Garage door won't open
If the door won't open and feels immovable by hand, a torsion spring has broken. The spring carries the weight of the door and the opener only guides it, so once the spring goes the motor is trying to lift 150 to 300 pounds it was never built for. One spring installed is $225 to $340 and a pair is $365 to $520. We carry standard and high-cycle springs on the truck, so the parts don't need a second trip.
Check these first
Two minutes, no tools, and sometimes it's the whole answer.
- Look at the shaft above the door. A broken torsion spring has an obvious gap in the coil, as though a length has been cut out.
- Pull the red release cord and try to lift the door a few inches by hand. A door with a good spring is light. One with a broken spring will barely move.
- Think back to whether you heard a bang. People describe it as a gunshot or a car hitting the house, and it usually happens overnight.
- If the door lifts easily by hand but the opener won't move it, the problem is the opener, not the spring.
What not to do while you wait
- Don't keep pressing the button. Forcing the opener against a dead spring strips the drive gear, and a spring job becomes a spring and opener job.
- Don't try to lift the door past a test. A double door with no working spring is a couple of hundred pounds coming down.
- Don't touch the spring or the bottom brackets. A torsion spring stores enough energy to break bones.
What it usually turns out to be
- Broken torsion spring By far the most common. Springs are rated in cycles rather than years, about 10,000 for a standard one, and a household opening the door four times a day gets through that in roughly seven years.
- Snapped lift cable One side drops and the door jams crooked in the track. You'll see the door sitting at an angle.
- The door locked Some older doors have a manual slide lock. If it was engaged, the opener pulls against a locked door and stops.
- Opener drive failure If the door is light by hand but the motor won't move it, the drive gear, chain or belt has gone. That's opener work rather than spring work.
What it costs
$225 to $340 for one torsion spring installed. A pair is $365 to $520. The diagnostic visit is $39 and it comes off that in full when you go ahead the same visit. Full detail on the garage door spring replacement page, and every other range we charge is on the cost page.
Where we cover
Newark, Fremont, Union City, Hayward, with Hayward limited to 94545 and 94544 in the south of the city. Call before noon and Newark, Fremont and Union City are same-day appointments. The areas we cover, in detail.
Questions we get asked
How quickly can you replace a broken spring?
About an hour on the door itself. We carry standard and high-cycle springs on the truck, so we're not ordering parts and coming back. Call before noon and Newark, Fremont and Union City are same-day appointments.
My car is locked in. Can you get it out?
Yes. Tell us on the phone and we book you first. Getting the door open safely against a broken spring is a separate step from the repair, and it's usually the quick one.
Should I replace both springs if only one broke?
If the door has two, yes. They're the same age with the same cycle count and the second usually follows within months. The pair costs less than two separate visits.
Other things doors do
- Garage door won't close Almost always the safety sensors.
- Garage door spring broke The bang was the spring letting go.
- Opener runs but the door doesn't move The trolley or the drive gear.
- Garage door opener is completely dead Power first, then the logic board.
- Garage door remote or keypad stopped working Battery, programming, or a light bulb.
Leave the door where it is and call
(510) 509-9998. If a car is shut inside, say so first and we'll book you ahead of the queue.
Newark · Fremont · Union City · Hayward