2026-03-22 7 min read
If you've ever hit the button on your garage door opener and heard a loud bang. like something snapped. there's a good chance you just lost a spring. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Alvarado and across Johnson County, and it almost always happens at the worst possible time: before work, during a thunderstorm, or when your car is already inside.
The frustrating truth is that most spring failures give you plenty of warning first. You just need to know what to look for. And if you live in this part of North Texas, you should pay extra attention. because our climate accelerates wear in ways that homeowners from milder regions never have to deal with.
Alvarado sits in a part of Texas where summer temperatures routinely climb to 95°F or higher in August, then cold fronts can push nights into the 30s without much notice during winter. That kind of temperature swing. heat expanding metal and cold contracting it. creates real stress inside a torsion spring over time. The repeated expansion and contraction causes microscopic stress fractures in the steel that compound with every cycle your door makes.
Add to that the region's significant rainfall and humidity throughout spring and fall, and you've got a recipe for accelerated corrosion. Moisture works its way into the coils, promotes surface rust, and that rust creates friction between the coils that weakens the spring from the inside out. Homeowners in places like Mansfield and Burleson deal with the same problem. it's a regional issue, not just bad luck.
Garage door torsion springs do the heavy lifting. they counterbalance the weight of the door so your opener motor doesn't have to. A standard single-car garage door can weigh 150 to 200 pounds. When springs start losing tension, that weight doesn't disappear. it shifts to the opener. If your door feels like it's dragging or your opener sounds strained, that's a spring problem, not an opener problem. Don't let it go. running a weakened opener against a heavy door burns out the motor fast.
Most garage doors use two springs (one on each side of the torsion bar above the door). When one spring weakens or breaks before the other, the door lifts unevenly. one corner rises faster than the other, or the door visibly tilts when it opens. This also puts stress on the cables and tracks. If you're seeing this, it's time to call a professional before the cable frays or the track bends.
Take a look at the springs above your door. They should look like tight, evenly spaced coils of metal. no gaps, no discoloration. If you see rust-colored streaking, coils that look stretched or separated, or a visible gap in the spring (that's a broken spring), your door is operating on borrowed time. A little surface rust that wipes off is manageable with lubrication. Deep corrosion that's pitting the metal means replacement is overdue.
When a torsion spring snaps under full tension, it releases that stored energy instantly. The sound is hard to miss. many homeowners describe it as a gunshot or a heavy book hitting the floor from a height. If you hear this from your garage, do not try to open the door. It will be extremely heavy without the spring counterbalancing it, and forcing the opener to lift a dead-weight door can destroy the motor in seconds.
Some noise is normal, and a shot of silicone-based lubricant on the springs every few months should keep things quiet. But if your springs are making noise that persists even after lubrication. or if the sound is more of a grinding than a squeak. the coils may be binding or corroding in a way that lubrication alone can't fix. This is especially common in older homes where the springs haven't been replaced in a decade or more. Check our guide on common opener troubleshooting to help you rule out whether the sound is spring-related or coming from your opener mechanism.
This is one of the most common questions we hear, and the honest answer is: replace both. If your garage door uses two springs and one breaks, the other is likely near the same wear point. they've been working the same number of cycles under the same conditions. Replacing both at the same time saves you a second service call within weeks and keeps the door balanced. It also keeps the cables from taking uneven loads that can cause fraying.
We'll be straight with you: garage door spring replacement is not a project for YouTube tutorials and a socket set. Springs are wound under extreme tension. enough to cause serious injury if released improperly. The tools required (specifically calibrated winding bars) are not something most homeowners have on hand, and the margin for error is close to zero. This is one of those jobs where calling a professional isn't just convenient. it's genuinely the safer choice.
If you've noticed any of the warning signs above, schedule an inspection with our team before the spring fails completely. Catching it early almost always means a simpler, less expensive repair. and your car stays accessible.
How long do garage door springs last in the Alvarado area? Most standard torsion springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles. In North Texas's climate. with extreme summer heat and humidity accelerating metal fatigue. springs often wear out closer to the lower end of that range, sometimes in 7 to 9 years with average daily use. High-cycle spring upgrades can extend that lifespan significantly.
What's the difference between torsion springs and extension springs? Torsion springs are mounted on a metal shaft directly above the door and wind/unwind as the door moves. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on either side of the door and stretch as the door opens. Torsion systems are more common in newer homes and generally offer better balance and a longer service life. If your home was built before the mid-1990s, you may still have extension springs.
Can I still use my garage door if one spring is broken? Technically the door may move, but you shouldn't. With one spring broken, the door is severely unbalanced and places enormous strain on the opener motor, cables, and the remaining spring. Continued use risks burning out the opener and causing the cable to fray or snap. turning a simple spring repair into a much larger job. Disconnect the opener, leave the door in place, and call for service.