2026-04-12 7 min read
If you've ever heard a loud bang from your garage and walked out to find the door stuck shut, there's a good chance a spring just let go. It happens fast. one moment everything's fine, and the next your car is trapped inside. In Salem, NH, where winters regularly push temperatures below 20°F and snowfall averages 55 to 65 inches per season, garage door springs take a serious beating. The constant freeze-thaw cycles, temperature swings, and humidity stress metal components in ways that warmer climates simply don't. Understanding what your springs are doing. and when they're about to fail. can save you a lot of headache.
Your garage door weighs anywhere from 130 to over 300 pounds depending on whether it's a single steel panel or a large insulated double door. The springs are what make that weight manageable. they store and release tension to counterbalance the door as it moves up and down. Without functioning springs, the opener motor is essentially trying to lift the full weight of the door on its own, which it isn't designed to do.
There are two main spring types:
- Torsion springs. mounted horizontally above the door opening, wound around a metal rod. These are the most common on modern Salem homes and are generally considered safer and longer-lasting. - Extension springs. run alongside the tracks on either side of the door. More common on older homes, including some of the mid-century ranch and split-level builds you'll find in established Salem neighborhoods like Salem Depot.
Don't wait for the loud bang. Springs usually give you signals before they break completely. Here's what to watch for:
The door feels unusually heavy. Disconnect the opener and try lifting the door manually. A properly balanced door should feel like roughly 10,15 pounds. If it feels like you're lifting a refrigerator, your springs are losing tension.
The door won't stay open halfway. Lift it to waist height and let go. It should hold its position. If it drifts back down, that's a spring showing its age.
Visible gaps in the coils. Healthy torsion spring coils sit tight against each other. If you can see a gap. even a small one. that spring has already partially failed.
The opener strains or stalls. If your opener sounds like it's working twice as hard as usual, or stops mid-cycle, it's likely fighting against a weakened spring. Running the opener this way can burn out the motor.
Rust or corrosion on the spring. Salem's humidity. especially during those wet spring and fall seasons. accelerates rust formation. Rust weakens the metal and increases friction between coils, speeding up failure.
A loud bang from the garage. This is a broken spring. Stop using the door immediately. Do not try to force it open with the opener.
Look above your garage door opening when it's closed. If you see a single long spring (or two springs) wound around a horizontal metal bar, those are torsion springs. If you see springs running along the horizontal tracks on each side of the door, those are extension springs.
For homeowners in Forest Ridge or the newer subdivisions in North Salem. where larger, heavier insulated doors are common. torsion springs are almost certainly what you have. They're more expensive to replace but last longer and are safer when they fail.
Expect to pay somewhere in the range of $150 to $350 per spring for parts, plus labor. For most homeowners replacing a standard torsion spring setup, total costs typically land between $300 and $540 for a professional repair. Here's what affects your final number:
- Spring quality. Budget springs are rated for 5,000,10,000 cycles and may last 5,7 years. High-cycle springs rated for 25,000,50,000+ cycles cost more upfront but can last 15,20 years. a smart investment for a Salem home where the door gets daily use through all four seasons. - Single vs. pair. Even if only one spring breaks, most professionals will recommend replacing both at the same time. Springs age together, and replacing just one often means a second service call within months. - Door size and weight. A two-car insulated door weighs significantly more than a basic single-car panel, and requires heavier-duty (more expensive) springs. - Emergency timing. Evenings, weekends, and the middle of a February nor'easter will often carry a premium.
If you're comparing quotes, be wary of unusually low prices. Spring replacement done carelessly. with the wrong spring size or improper tension. can cause uneven wear, opener damage, and early re-failure. You can read more about what goes into a proper garage door repair service before you decide who to call.
We get it. plenty of homeowners in Londonderry and Windham tackle their own home repairs. But garage door springs are legitimately dangerous. Torsion springs store enormous energy, and a spring that releases unexpectedly during installation can cause serious injury. Specialized winding bars and experience with spring tension calculations are required to do this safely. The cost savings from DIY simply don't justify the risk.
Professional technicians also inspect cables, drums, and the opener during a spring replacement. and catching a worn cable or fraying component during that visit is far cheaper than dealing with a second failure later.
If you're unsure whether your springs are due for replacement, a quick check as part of your spring maintenance routine can catch problems before they become emergencies.
Standard springs are rated for 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. one cycle being the door going up and back down once. If you use your garage door four times a day (common for Salem commuters heading down I-93 toward Boston), you're logging roughly 1,400 cycles per year. At that pace, a standard spring lasts around 7,14 years. High-cycle springs can push that to 20 years or more.
Age, temperature stress, and lack of lubrication all shorten that lifespan. A light coat of lithium-based or silicone-based lubricant on the springs once a year goes a long way toward preventing rust and keeping the coils moving freely.
No. and you shouldn't try. Running the opener with a broken spring puts enormous strain on the motor and can cause cable failure or damage to the door panels. If a spring breaks, manually disconnect the opener and leave the door in the closed position until a technician arrives.
Yes, in almost every case. Both springs age at the same rate, so if one has failed, the other is likely close behind. Replacing both during the same service call saves you a second labor charge and keeps the door balanced.
If the door panels, tracks, and opener are all in decent shape, spring replacement is almost always the right call. it costs a fraction of a new door. If the door is 15,20 years old and showing multiple issues (damaged panels, worn tracks, aging opener), it may make more sense to talk to a professional about whether a full replacement offers better long-term value.