If your garage door will not budge and there is a loud bang echoing from the garage, a broken spring is the likely culprit. Before you look up a tutorial, read this: for torsion springs, the answer from every trade pro and manufacturer is the same. Do not do it yourself.
A torsion spring stores enough tension to lift a 150-plus-pound door. That same tension can break bones when it lets go near your hands. This guide explains what each spring type does, why they snap in January, what replacement costs, and the safe move to make instead.
Can I replace a garage door spring myself?
No, not a torsion spring. It holds hundreds of pounds of stored tension, and one slip of a winding bar can cause serious injury. Winding bars and real training are required to handle it safely, and a heavy door with no spring tension becomes dead weight that can slam down without warning. Extension springs are less dangerous but still under serious load. This is the one garage door job to hand to a pro.
We say this as people who do the work: saving $200 is not worth a trip to the emergency room. If the spring is already broken, the safest thing you can do is keep clear of the door and call for spring replacement service.
Torsion vs extension springs: what is the difference?
Most Brentwood homes have one of two spring systems. A torsion spring is the thick coil mounted on a steel shaft above the door opening. A technician winds it tight with winding bars, and as the door moves, the spring unwinds through the cable drum to lift the door with torque. It does the heavy lifting for the whole door.
Extension springs are the long coils running along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door. They stretch and contract as the door moves. They are simpler, but they still store serious force, and when one fails the door can drop unevenly and jam.
Quick check: look above the closed door. A coil on a shaft means torsion. Coils along the tracks mean extension. Either way, do not touch a broken spring’s sharp ends or try to force the door past it.
Why do springs break in January?
Cold is the number-one spring killer. Steel contracts as temperatures drop and grows brittle, so a spring near the end of its roughly 10,000-cycle life often snaps during the first hard January freeze. The classic sign is a bang like a firecracker, followed by a door that only lifts a few inches or refuses to move at all.
January is the busiest month for spring calls in Middle Tennessee. If your door is getting older and winter is coming, that bang at 6 a.m. is the sound most of us are trying to avoid.
Should both springs be replaced at the same time?
For extension springs, yes, always as a pair. The two springs have lived identical lives with identical cycles, so when one lets go, the second is living on borrowed time. Replacing both in one visit costs less than two separate emergency calls.
The same logic applies to a two-spring torsion setup: the surviving spring has the same wear as the one that snapped. One visit, both springs, done. Your tech can confirm which setup you have from the written quote.
How much does spring replacement cost?
A spring itself costs $35 to $150 in the general market, but that is only the part. Installed quotes that homeowners report online run $350 to $2,200 depending on the spring type and who does the work. In Brentwood, most of our jobs, springs included, fall in the $129–$399 range, quoted in writing before work starts.
When you compare numbers, compare installed totals with the part named, not part prices against installed quotes. That is where the sticker shock usually comes from. If your opener has been straining against a dying spring, mention it too, since the force adjustment and travel limits may need a reset after the new spring goes in. Chamberlain’s support library has useful background on how openers and springs work together.
What to expect when you book
Do not try to lift a door with a broken spring by hand. Without spring tension it is dead weight, and it can slam shut. Pulling the emergency release while the door is stuck halfway is just as risky.
Instead, call Brentwood Garage Door Rescue at (615) 637-1416, whether you are in Grassland or anywhere else in Brentwood. Describe the bang and what the door is doing now. On site, the tech confirms the spring type, names the part, and gives you a written quote before work starts. Most jobs land between $129 and $399, and the price does not change mid-visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I replace a torsion spring myself? No. Torsion springs store hundreds of pounds of tension. It takes winding bars and trained hands to handle them, and a slip can cause serious injury. A door with no spring tension is dead weight that can slam down, so keep clear of it and call a professional.
How do I know my garage door spring is broken? The classic signs are a loud bang from the garage, a visible gap in the coil above the door, a door that opens only a few inches or not at all, and an opener that strains or reverses. If you see a gap in the spring, stop using the door.
Should I replace both springs at once? Extension springs should always be replaced as a pair since they have lived identical lives. On a two-spring torsion setup, replacing both makes the same sense, because the surviving spring is just as worn.
Why did my spring snap in the middle of winter? Cold contracts steel and makes it brittle, so a spring near the end of its roughly 10,000-cycle life often lets go during the first hard January freeze. January is the busiest month for spring calls.
How much does spring replacement cost in Brentwood? Most of our jobs land between $129 and $399, and you get the exact price in writing before work starts. For context, a spring part alone runs $35 to $150 in the general market, while installed quotes homeowners report online range from $350 to $2,200.