These are the broken garage door spring signs we ask about on calls in Spokane Valley, WA. You do not need all of them. One clear sign is enough to stop using the door.
A single loud bang
Springs let go all at once. People describe a gunshot in the garage, often the first time the door moves on a cold morning. The door may be open, closed, or stuck partway. Leave it there.
A gap in the coil
Look at the shaft above the door, from the ground, without climbing. A torsion spring that snapped shows a visible gap in the coil. The part in the photo is a residential torsion spring, the piece that does the lifting. An extension spring along the track will have a separated end or a stretch of loose coils. Do not reach up to tug either one.
The door is suddenly heavy
If the door used to move and now feels like a solid slab, the spring is not carrying the weight. That can be one spring of a pair, or both. Do not "help" the opener by holding the button.
The opener hums and nothing rises
The motor is trying. The spring is not helping. Continuing will burn the motor or throw a cable. Opener details are on opener repair, but start with the spring if you heard a bang.
The door is crooked
One side hanging lower means a spring, a cable, or both. That is also how doors leave the track. See cable repair and off-track doors. Do not pull the red release.
What a spring sign is not
A remote that died while the door still lifts by hand is not a spring. A door glued to the slab by ice, with no bang and no gap in the coil, is a freeze. A squeak with normal balance can wait. The repair page is broken spring repair in Spokane Valley, WA. Call 509-414-6152 for a free estimate. We quote before work starts. No prices online.
FAQ
The spring has a gap but the door is still down. Can I leave it?
Yes. Down and closed is the safest place to wait, as long as people stay out from under it. Do not test it with the opener.
Both springs look intact but the door is heavy. What else is it?
A spring can lose tension without a dramatic gap, or a cable can be off the drum. Either way it is not a homeowner adjustment. Call and describe what you see.
What happens when you call
- Call 509-414-6152. Tell us your city or neighborhood.
- Describe what the door is doing. Up, down, or stuck partway. A bang, a loose cable, a dead remote, or a door frozen to the slab. If a car is stuck inside or the house is open, say so.
- Get a free estimate and a time. We tell you what it sounds like, how the job is quoted, and the soonest a technician can come. If that is not today, we say so.
Call for a free estimate
Tap to call and tell us what the door is doing. The repair is quoted before any work starts.