Broken garage door spring repair in Fredericksburg

If your garage door was working yesterday and today it won't budge, or the opener strains and the door lifts a few inches and stops, the most likely culprit is a broken spring. It's the single most common garage door repair.

What the springs actually do

A garage door is heavy. The opener doesn't really lift it; the springs do. They're wound or stretched to hold most of the door's weight, so the opener (or your arms) only has to guide it. That's why a door with a good spring feels light when you lift it by hand, and a door with a broken spring feels like it's bolted to the floor.

There are two common types:

• Torsion springs mount on a metal bar above the door and twist to store energy. They are the most common type on newer residential doors.
• Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks on each side and stretch as the door closes. They're common on older or lighter doors, and they should always have a safety cable running through them.

Signs a spring is broken

• You heard a loud bang from the garage, like a gunshot, with nothing visibly wrong
• There's a gap of a couple of inches in the coil of a torsion spring above the door
• The door goes up a few inches and stops, or the opener hums but nothing moves
• The door looks crooked when opening (one side lifts, the other doesn't)
• The door is extremely heavy when you pull the emergency release and try to lift it
• The cables look loose or have slipped off their drums

Why this isn't a DIY job

Springs store a lot of energy, and the hardware that holds them is under heavy tension. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that an unbalanced door can come crashing down on someone underneath, and says doors that are unbalanced, bind or stick should be serviced by a professional (CPSC).

Until it's fixed:

• Don't run the opener. It can burn out the motor or bend the door.
• Don't try to lift the door by hand if a spring is broken. It's carrying the full weight.
• Keep kids and pets away from the door.
• If your car is trapped, tell the company when you call. Many treat it as same-day.

What to expect from a spring repair

A good technician will typically:

1. Identify the spring type and size. Springs are matched to your door's weight and height. A wrong size makes the door unbalanced.
2. Recommend replacing both springs on two-spring doors. If one broke from age, the other is usually close behind. This is common advice, not a scam, but it's your choice.
3. Inspect the cables, drums, bearings and rollers. Worn parts often fail together.
4. Balance and test the door. A balanced door should stay put when stopped halfway open by hand.
5. Test the opener's auto-reverse after the repair.

Questions to ask on the phone

• What kind of springs do you install, and are they rated for more cycles than standard? (Higher-cycle springs cost more but usually last longer.)
• Is the price for one spring or two, and does it include labor and the trip charge?
• What's the warranty on parts and labor?
• If the total will be over $1,000: what's your Virginia contractor license number? (You can check it on the DPOR License Lookup.)

We don't quote prices. Each company sets its own, so get the full price before work starts.