Why Garage Door Springs Break in Winter (and Why Replacing Them Now Pays Off)
By Manny Cardenales, OwnerPublished 6 min read
If you've ever heard a loud bang from the garage on a cold morning, there's a good chance it was a spring. Here's why it happens, how to tell when your springs are close to failing, and why replacing them before the weather turns is the smarter move.
How Garage Door Springs Work
Your garage door is heavy. A standard two-car steel door often weighs 100 to 200 pounds, and wood doors can weigh much more. Springs counterbalance that weight so the door feels light enough for you, or your opener, to lift.
Most homes around Metro Atlanta have one of two spring systems:
- Torsion springs mount on a steel shaft, often called a torsion tube, above the door opening. They twist to store energy as the door closes. Most two-car doors use two torsion springs.
- Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door and stretch as it closes. They're common on older and builder-grade installations, and many homeowners eventually convert to a torsion system.
Every time your door opens and closes, that's one cycle. Each cycle flexes the steel a little more until it eventually fatigues and breaks.
Why Do Garage Door Springs Break in Winter?
Winter doesn't wear springs out. Use does. But cold weather is often the final push for a spring that's already near the end of its life. Here's why.
1. Cold steel is less forgiving
Garage door springs are made from tempered high-carbon steel wire. In freezing temperatures the metal contracts and loses some flexibility, so a spring with years of wear is more likely to crack at a weak point. Atlanta winter mornings regularly dip into the 30s, and freezing nights aren't unusual.
2. Daily temperature swings add stress
A morning in the 20s or 30s followed by an afternoon in the 50s or 60s means your springs expand and contract day after day, on top of the normal wear from opening and closing.
3. Cold grease makes the door harder to move
Lubricant stiffens in the cold, so hinges, rollers and bearings drag. Your springs and opener have to work harder to move the door, and that extra strain lands on any spring that's already weak.
4. Moisture leads to rust
Georgia humidity and winter rain can leave springs rusty. Rust adds friction between the coils and pits the steel, which shortens spring life. A light coat of garage door lubricant a couple of times a year helps. Use a silicone- or lithium-based product, not a degreaser.
5. The holidays add extra cycles
Holiday shopping, visiting family and kids home from school mean more trips in and out of the garage. More cycles on a worn spring means a faster failure.
How Long Do Garage Door Springs Last?
Most standard garage door springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. Here's what that looks like in real life:
| Daily use (one open + close = 1 cycle) | Approximate life of a 10,000-cycle spring |
|---|---|
| 2 cycles a day | About 14 years |
| 4 cycles a day | About 7 years |
| 6 cycles a day | About 4½ years |
| 8 cycles a day | About 3½ years |
If your family uses the garage as the main way in and out of the house, your springs may wear out sooner than you'd expect. Higher-cycle springs, rated for 20,000 cycles or more, cost more up front but last longer. Ask your technician whether they make sense for your household.
Warning Signs Your Garage Door Springs Are About to Fail
- A loud bang from the garage, often the sound of a torsion spring snapping
- A visible gap of a few inches in a torsion spring above the door
- The door feels very heavy, or the opener strains and stops after lifting a few inches
- The door rises unevenly or looks crooked
- Loose, sagging or frayed lift cables
- Squeaking, grinding or jerky movement
- Rust, or coils that look stretched or uneven
A safe way to check your door's balance
With the door fully closed, pull the opener's emergency release cord (usually a red handle). Lift the door by hand to about waist height and let go. A well-balanced door stays in place or moves only slightly. If it drops or shoots up, the springs need adjustment or replacement. Lower the door and reconnect the opener when you're done. If the door feels extremely heavy or a spring is visibly broken, stop and call a professional.
Why You Should Replace Both Springs at the Same Time
On a two-spring door, both springs were installed at the same time and have lifted the same door the same number of times. When one breaks, the other has the same wear and usually isn't far behind. Replacing both:
- Keeps the door balanced so it travels smoothly and evenly
- Reduces strain on an aging garage door opener
- Saves you a second service call a few weeks or months later
That's why we recommend replacing springs as a pair. See our current promotions for spring replacement specials.
Why You Shouldn't Replace Garage Door Springs Yourself
Torsion springs are wound under extreme tension. Without the right winding bars, training and springs sized to your door's exact weight, a spring or tool can release suddenly and cause serious injury. Extension springs carry similar risks, especially without safety cables running through them. Spring work is one job that should always be left to a trained technician.
Don't run your opener with a broken spring, either. The opener isn't built to lift the door's full weight, and forcing it can strip its gears or burn out the motor.
What to Do If a Spring Breaks on a Cold Morning
- Stop pressing the opener button, and don't try to force the door open.
- Keep kids and pets away from the door.
- If the door is stuck open, don't try to close it by hand. Leave it where it is.
- Call a garage door professional and ask about replacing both springs if your door has two.
- Ask the technician to check the cables, the opener and any worn garage door rollers while they're there.
Garage Door Spring Replacement in Metro Atlanta
Top Dog Garage Doors is a veteran-owned garage door company serving homeowners in Marietta, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee and Decatur. Whether you're backing out for an early commute in Dunwoody or Marietta, or your garage in Decatur or Brookhaven is how your family comes and goes every day, working springs are what get your morning started on time.
We replace garage door springs sized to your door's weight, balance the door and run a full safety check before we leave. Don't wait for the bang: call 404-594-5444 or book service online before the next cold snap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cold temperatures make spring steel contract and lose some flexibility, and they thicken the grease on hinges, rollers and bearings, so the door is harder to lift. Those added stresses push already-worn springs past their limit, which is why so many springs snap on the first cold mornings of the year.
It depends on the type and size of the springs your door needs, whether one or two springs are being replaced, and whether other parts like cables or rollers are worn. Check our Promotions page for current spring replacement specials, or call 404-594-5444 for a quote.
Yes, if your door has two springs. Both have the same number of cycles, so the second spring is usually close to failing. Replacing both keeps the door balanced and saves a second service call.
Common signs include a loud bang from the garage, a visible gap in the torsion spring above the door, a door that feels extremely heavy, or an opener that lifts the door a few inches and then stops.
No. Openers aren't built to lift a door's full weight. Running one with a broken spring can strip its gears, damage the motor or bend the door. Leave the door alone and call for repair.
A typical residential spring replacement takes about an hour, though it can take longer if cables, rollers or other parts also need attention.
Top Dog Garage Doors, a veteran-owned company, replaces garage door springs for homeowners in Marietta, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Chamblee and Decatur.