Garage Door Spring Replacement in Toledo, OH
Springs do the lifting on a garage door — the opener only guides it. A typical two-car steel door weighs somewhere between 130 and 250 pounds, and the spring system is wound to carry almost all of that. When a spring breaks the door does not get a little heavier, it gets impossibly heavy, and an opener that keeps trying to lift it will strip its gear or bend the top section. Standard springs are commonly rated around 10,000 open-and-close cycles, which works out to roughly seven to ten years for a household that uses the garage as its front door. We weigh the door, measure the wire size, inside diameter and length of what is there, and wind new springs to match, rather than installing whatever happens to be on the truck. On two-spring doors we replace both, because the surviving spring has the same number of cycles on it and is usually not far behind.
What's included
- Torsion springs (the coil above the door) replaced and wound to spec
- Extension springs (along the side tracks) replaced with safety cables installed
- Spring sizing from the door's measured weight, not a guess
- Both springs replaced on two-spring doors so they wear evenly
- Higher-cycle spring options for heavy or high-use doors
- Lift cables, cable drums and center bearing inspected and replaced if worn
- Door balanced so it holds halfway open on its own
- Opener force and travel limits reset after the repair
- Old springs removed and hauled away
Sounds like your place?
Not sure what is wrong or what it should cost? If any of these sound familiar, tell us what the door is doing. We'll tell you what it probably is, and the tech confirms it and gives you the price before any work starts.
- There is a visible gap in the coil above the door
- The opener strains, clicks or lifts the door only a few inches
- The door slams down the last foot when closing
- The door feels like it weighs a few hundred pounds by hand
- Your springs are original and the house is more than about eight years old
Safety first: don't force a failed door
If a spring is broken, a cable is loose, or the door is crooked or off its rollers, don't run the opener and don't pull the emergency release. The springs and cables carry the door's weight, and once they fail a few hundred pounds of door is held up by parts that weren't built for it. Keep people and pets clear, unplug the opener if it keeps trying, and call. Torsion springs are wound under heavy tension and are not a DIY job.
From the first call to a door that works
Describe the Problem
Tell us what the door is doing — the noise, the gap in the spring, the cable on the floor. If the door is stuck open or hanging crooked, say so and it goes to the front of the line.
Diagnosis and a Price
The tech inspects the door, the hardware and the opener, shows you what failed, and gives you one price for the repair before starting.
Repaired On the Spot
Most repairs are finished in the same visit from parts on the truck. Springs are wound to your door's weight and worn related parts are pointed out, not slipped in.
Balanced and Tested
Before we leave the door is balanced so it holds halfway on its own, and the photo eyes and auto-reverse are tested with you watching.
You may also need
Garage Door Repair
Diagnosis and repair for every part of a residential garage door — springs, cables, rollers, hinges, tracks, panels, seals and openers — on any brand, with the price agreed before a tool comes out.
Learn moreOpener Repair & Installation
Repairs on the opener you have, or a new chain-drive, belt-drive or wall-mount opener installed, programmed and safety-tested — remotes, keypads and app control included.
Learn moreNew Garage Doors
Replacement doors measured for your opening — non-insulated and insulated steel, carriage-house and modern styles — installed with new tracks, springs, rollers and weather seals.
Learn moreSpring Replacement — FAQs
A typical pair of torsion springs on a two-car residential door runs about $175–$425 installed, depending on the door's weight and the spring size it needs. Extension springs on older single doors are usually less. Higher-cycle springs cost more up front and last longer. Full detail in spring replacement cost.
Yes, on a door with two springs. They were installed together and have done the same number of cycles, so the survivor is usually close behind. Replacing both also keeps the door balanced, since a new spring and an old one pull differently.
We strongly advise against it with torsion springs. They are wound under enough tension to lift a 200-pound door, and a slipped winding bar or the wrong tools causes serious hand, arm and face injuries. Extension springs are less dangerous but still need safety cables. This is the one garage door repair where paying a pro is about safety, not convenience.
Torsion springs sit on a shaft above the door and twist to lift it; they are the modern standard, smoother and longer-lived. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side and stretch. Many older Toledo garages still have extension springs, which should always have a safety cable running through them so a broken spring cannot whip across the garage.
Springs fail from metal fatigue, which is set by cycles rather than weather, but cold steel is less tough and more likely to fracture once it is already fatigued. That is why so many springs near the end of their life let go on the first very cold morning of the year.