Every garage door in Tampa lifts on springs, not on the opener. The opener only guides the door; the springs do the heavy lifting, counterbalancing 150 to 400 pounds of steel so that the door feels light. That is also why a broken spring stops everything at once.
Springs have a cycle life
Standard torsion springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles — one cycle is one open and one close. A household that uses the garage as its main entrance runs through 4 to 6 cycles a day, which puts a standard spring at roughly 5 to 7 years. Lighter use stretches that to 10 or more. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000 or 50,000 cycles are available and cost only modestly more; we fit them on request.
What shortens a spring's life
- Rust. Corrosion creates tiny pits that become crack points. A light coat of silicone-based garage door lubricant twice a year makes a measurable difference.
- Wrong size. A spring that is too weak for the door works harder on every cycle. This is common after a DIY replacement or a door that had panels or insulation added later.
- Only one spring replaced. On a two-spring door, the old spring has the same age and wear as the one that just broke. It will usually fail within months and put the whole load on the new one until it does.
- Temperature swings. Cold makes steel brittle; a spring near the end of its life often breaks on the first cold morning of the year.
- A door out of balance. Worn rollers, a bent track or a dragging bottom seal all add load the spring was not sized for.
Warning signs before it snaps
Springs rarely fail without notice. Watch for a door that drifts down when you pull the opener release and lift it halfway, a door that opens slower than it used to, a visible stretch or gap in the coil, or the opener straining and reversing. Any of these is a reason to book an inspection before the spring breaks and the door drops.
When it breaks
You will usually hear a loud bang from the garage. After that, the door will be far too heavy to lift by hand and the opener will either not move it or lift it a few inches and stop. Do not force the door, do not keep pressing the opener, and do not try to lift it with a second person — a door without a working spring can drop and injure someone. Keep people and cars clear and call for spring replacement. In Tampa we carry springs in every common size and replace them the same day, in pairs, with a 5-year warranty.