, and we'd rather you didn't. A door with a broken counterbalance can drop fast.
Why do springs always break in winter?
Cold metal is more brittle and grease stiffens, so a spring that was already near the end of its cycle life gives out on the coldest morning. It isn't bad luck.
Do you charge for the estimate?
There's an $85 diagnostic fee on repair calls, and it's waived when you have us do the repair. New door quotes are free — those are measured, not diagnosed.
Are you actually same-day?
Most days, for most of our service area, yes — if you call before mid-afternoon. When we can't be, we tell you on the phone instead of booking you and hoping.
Where we do this
Get it fixed
Call for same-day where we can, or book a window online. Either way you'll have the number before anyone touches the door.
- Hours
- Mon–Sat 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Base
- Rotterdam, NY
- Diagnosis
- $85, waived with repair