An integral part of an overhead rolling garage door system is the spring (or springs) that assists manual or mechanized opening and closing of the overhead door. There are two types of spring systems: a torsion spring system in which a single coiled spring running parallel to the door serves to counter the weight of the door; or an extension spring system in which two springs, one on either side of the door running parallel to the overhead door tracks, does the work.
The springs are part of the door system itself, not part of the automatic garage door opener. If you are up to replacing the springs yourself, costs for parts alone range from about $65 to $85 for a pair of torsion springs or $25 to $40 for a pair of extension springs. Extension springs, however, are often sold in kits that include other parts, such as door rollers. Costs for a complete kit can increase the cost to $75 or more.
While you can save money by doing this work yourself, replacing garage door springs is no easy job, and it can be hazardous. Most people are well-advised to have pros do this work. Before attempting this project yourself, make sure you understand how the system works.
- Typical Range: $150 to $350
- National Average: $250
Automatic garage doors have fast become a necessity in the modern world. Homeowners rely on them so much that it’s easy to forget that they eventually wear out and need replacement parts—until they suddenly won’t open.
A broken garage door spring is the most common part that needs repair or replacement since it does the heavy lifting each time you use the door. A technician can perform a garage door spring repair for an average of $250, but the price could range between $150 and $350.
The door size, type and number of springs, number of doors, location, and labour rates will determine the garage door spring replacement cost. Fortunately, a qualified professional can replace broken garage door springs and handle the problem safely; you’ll be back to driving into your garage in no time.
FAQs About Garage Renovation
Can I Change Only One Spring Per Door?
Most doors come with two springs. Once one of them breaks, replacing both simultaneously will ensure that the door maintains its balance and durability.
How Often Should You Replace Your Door Spring?
Garage door springs can be used for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. Over time, when your garage door fails, the springs are the part that most often breaks. So you’ll need to replace a torsion spring every 8 to 15 years and an extension spring every 7 to 12 years, depending on use.
Can A Garage Door Operate Without A Spring?
Doors with broken springs can be difficult to lift because the garage door loses the springs’ support when opening the door. Besides, attempting to open the door if the spring is broken can be dangerous, so it’s better to wait for a garage door repair professional to open it for you.
How Can I Tell If A Garage Door Spring Is Broken?
These are the main signs you know you have a spring problem:
- The garage door doesn’t open at all.
- Even though the door might be moving, it’s not easy to open or close it.
- The door is crooked and feels stuck or off track.
- You hear a loud bang—that is the spring breaking.
- Excessive noise or squeaking as you lift the door up and down.
- The automatic opener motor is working or straining, but the door isn’t moving.
- You can see the spring break, but in some cases, it’s not always visible.
Should I Lubricate Or Oil My Garage Door Springs?
Most professionals will tell you to lubricate or oil your garage door springs at least yearly. Since a bottle of oil only costs $5 to $10, it’s a cheap way to keep them working smoothly. Consider oiling them at least twice a year.
Factors In Calculating Garage Door Spring Replacement Cost
In most cases, if a garage door spring is broken, it will need to be replaced rather than repaired. When it’s time to ask about a garage spring replacement cost, the quote should include the cost of labour and materials for the kind of doors you have.
Labor
Garage doors are not simple to repair, so it’s essential to use a reliable company with several years of experience. Most companies will send two employees to do garage door repairs for safety reasons since garage doors are heavy and unwieldy.
Labour rates usually run from $75 to $150 for the service call, according to HomeAdvisor. A reputable company can tell you the approximate time it will take to repair your door when you call for a quote—usually 1 to 2 hours for spring replacement.
Materials
Replacing garage door springs means you’ll be paying for new springs, brackets, and hardware to get the garage door working again. These typically cost $30 to $200 for a set of two springs, which is most common for a double garage door. A single door uses only one spring, which will cost less to repair.
Geographic Location
The supply and demand of garage door contractors will influence the total price. If fewer companies in the region, expect higher garage door spring replacement costs.
In general, repair rates in urban areas tend to be higher since the cost of living is greater than in most suburban or rural areas. On the other hand, you might have to pay an extra trip fee if the technician travels a long distance to get to a rural house.
Number Of Garage Doors
If your garage doors were all installed simultaneously and they’re used with the same frequency, both springs could wear out simultaneously. Most homes have double-door garages that run on two springs to balance the door as it lifts and lowers.
When one spring is replaced, the older spring experiences imbalanced tension and will likely break soon afterwards. For this reason, it’s recommended to replace both springs at the same time.
If you have a third or fourth garage door, ask about a discount to have all the springs replaced simultaneously and avoid an additional service fee a few months later.
Type Of Door
Residential garage doors are built using torsion or extension springs that create the force required to lift and lower the garage at a controlled speed. Whether you have a roll-up garage door or a tilt-up door, the cost is calculated by the kind of spring being replaced.
A commercial garage door is much larger and heavier than a residential door and is used more frequently than most, so the springs likely break more often. Commercial garage door springs cost $100 to $500 plus $150 to $300 for labour.
Garage Door Spring Replacement Cost: Types Of Doors And Springs
While most garage doors are the sectional style that rolls panels up along tracks, there are other types of garages like tilt-up and single panel.
While the styles may be different, they all operate with a spring mechanism to offset the weight of manually lifting and lowering the garage door. Extension springs are the more traditional style, but torsion springs are another option.
Torsion Spring And Bar
Torsion springs are one of the more dangerous springs to replace since they remain under tremendous pressure when the garage is closed. They are attached to the wall on the side of the garage door and expand and twist tightly to operate the door.
Torsion springs are stronger than extension springs, so they carry more weight and last longer—between 10,000 and 20,000 cycles or 8 to 15 years, depending on use. Replacement torsion springs cost $30 to $100 each, and replacing them will cost $75 to $150 per spring, including labour and materials.
Extension Spring
Extension springs are cheaper than torsion springs, but they last only 8,000 to 15,000 cycles or 7 to 12 years. These are long and skinny and are located just above the door’s horizontal track on a single rod. When the door is lowered, the springs tighten and pressurize to create the spring action to raise the door again.
They have safety cables attached to keep them in place when they break since they have more exposed parts than torsion springs. Extension springs cost $15 to $45, and replacing them costs around $50 to $100 each, including labour and materials.
Garage Door Spring And Cable
Garage doors also include cables that work with the springs to raise and lower the door. They’re also the backup system when the springs fail.
The cables could wear out before your spring, so watch for some common signs that your cables need repair: one side is heavier and lifting unevenly, the door whines when moving, or the door came off the track completely.
A technician can replace the cables for $75 to $200, but if they are replaced simultaneously with a broken spring, you’ll likely pay $175 to $450.
Double Garage Door
The labour rates for a double garage door repair are the same as for a single, but the materials will cost more. Double garage door springs are larger than single door springs. For example, if an extension spring costs between $15 and $45, expect to pay $15 to $30 more per spring.
The cables are also thicker to accommodate the extra weight, so replacing springs and cables will cost more.
Roll-Up Garage Door
The cost to replace springs on a roll-up garage door is about the same as any other door since the price is more dependent on the kind of spring being replaced. Most roll-up doors use two torsion springs, so you’ll likely pay $200 to $250. Labour costs for roll-up doors are the same as for any other type of garage door.
Broken Garage Door Spring: Repairs And Tune-Up
Garage door springs can be tuned up to lengthen their lifespans. Have a technician maintain the springs once or twice a year to keep them lubricated and balanced. They’ll also make sure all screws are tightened and that the cables, tracks, drums, and rollers are all in good condition.
Tuning up your garage door helps keep it functioning safely for longer, and you can potentially avoid a shock when the garage door breaks. Once spring breaks, it cannot be repaired, only replaced. Garage door spring replacement costs between $100 and $300 on average, but a garage door tune-up costs $50 to $150.
The Function Of Garage Door Springs
Torsion springs and extension springs are kept under enormous pressure when the door is shut to help assist it upwards when you want to open it. With torsion springs, this pressure is created by the springs being tightly coiled and compressed, usually by a metal cable drum that tightens the spring as the door is lowered.
With extension springs, the pressure is created when the springs, which run parallel to the overhead tracks, are stretched out when the door is lowered. Without the springs, a garage door, which can weigh several hundred pounds, is nearly impossible to lift and lower, either by hand or by the relatively small electric motors found on mechanical garage door openers.
Lowering a garage door without springs is a dangerous affair because the door can easily slam down violently.
Some garage door springs can last as long as 30 years, but like any moving metal part, springs eventually wear out or break due to fatigue. When one of the springs breaks, your garage door will cease to operate properly.
If you operate the garage door by hand, you’ll notice that the door begins to feel very heavy to lift, or it may slam down hard when you close it. If you have an automatic garage door opener, the electric motor may stop working properly, unable to handle the weight.
DIY Replacement Vs. Professional Repair
Both torsion and extension springs are relatively affordable parts, usually selling for under $100 per pair. This makes DIY replacement seem like a pretty good option, but be aware that you may also need other tools to do that job safely.
And if done by amateurs working without proper knowledge, serious injury can occur when replacing garage door springs. These metal parts operate under great pressure, so make sure you read directions carefully and follow them exactly if you choose to do this work yourself.
Hiring a professional to handle garage door spring repair and replacement tends to be a much easier and safer option for homeowners. Removing or repairing garage springs can be a dangerous job, but professionals have the experience and equipment to do it safely and efficiently.
Unless your springs only need a minor repair, such as lubrication or fixing a minor balance issue, call in a local garage door pro to do the job. Springs are under incredibly high tension that can cause serious damage and physical harm, not to mention that the door is heavy. Don’t attempt to do this yourself. A pro follows these steps for the job:
- Turns off power to the garage door, so it doesn’t accidentally move up or down.
- Measure your existing door springs to ensure the new springs are the same size.
- Unwinds the existing setup and removes them.
- Install the new springs.
- Wind them up to the proper tension.
- Lubricate them.
- Turn the power back on and test the door.
Garage doors may look easy to repair since they’re simple to operate, but that’s not the case. Garage door springs remain under constant intense pressure to lift a heavy door.
Because of that, repairing them can be a dangerous undertaking. Repairing a garage door on your own could lead to seriously injuring yourself or damaging any vehicles or equipment in the garage.
You could also repair the wrong thing or do it incorrectly and cause a costlier problem. Garage door spring replacement should be left to a trained professional.
The safest and surest route to garage door spring replacement is to ask for help from qualified technicians who have been trained to remove and replace broken springs. These are not your common household springs, requiring special tools.
Once the technician has removed and replaced the broken springs, the next step is to ensure the door is balanced correctly. If you’re unfamiliar with this process, you could damage your door, forcing a need to replace the entire garage door.
And as one final reason to use a pro, some warranties will not cover repairs or new parts if the work is done by someone other than a licensed professional.
Cost Of DIY Replacement
Estimating the cost of replacing the springs yourself is slightly less straightforward than estimating the professional replacement cost. This is because there are several factors to consider when coming up with the final price, and not all of them are monetary.
- Cost of the springs: Garage door springs themselves are fairly inexpensive. They can usually be purchased from online retailers or a big-box home improvement centre for less than $100 per set, even for top-end springs. Take an old spring with you to the store or jot down all the specifications to ensure that you get an exact replacement.
- Cost of other tools: It doesn’t take a lot of tools or equipment to change a garage door spring, but it does require some things, such as a clamp to hold the door in place while you change it and safety goggles and gloves to help ensure safety. The cost of these items needs to be factored into the door spring replacement cost, as well. If you don’t have a step stool or stepladder, you’ll need to buy or borrow one.
- Cost of time: Replacing the garage door springs is not very difficult, but it does take time, particularly if this is the first time you’ve done it. The time it takes you to find and purchase the correct spring and tools for the job; the time it takes you to familiarize yourself with the door and the springs and learn the procedure; and finally, the time it takes you and a helper to replace the springs—all these considerations contribute to the total “costs” of this repair job. It’s not uncommon for a DIYer to take a full weekend to do this project, so carefully consider how much you value the time required. When you think about it carefully, $300 or $350 for a professional spring replacement may seem like a bargain.
How To Save Money On Garage Door Spring Replacement Cost
Though garage door spring replacement costs aren’t the most expensive repair you could face, it never hurts to save a little money on repairs. Use any of the following tips to find ways to lower the cost of replacing garage door springs.
- If your garage door opener runs on batteries, replace them first to see if that will cause the door to operate again. Also, check the circuit breaker to make sure the door has power.
- Call a technician as soon as there’s an obvious problem or any damage. Solving a simple problem early will save on more expensive costs for worsened issues over time.
- Choose to hire a licensed garage door repair company rather than a handyman who may not be trained in the current garage door styles.
- Avoid choosing the cheapest bid unless you’re sure they’re a reputable company.
- Ask about senior or military discounts.
- Purchase the proper kinds of lubricants and do your maintenance each year to prolong the use of the spring.
- Sign up for newsletters that may offer sales and coupons for maintenance or repair.
- Though you pay more upfront, consider choosing a high-quality spring that will last longer.
- Ask for quotes from multiple companies. Do this ahead of time to know who you’d prefer to call when you have an emergency.
- Replace an old garage door that needs frequent repair with a new one that will last for years.