Garage Door Spring Replacement
Heard a bang, and now the door won't lift? That's usually a spring. Most replacements run $400 to $650 with parts, labor and the trip included, and we offer same-day service when the schedule allows.
Safety Warning
Don't try to replace or adjust a garage door spring yourself. The spring is wound or stretched tight enough to carry the full weight of the door, and a two-car door often weighs well over 100 pounds. If a tool slips while that tension is coming off, it can break bones. Leave the door closed and call us.
Signs Your Spring is Broken
A broken spring usually announces itself in one of these ways. If you notice any of them, stop using the door until someone has looked at it.
What to Do If Your Spring Breaks
Do these four things first. Then call for 24/7 emergency garage door repair.
Stop Using the Door
Don't press the opener again. The motor will try to lift the full weight of the door and can strip its gear or pull the door off track.
Don't Attempt DIY
Leave the spring, cables and bottom brackets alone. The bottom brackets are under cable tension too.
Call a Professional
Our emergency line is answered 24/7. We'll get a technician out as soon as the schedule allows.
Use Alternate Entry
If your car is stuck inside, leave it for now. Lifting a door with a broken spring by hand and propping it open is how people get hurt.
Types of Garage Door Springs
Look above your door. A spring on a bar across the top is a torsion spring. Springs running along the tracks on both sides are extension springs. We replace both, and we convert Torquemaster systems too.
Torsion Springs
Location: On a steel shaft across the top of the door opening
Lifespan: About 10,000 cycles on a standard spring. High-cycle springs last roughly twice as long.
Advantages: Lifts the door evenly from the center. When one breaks, it stays on the shaft instead of flying loose.
Common on: Most residential doors, especially two-car doors
Extension Springs
Location: Along the horizontal tracks on each side, stretching out as the door closes
Lifespan: Usually around 10,000 cycles. Replace both sides at the same time.
Advantages: Cheaper parts and simpler hardware. They need a safety cable running through each spring so a snapped one can't whip across the garage.
Common on: Older homes and lighter single-car doors
Our Spring Replacement Process
Here's how a spring call goes, from the phone call to the last test run.
Call Us
Tell us what happened and whether the door is stuck open or closed. We'll book the earliest slot we have.
Inspection
The technician measures the old springs and checks the cables, drums and rollers they work with.
Free Estimate
The estimate is free, and you get the total price before any work starts. Nothing happens until you say yes.
Replacement
Old springs come off with proper winding bars. New ones are sized to your door's weight, not just copied from what was there.
Testing
We set the balance so the door holds halfway open by hand, then run it on the opener and check the auto-reverse.
Who Shows Up When Your Spring Breaks
We're an owner-led garage door company on Voss Road in Sugar Land, licensed and insured in Texas. The owner has spent more than 15 years in the trade, and spring replacement is the job we do more than any other.
Houston humidity is hard on springs. Rust pits the steel, and a rusty spring breaks sooner than a clean one. When we replace yours, we also look at the cables, drums and bottom brackets, since they rust in the same damp air. If something else is close to failing, we'll show you before we quote it.
What to Expect From Us
- The price for the whole job before any work starts
- Springs sized to your door's actual weight
- On two-spring doors, a price for replacing one and a price for both, so you can choose
- High-cycle springs offered for $50 to $100 more
- Torquemaster systems converted to standard torsion springs
- Safety cables added to extension springs that don't have them
Spring Broke Today?
Our phone is answered around the clock. We do same-day replacements when the schedule allows.
(713) 324-8950Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my garage door spring is broken?
Look at the spring on the bar above the door. A broken torsion spring has a clear gap where the coil separated, and you can usually see light through it. Other clues: you heard a bang earlier, the door won't come up more than a few inches, or the opener hums and strains without lifting anything. With extension springs, one side may be hanging loose from its safety cable.
How much does garage door spring replacement cost in Houston?
Most spring replacements run $400 to $650 total, and that includes parts, labor and the trip out. A single torsion spring is $350 to $650 installed, with most jobs landing around $450. A pair of torsion springs is $400 to $900, typically about $550. Extension springs run $500 to $850 for the pair. Heavy wood doors and oversized doors need bigger springs, which adds $50 to $150. The estimate is free, and you get the full price before any work starts.
See the full spring replacement cost guideCan I replace the spring myself?
We don't recommend it. A wound torsion spring holds enough tension to lift the whole door, and if a winding bar slips while you're letting that tension off, it can break a wrist or worse. Extension springs without safety cables can snap and fly across the garage. Unwinding the old spring is the dangerous part, and it takes proper winding bars, not screwdrivers or pieces of rebar.
Should I replace both springs at once?
On a door with two torsion springs, usually yes. They went in together and have the same number of cycles on them, so the second one tends to break soon after the first. Doing both in one visit costs less than paying for another trip later. Extension springs should always be replaced as a pair, because a new spring on one side and a worn one on the other will pull the door unevenly.
How long does spring replacement take?
Usually about an hour once the technician is at your house. A Torquemaster conversion, or a job that also needs new cables or drums, takes longer.
How long do garage door springs last?
A standard spring is rated for about 10,000 cycles. One cycle is one open and one close. If your household runs the door four times a day, that works out to roughly seven years. A high-cycle spring adds $50 to $100 to the job and lasts about twice as long, which is worth it if the garage is how your family comes and goes.
Can you replace a Torquemaster spring system?
Yes. Torquemaster systems, found on many older Wayne Dalton doors, hide the springs inside the tube above the door, so you can't see when one breaks. We convert these to standard torsion springs, which you can see, inspect and replace with parts any garage door shop carries.
How to Extend Your Spring's Life
Every spring wears out eventually. These habits help yours reach its full cycle rating, and they make it more likely you'll spot a tired spring before it snaps.
Maintenance Tips
- Spray the spring coils with a silicone or lithium garage door lubricant every six months. It slows rust in our humidity.
- Once a month, pull the opener's release cord and lift the door by hand to waist height. It should stay there.
- If the door drifts down or creeps up from that point, have the spring tension adjusted. Don't do it yourself.
- Glance at the springs when you're in the garage. Rust spots and gaps are easy to see.
- If the garage is your main way in and out, ask for high-cycle springs at the next replacement.
- Fix squeaky rollers and stiff hinges early. Extra drag makes the springs and opener work harder.
Signs Your Springs Are Wearing
- The door opens slower, or the opener sounds like it's working harder
- Rust or flaking on the spring coils
- With the opener disconnected, the door won't stay put halfway up
- One side of the door rises ahead of the other
- Popping or creaking from the spring as the door moves
- The springs have been on the door seven years or more
Our tune-up includes lubrication and a wear check on your springs, cables and rollers.
Learn About MaintenanceSpring Replacement Near You
We replace springs across Greater Houston from our shop in Sugar Land. Pick your city below.
Broken Spring? Call Before You Touch It
Tell us what you heard and what the door is doing, and we'll get a technician scheduled. The phone is answered 24/7.