Garage Door Spring Broke? Here’s What to Do Next

You heard a loud bang from the garage. Now the door won’t open, or it opens a few inches and stops. That’s a broken spring. It’s one of the most common calls we get, and it almost always happens at the worst possible time.

Stay calm. Here’s what to do.

Don’t Try to Open the Door

When a spring breaks, your door loses its counterbalance. A two-car garage door weighs 200-400 pounds. Without the spring, that weight is entirely unsupported. Don’t try to lift it manually and don’t let the opener try to force it. You risk serious back injury, a door crashing down unexpectedly, or damage to the opener motor.

Disconnect the Opener

If the door is closed, pull the emergency release cord (the red rope hanging from the opener track). This disconnects the opener from the door so nobody accidentally hits the remote and burns out the motor.

Keep the Area Clear

Keep kids and pets out of the garage. A door with a broken spring is unstable. This isn’t overly cautious, it’s just the right call until the spring is replaced.

Don’t Try to Replace It Yourself

I’m going to be direct about this: don’t do it. Torsion springs store enough energy to cause severe injury when they release unexpectedly. We have the specialized tools and training to handle them safely. This is one of those jobs where the risk isn’t worth it, no matter how handy you are.

Why Did It Break?

Cycle life: Standard springs are rated for 10,000 cycles. At four cycles a day, that’s about seven years. In Alabama’s humidity, we often see failures earlier, at 6,000-7,000 cycles.

Rust and corrosion: Alabama’s humidity weakens the metal over time. This is the most common culprit we see here.

Lack of lubrication: Dry springs wear faster. Regular lubrication extends life significantly.

Extreme temperature swings: Alabama summers and the occasional cold snap stress metal components.

Getting It Fixed

Emergency service: Car trapped inside? We offer 24/7 emergency service and can have a technician at your Alabama home within 60 minutes. We carry common spring sizes on our trucks.

Scheduled appointment: If you can work around the door for a day or two, a scheduled appointment saves on emergency fees. We give a firm quote before any work starts.

A professional spring replacement takes 1-2 hours and includes removing the broken spring, inspecting cables, drums, and hardware, installing new springs, balancing and adjusting, lubricating all moving parts, and safety testing.

Replace Both Springs, Not Just One

If your door has two springs and only one broke, replace both. The second spring has the same wear history and the same corrosion. It’ll fail soon. Two separate service calls costs more than doing both at once, and we warranty both springs when replaced together.

What to Do After the Repair

Lubricate the springs every three months. Schedule an annual professional inspection. Consider upgrading to high-cycle springs (25,000+ cycles) if this has happened before. Listen for unusual sounds during operation.

Dealing with a broken spring is stressful. We make it straightforward. Call (205) 775-8365 for immediate assistance or to schedule a repair appointment.