That sudden, loud CRACK/followed by a heavy, unmoving garage door, is an unwelcome sound for any homeowner. It means one thing: you have a broken garage door spring. These mighty components are the unsung heroes of your garage door system, bearing the massive weight of your double door and making it feel light enough to lift.

But once one spring is broken, your garage door is out of commission-and potentially unsafe. Here's what you need to know about this common repair and the critical reason you should always replace both springs on a double-car garage door.

Why Your Garage Door Needs Those Springs

Double-car garage doors are heavy, often weighing hundreds of pounds. The springs-either torsion springs located on a metal rod above the door, or extension springs running along the horizontal tracks-are what counteract that weight. They are wound or stretched to incredible tension, essentially "powering" the lift and allowing the door opener to do a minimal amount of work.

When a spring breaks, the system loses its primary support. Your automatic opener simply isn't designed to lift the door's full weight, which is why your door won't open, or if you can manage to manually lift it, it will feel extremely heavy and uncontrollable.

The Critical Rule: Always

Replace Both Springs On a double-car garage door, you almost always have two   springs. When one breaks, the instinct might be to just replace the broken one to save money. This is a mistake and a practice strongly discouraged by professionals. Here's why replacing both springs simultaneously is essential:

1. They Have the Same Lifespan

Garage door springs are rated for a certain number of cycles (an open and close counts as one cycle), typically around 10,000. If one spring has reached its limit and snapped, its partner spring has endured the exact same number of cycles and stress. The second spring is almost certainly near the end of its life and likely to break soon-often within weeks or months.

The Cost-Effective Choice: Replacing both at once means you pay for one service visit and one labor charge, saving you money and the inconvenience of a second emergency repair shortly down the road.

2.  Balance and Even Operation

The main function of the springs is to keep the door perfectly balanced and ensure both sides rise and fall at the same speed.

•    A brand-new spring will have its full, rated tension.

•   The old, un-broken spring will be fatigued, weakened, and have less tension.

If you pair a new, strong spring with an old, weak one, the system becomes unbalanced. This imbalance leads to:

•   Uneven Lift: The door will rise and lower unevenly, sometimes faster on one side than the other.

Warping and Wear: This uneven force puts excess strain on the new spring, the garage door opener (which has to work harder to compensate), and other hardware like the cables, tracks, and rollers. This accelerates wear and tear on your entire system.

3. Safety and Reliability

A door operating with one new and one old, worn-out spring is unpredictable. It can:

•   Operate with a jerky motion.

•   Close too quickly or suddenly, creating a serious safety hazard for people and objects.

•   Lead to cable and track misalignment, which can cause the door to come off the tracks entirely. Replacing both springs ensures a perfectly matched set with symmetrical tension, restoring the door to its proper, safe, and smooth operation.

DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AS A DIY PROJECT

While replacing a broken garage door spring might seem like a straightforward home repair, it is one of the most dangerous DIY tasks a homeowner can undertake.

Warning: Garage door springs are under extreme, potentially lethal tension. This stored energy can be violently released if handled improperly. There is a high risk of severe injury from the spring or specialized winding bars.

If your spring is broken, your safest and best option is to call a professional garage door repair service immediately.

What to Expect from a Professional Repair

When a technician arrives, they will:

•  Inspect and Confirm: Verify the spring is broken (a visible gap in the coils for torsion springs).

•  Measure and Match: Accurately measure your old springs (wire size, length, and inside diameter) to ensure the new springs are the correct  size and rating for the specific weight  of your door. Springs are not one-size-fits­ all.

•  Replace Both Springs: Safely release the minimal remaining tension on the old, un-broken spring and remove both from the torsion bar.

•  Install and Wind: Install the two new springs and wind them to the correct, matching tension using professional­ grade winding bars.

•  Test and Balance: Disconnect the opener and manually test the door. A properly balanced door should stay perfectly still when stopped at any point on the track. They will then make any necessary micro-adjustments to the tension.

A broken spring is an inconvenience, but with a professional repair and the wise decision to replace both springs, you can ensure your double door is operating safely and smoothly for another 10,000 cycles.

Don't risk your safety-or your skull!

Garage door spring replacement is not a DIY job. If your spring is broken, call the certified professionals at Horizon Garage Door Service today for safe, fast, and balanced spring replacement.

Schedule Your Spring Repair! Call: 763-461-2160

Online:Horizongaragedoorservice.com