A broken spring is the number-one reason a garage door quits on you — you go to leave for work, hit the button, and the door barely lifts or won't budge at all. Sometimes you even hear it go: a loud bang from the garage overnight, like a firecracker, that turns out to be the spring snapping. The good news is that it is also one of the most affordable repairs there is, especially next to replacing the whole door. Still, “how much?” has a few moving parts. Here is what actually sets the price, and what you should know before you call anyone.
Torsion vs. extension springs
Most DFW homes use torsion springs — the tightly wound ones mounted on a metal bar above the door opening. They unwind to lift the door and are the modern standard. Older or lighter doors sometimes use extension springs, the long stretched springs that run parallel to the tracks on each side. Torsion systems cost a little more but last longer, control the door more smoothly, and are safer overall, so the type you have is the first thing that sets the range. If you are not sure which you have, a quick photo tells a technician everything.
Door size and weight
Springs are matched to the exact weight of your door, so heavier doors need stronger, thicker springs. A wide double door uses a beefier pair than a single-car door, and an insulated or solid-wood door weighs considerably more than a thin single-layer steel one. That is why the same repair on a small single door and a big insulated double lands at different spots on the range — the springs themselves are different parts.
The cycle rating (and the high-cycle upgrade)
Springs are rated in cycles — one open and one close is a cycle. A standard set is rated around 10,000 cycles, which works out to roughly 7 to 12 years for a typical family. If you use your door many times a day (a busy household, or the garage as the main entrance), you can pay a little more up front for high-cycle springs rated at 20,000 or more, which last far longer before they fail again. For a door you cycle constantly, that upgrade often pays for itself. We will let you know if you are a good candidate for it.
One spring or the pair?
Here is the honest part homeowners appreciate. On a two-spring door, the springs are installed as a matched pair and they wear at the same rate, side by side, cycle for cycle. So if one just snapped after years of use, the other is right behind it — usually a matter of months, not years. Replacing both now means one service call instead of two, a door that stays properly balanced, and no frustrating repeat failure a few weeks later that costs you another trip charge. When one spring is genuinely newer than the other, we will tell you and you can decide; but most of the time, doing the pair is simply the better value and the advice we would give our own family.
Warning signs your spring is going
Springs rarely fail with zero warning. Watch for a door that suddenly feels very heavy to lift by hand, opens crookedly or jerks partway up, slams down faster than it should, or shows a visible gap in the coils of the spring above the door — that gap is the tell-tale sign of a snapped torsion spring. You might also notice the opener straining, humming, or stopping partway. Catching these early lets you schedule a normal appointment instead of getting stranded with a door that will not open.
Why this isn't a DIY job
We do not say this to drum up work — we say it because torsion springs are wound under enormous tension, storing a lot of energy in a small space. A slip during a DIY swap, or the wrong tool, can cause a serious injury to hands, face, or worse. The specialized winding bars and the know-how to set and balance the tension safely are exactly what you are paying a professional for, and it is a quick, routine job for a technician who does it every day. This is one repair where the safety math clearly favors calling a pro. Read more on our spring repair page, and if the failure also affected the cables, those get checked too.
Repair beats replacement here, every time
A failed spring almost never means you need a new door. Springs are a normal, expected wear item — every door will need them eventually — and swapping them is a small fraction of the cost of a new door. Unless your door is also old and badly damaged, spring replacement is the clear, cheaper fix, and it makes a worn-out door feel brand new again. Our how-long-does-it-last guide puts the whole wear timeline in context, and our repair-or-replace guide covers the rare cases where a new door wins.
Getting your real number
Because the spring type, your door's size and weight, the cycle rating, and pair-vs-single all factor in, the fair way to price it is to know your specific door. Our cost guide lays out honest DFW ranges so you know what to expect walking in, and a free estimate gives you the exact figure — no pressure, no upsell, and a straight answer on whether one or both springs need doing.
Key takeaways
- Spring type (torsion vs. extension), door size and weight, and one-vs-pair drive the cost.
- Springs wear as a matched pair, so replacing both at once is usually the smarter value.
- Springs last about 7 to 12 years (~10,000 cycles) — a broken one is normal wear.
- Spring replacement is far cheaper than a new door; it is the clear fix unless the door is also failing.
- See DFW ranges on the cost guide, then a free estimate gives your exact number.