Counterbalance and spring failure
A broken garage door spring is the fault most likely to leave a door unusable, and it is the one repair that should never be attempted without the right tools and training.
This page explains how a counterbalance works, how a failure usually presents, why springs are replaced in pairs more often than people expect, and what to describe when you call.
The problem
Most people describe the same sequence. There was a bang, often loud enough to be heard inside the house and often when nobody was operating the door. Afterwards the door either refused to move at all, or the opener ran, strained and reversed. Lifting the door by hand felt impossible or dangerously heavy.
That sequence is characteristic because a garage door spring does not fail gradually in a way you notice. It stores a large amount of energy across thousands of cycles, and when the steel finally fatigues it releases that energy at once. The gap you can sometimes see in a coiled torsion spring above the door is the physical evidence.
The important consequence is that the door is now unbalanced. Everything that made the door feel manageable — the opener, the manual release, lifting it by hand — was relying on the spring doing most of the work.
How it works
Understanding the parts makes the failure easier to describe accurately, which is the only part of this job a homeowner should be doing.
Fault groups
Replacing the spring is the obvious part. The reason a spring job is not simply a parts swap is what sits around it.
What you notice: Two springs of the same age and cycle count; one has failed.
Replacing both is commonly recommended so the door stays balanced and the second failure does not follow shortly after.
What you notice: Repeated early failures; a door that has always felt heavy or fast.
A spring that does not match the door weight shortens its own life and stresses everything else.
What you notice: Frayed cable strands, a cable that has jumped a groove, uneven drum settings.
A failing spring often takes the cables with it, and worn cables will fail soon after a new spring is fitted.
What you notice: A squeal at the ends of the shaft, visible wear at the bearing plates.
Worn centre or end bearings add drag and make a new spring work harder than it should.
What you notice: The opener straining before the failure; force limits previously turned up.
An opener wound up to compensate for a tiring spring masks the underlying problem and can defeat the safety reversal.
Safety boundary
A garage door spring holds enough energy to cause serious injury. This is the clearest example on the site of a job where the correct action is to stop and call.
If someone is injured, or there is a fire or electrical emergency, call 000 first.
Symptom check
Observed behaviour only. A provider confirms the cause in person.
| What the door does | What you hear | What you can see | Safe next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stop using the door Door will not lift at all | A loud bang earlier, now nothing | A clear gap in the coiled spring above the door | Leave it closed and describe the gap when you call. |
| Stop using the door Opener runs, strains, then reverses | Motor labouring, sometimes a clunk | Door lifts a few centimetres then drops back | Stop using the opener; repeated attempts can damage it. |
| Stop using the door Door extremely heavy by hand | Nothing unusual | Door drops quickly if released at waist height | This is a balance fault. Keep hands and feet clear and call. |
| Stop using the door Door lifts unevenly, one side leading | A knock or scrape on one side | Cable slack on one drum | Stop using it — a cable or drum problem, often alongside spring wear. See cable and drum repairs. |
| Plan a look Door works but feels heavier than it used to | A creak on the way up | Nothing obvious | Worth a balance check before it becomes a failure. See servicing and maintenance. |
What is involved
The exact scope is the attending provider's call. This is the usual shape of the work.
Cost factors
Spring work is priced by the provider. These are the factors that move it, and they are worth asking about directly.
No price is published here. A figure invented before a provider has seen the door would not help you compare quotes, and this site does not quote.
Where a door runs two springs of equal age, replacing both is frequently recommended so the door stays balanced and the second spring does not fail soon after. Ask the provider to explain the recommendation for your door.
Wire size, diameter, length and cycle rating all vary. A higher-cycle spring costs more and is intended to last longer on a frequently used door.
A wide double door with heavy panels needs a larger counterbalance and more careful setting than a light single door.
These are inspected while the shaft is accessible. Replacing a worn cable at the same time is cheaper than a second visit later.
The two systems are set up differently. Extension-spring doors also need their containment cables checked, which is a safety item rather than an upsell.
A door stuck part-way, a garage packed with stored contents, or restricted overhead clearance all add time.
Ask what the price includes, whether both springs are being replaced, what the cycle rating is, and what happens if a cable is found to be worn once the work starts.
Decision guide
A broken spring is almost always repairable. The replace conversation comes up when the spring failure is a symptom of a door that is at the end of its service life.
| Factor | Points towards repair | Points towards replacement |
|---|---|---|
| What failed | The spring itself, with the panels, tracks and hardware sound. | The spring failed alongside cracked panels, rusted brackets or a distorted frame. |
| Failure history | First failure, or the first in many years of normal use. | Repeated failures over a short period, especially if the spring keeps being undersized for the door. |
| Door condition | Panels straight, hinges intact, surface finish sound. | Delamination, corrosion through the section, or previous impact repairs stacking up. |
| Corrosion | Surface marking on hardware that can be replaced individually. | Structural corrosion in the panels or the bottom section, common in long-term coastal exposure. |
| Part availability | Standard spring, cable and drum sizes readily available. | Obsolete profile or discontinued panel that cannot be matched if anything else fails. |
In most cases a broken spring on an otherwise sound door is a repair. Replacement enters the conversation when several of the right-hand column apply at once — and that judgement needs someone standing in front of the door.
Suitability
Counterbalance failures show up differently depending on the door in front of you.
Call preparation
Two minutes of observation from a safe distance makes the call much more useful.
Everything on this list can be observed from the ground or from memory. Do not go near a spring, a cable or a bottom bracket to answer any of it.
Questions
Because both springs have usually done the same number of cycles and are the same age. Replacing one leaves an old spring paired with a new one, which unbalances the door and often results in a second failure not long after. Ask the provider to explain the recommendation for your specific door rather than treating it as automatic.
Springs are rated in cycles rather than years, so the answer depends on how often the door is used. A door opened several times a day accumulates cycles quickly. There is no reliable single figure, and any site quoting one without knowing your door and usage is guessing.
This site does not provide instructions for it. Spring replacement involves releasing and setting stored energy with specific tools, and the consequences of getting it wrong are severe. It is the clearest case for calling someone equipped for the job.
Not necessarily. Some openers will drag a poorly balanced door, especially if force settings have been increased. A door that feels heavy by hand, or that will not stay put at waist height when disconnected, has a balance problem regardless of whether the motor can move it.
Component wear is generally treated differently from accidental damage, and policies vary. If you think a claim may be relevant, photograph the door before anything is moved and raise it with your insurer directly.
Next step
Describe the noise, the door type and whether you can see a gap in the spring. That is enough for a useful first conversation.