2026-04-17 7 min read
If you've ever gone out to your garage in the morning, pressed the opener button, and heard nothing but a strained motor grinding away. there's a good chance a spring has broken. It's one of the most common service calls we see across Larkspur and the surrounding Marin County area, and it's also one of the most misunderstood repairs a homeowner can face.
Spring failures don't discriminate by neighborhood. Whether you're in a midcentury modern home along Corte Madera Creek in Creekside, a Craftsman cottage near Downtown Larkspur, or one of the hillside ranches in Greenbrae, your garage door springs are working hard every single day. and eventually, every spring reaches the end of its road.
Your garage door. depending on the material and whether it's insulated. can weigh anywhere from 150 to 300 pounds. Springs exist to counterbalance that weight, making it possible for your opener motor (and your own arms, in a manual lift) to move the door with minimal effort.
There are two types of springs you'll find on residential garage doors:
- Torsion springs mount horizontally above the door opening. They twist and unwind to generate lifting force. Most modern doors in Larkspur use these. - Extension springs run along the sides of the door tracks, stretching and contracting as the door moves. They're more common on older or lighter doors.
If you want a deeper dive into how each spring type works and what maintenance you can do to extend their life, our guide on garage door spring maintenance covers all of that in detail.
Springs are rated in cycles. one cycle equals one complete open-and-close. Most standard springs are rated for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. If your household uses the garage door four or five times a day (which is common in Larkspur households where the garage is the primary entry point), that works out to roughly 7 to 14 years of regular use before replacement becomes necessary.
Torsion springs tend to outlast extension springs. Torsion springs typically last 15,000,20,000 cycles, while extension springs wear out faster, averaging around 10,000 cycles or less. In practical terms, if your Larkspur home's door uses extension springs and sees heavy daily use, you may be looking at replacement sooner than you'd expect.
Larkspur's Mediterranean climate is gentler on garage hardware than, say, the East Bay hills or inland Marin, where temperature swings are more dramatic. That said, the coastal fog and winter humidity. Larkspur averages over 42 inches of rain per year, with the wettest stretch running from November through March. can encourage rust on spring coils over time. Rust increases friction and reduces flexibility, which causes springs to fail sooner than their cycle rating suggests.
Springs rarely fail without warning. Here's what to watch for:
1. A loud bang from the garage. A broken torsion spring can make a sharp snapping sound. loud enough that homeowners sometimes think something fell or someone broke in. If you hear this, don't try to operate the door.
2. The door won't open, or opens only a few inches. When a spring breaks, the opener is suddenly trying to lift the full weight of the door without counterbalance assistance. Most safety systems will prevent the opener from completing the cycle.
3. The door feels extremely heavy when lifted manually. Disconnect your opener and try to lift the door by hand. A properly balanced door should stay up on its own when lifted halfway. If it crashes down or feels like you're lifting a car, the springs have lost tension.
4. Uneven movement or a crooked door. If one extension spring fails while the other is still working, the door will tilt to one side as it opens. This is visually obvious and also puts serious strain on your cables and tracks.
5. A visible gap in the spring coil. On a torsion spring, a break creates a clear gap. usually an inch or two. in the coil above your door. If you can see daylight through what should be a continuous coil, that spring is done.
For a broader checklist of things that signal your door needs professional attention, see our post on warning signs your garage door needs repair.
Pricing varies depending on the type of spring, the size of your door, and whether you need one or both replaced. Here's a general range based on current 2025,2026 pricing:
- Torsion springs: $150,$350 per spring, including parts and labor - Extension springs: $100,$200 per spring - Two-spring systems: $200,$400 for both springs replaced together
Professionals almost always recommend replacing both springs at the same time, even if only one has broken. The logic is simple: if one spring has hit the end of its service life, the other one. which has been working under the same conditions for the same amount of time. isn't far behind. Replacing them together saves you a second service call a few months down the road.
In the Bay Area, labor rates run toward the higher end of national averages, so budgeting toward the top of these ranges is wise. If you're considering an upgrade, high-cycle springs rated for 25,000+ cycles cost more upfront but significantly extend the time between future replacements. worth considering if you use your garage door frequently.
We'll be direct about this: garage door spring replacement is genuinely dangerous for anyone without professional tools and training. Torsion springs are wound under extreme tension. If one snaps during handling, it can cause deep lacerations, broken bones, or worse. This isn't cautionary boilerplate. it's the reason professional technicians use specialized winding bars and keep their faces clear of the spring axis during the entire process.
Extension springs carry their own risk: without proper safety cables installed on the tracks, a snapped extension spring can become a projectile inside your garage.
If your spring has broken, don't attempt to operate the door with the automatic opener. The motor is designed to move a counterbalanced door. not to deadlift the full weight. Forcing it can damage the opener, strip the gears, or cause the door to slam.
If you're replacing springs on an older door that currently uses extension springs, it's worth asking your technician about upgrading to a torsion system. Torsion springs offer smoother, quieter operation and are less likely to cause injury when they fail, since they remain contained on the shaft rather than flying loose. They also pair better with modern smart openers. something more and more Larkspur homeowners are upgrading to.
The upfront cost is higher, but the longer lifespan and improved safety often make torsion the better long-term investment for most Larkspur households.
Garage Door Company Larkspur carries both spring types and can assess which system is right for your specific door during a service visit. You can view our full services or reach out to schedule an appointment.
Q: Can I still use my garage door if a spring is broken? A: You shouldn't. Operating the door with a broken spring puts excessive strain on your opener motor and can cause additional damage. More importantly, the door can slam shut unexpectedly, creating a serious safety hazard. Treat a broken spring as urgent and call a professional.
Q: Should I replace one spring or both? A: Professionals recommend replacing both at the same time. Since both springs experience the same wear and tear over the same period, if one has failed, the other is likely close behind. Replacing them together saves on a second service call and keeps the door balanced.
Q: How can I make my new springs last longer? A: Lubricate the springs with a garage door-specific lubricant every few months to reduce friction and slow rust formation. important in Larkspur given our wetter winters. Also schedule an annual tune-up to check balance and tension before small issues accelerate wear.