You heard a loud bang from the garage. Sounded like a gunshot. You went to check and the door will not open — or it opened about six inches and stopped. Look up at the horizontal bar above the door. If you see a gap in the metal coil, your torsion spring just broke.
This is the most common emergency call we get. Broken springs account for about 40% of all our repair work across Bend, Redmond, and Sisters. Here is exactly what to do, what not to do, and what happens when we come out to fix it.
What to Do Right Now
- Do not try to open the door with the opener. The opener cannot safely lift a door without spring counterbalance. It will strain, strip its gears, or the door could come crashing down. The opener force limiter may stop it after a few inches — that is a safety feature working correctly.
- Do not try to lift the door manually. Without springs, you are lifting the full weight of the door — 130 to 400 pounds depending on size and material. This is how people get hurt.
- If the door is stuck open, do not try to close it. Without spring tension controlling the descent, the door can slam down with its full weight.
- Secure the garage. If the door is stuck partially open, use the interior door to your house. If the door is stuck up and you have security concerns, call us for priority service.
- Call us at 541-203-7676. We carry springs on every truck and can usually be there same-day (Mon-Fri, call by 2 PM).
What Spring Repair Involves
Here is what we do when we arrive — step by step:
1. Secure the Door
We clamp the door in place so it cannot move while we work on the springs. Safety first.
2. Release the Old Spring Tension
If one spring broke and the other is still wound, we carefully release the remaining tension using calibrated winding bars. This is the most dangerous part of the job — the reason you should never DIY this. One slip with a winding bar and 200+ pounds of rotational force releases instantly.
3. Remove the Old Springs
We remove both springs — even if only one broke. Both springs were installed at the same time, have the same number of cycles, and are made from the same batch of steel. If one failed, the other is right behind it. Replacing just one spring means we will be back in weeks or months for the second one — two service calls instead of one, more total cost, more disruption.
4. Install New Springs
We install new springs sized for your specific door weight. We do not guess — we calculate the spring size based on door height, weight, and track radius. Wrong-sized springs cause premature failure, unbalanced operation, and strain on the opener.
We use high-cycle springs rated for 20,000+ cycles as standard (most companies install 10,000-cycle). In Central Oregon where temperature cycling accelerates fatigue, high-cycle springs are worth the investment — they typically last twice as long.
5. Wind and Set Tension
We wind the springs to the precise tension calculated for your door. Too little tension and the door is heavy. Too much and the door flies up and will not stay down. The math matters — quarter turns on the winding cone translate to specific pounds of lift force.
6. Test and Balance
We disconnect the opener and test the door manually. A properly balanced door stays at any height you place it — waist height, quarter open, three-quarters open. If it drops or flies up, we adjust. We cycle the door 10+ times to verify smooth operation.
7. Reconnect and Verify
We reconnect the opener, adjust the force settings if needed, test the auto-reverse, and verify the safety sensors. We run the door through multiple complete cycles with the opener to confirm everything works together.
Total time: 45-90 minutes for a standard residential door.
Torsion vs Extension Springs
Torsion springs mount horizontally above the door on a metal shaft. They are the most common type in Central Oregon and the type we install on all new work. They are safer (contained on the shaft), quieter, and last longer than extension springs.
Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door. They stretch and contract rather than twist. Older Bend homes (pre-2000) often have extension springs. They work fine but require safety cables running through them — if an extension spring breaks without a safety cable, the spring becomes a projectile.
If your home has extension springs without safety cables, we strongly recommend adding them. Or better yet, converting to a torsion system during your next spring replacement.
How Long Do Springs Last in Central Oregon?
Standard 10,000-cycle springs: 5-7 years in our climate (7-10 at sea level). The temperature swings from -20 to 100+ degrees cause thermal cycling that fatigues the spring wire faster.
High-cycle 20,000+ springs (what we install): 12-15 years in our climate. Worth every penny of the additional cost — you will likely not replace them again.
Read our full guide: How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?
Call Us
Spring repair is our most common job and we are good at it. We carry springs on every truck, so there is no waiting for parts. Same-day service Mon-Fri when you call by 2 PM.
541-203-7676 — Tyler and the Brokentop crew. Serving Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver, La Pine & all of Central Oregon.