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Garage Door Spring Repair in Dallas-Fort Worth
One loud bang, and now the door will not move. That is a broken torsion spring.
Short answer
Garage door spring repair means replacing the springs that carry the weight of the door. It does not mean repairing them. A broken spring cannot be welded, stretched or reset, and on a two-spring door both get replaced together for reasons we explain below.
Overview
Garage door spring repair means replacing the springs that carry the weight of the door. It does not mean repairing them. A broken spring cannot be welded, stretched or reset, and on a two-spring door both get replaced together for reasons we explain below.
Here is the number most DFW companies pose as a question and never answer. Spring replacement in this market runs $200 to $550 for a typical job. Torsion springs are roughly $200 to $400 per spring installed. Extension springs run $150 to $350 per pair installed. Your door size, weight and spring wire size decide where in that band you land, and we confirm on site before anything is touched.
Professional Garage Concepts has been doing this work in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2001, with 532 Google reviews at 4.8 stars, International Door Association certification and 24/7 dispatch. Call (817) 381-6173.
How to tell the spring is what broke
A broken spring is the single most recognizable failure on a garage door, and you can confirm it from the floor in about a minute. Look at the shaft above the door opening. A torsion spring that has failed will show a visible gap of one to three inches where the coil separated, and the two halves will have sprung apart on the shaft.
- A gap in the spring coil above the door opening. This is conclusive.
- A loud bang, often described as a gunshot, sometimes hours or days before you noticed the door was dead.
- The opener strains, hums, or lifts the door six inches and gives up.
- The door is extremely heavy when lifted by hand after pulling the emergency release.
- The door rises crooked or binds badly on one side, which usually means one of two springs is gone.
- Bent or wobbly top section, because the opener tried to lift the full door weight through the top panel.
Torsion springs and extension springs are not the same repair
Torsion springs mount on a steel shaft above the door opening and store energy by twisting. Cables wind onto drums at each end of that shaft and lift the door evenly. Torsion is standard on nearly every DFW door built since the 1990s and on virtually all double doors. It controls the door through the entire travel, wears more predictably, and fails more safely because the shaft contains the broken halves.
Extension springs stretch. They run horizontally along the tracks on either side of the door and pull as the door comes down. You still find them on older single doors and on lighter doors with low headroom. They must have safety containment cables running through them. Without those cables, a broken extension spring becomes a length of steel moving across the garage.
If your door still runs on extension springs and headroom allows, a torsion conversion is worth pricing while we are there. It runs quieter, balances better, and puts less strain on the opener.
- Torsion: mounted on a shaft above the opening, 10,000 cycles standard, better balance, safer failure, higher part cost.
- Extension: mounted along the horizontal tracks, lower part cost, requires safety cables, more prone to uneven lift.
- Torsion pricing: roughly $200 to $400 per spring installed in DFW.
- Extension pricing: roughly $150 to $350 per pair installed in DFW.
- A door with two torsion springs is a two-spring system and gets both replaced. A door with one is a single-spring system.
Why we replace both springs when only one broke
This is the question customers push back on hardest, and the answer is simple once you see the math.
Both springs on your door were installed on the same day, made from the same steel, and have cycled the identical number of times. If one of them reached the end of its fatigue life this week, the other one is not new. It is a few weeks behind, at most. Think about a pair of boots you have walked in every day for six years. When the sole finally wears through on the left one, nobody sensibly replaces just the left boot. The right one is on the same clock.
There is a mechanical reason on top of the wear reason. A new spring and a six-year-old spring have different rates. The door will not balance evenly, one side carries more load, and the opener works against a door that is out of balance for as long as that mismatch exists. That shortens the life of the new spring and of the opener.
And there is a cost reason that favors you. The service call, the trip, the labor and the setup are already paid for the moment we are in your driveway. Adding the second spring costs the part, not another visit. Replacing it separately in eight months costs the whole job again.
Cycle ratings: the number that decides how long the next set lasts
A cycle is one full open plus one full close. Spring life is measured in cycles, not years, and this is the single most useful number to understand before you buy.
A typical household opens the garage four times a day. That is roughly 1,460 cycles a year. Run those numbers against the common ratings and the picture is clear.
- 10,000 cycle springs: the builder-grade default on most DFW tract homes. Around seven years at four cycles a day.
- 20,000 cycle springs: heavier wire, larger coil, roughly double the service life at the same usage.
- 30,000 cycle and higher: worth it on a door that is the family's main entrance, on a home office or shop garage, or where the door cycles eight or more times a day.
- Two-car households that use the garage as the front door frequently run six to ten cycles daily, which cuts a 10,000 cycle spring to three or four years.
- High-cycle springs are physically larger. Headroom above the door has to allow for the bigger coil, which we check on site.
Why this is a genuinely dangerous repair to do yourself
We are not saying this to sell a service call. Torsion spring replacement is one of the few homeowner repairs that regularly sends people to the emergency room.
A wound torsion spring on a standard double door stores enough energy to lift a 200 pound door. That energy is released through two winding bars inserted into the cones, a quarter turn at a time. If a bar slips out of the cone, it comes around at full speed at chest and head height. If the set screws on the cone are loosened in the wrong order, the shaft spins and the cable drums shed the cables under load. Screwdrivers and rebar are not winding bars, and they are what most injuries involve.
The second problem is sizing. Springs are specified by wire diameter, inside diameter, length and wind direction, matched to the measured weight of your specific door and to the drum size. A generic hardware store spring that is close but not correct leaves the door out of balance, which quietly destroys the opener and the new spring both.
Our techs carry winding bars, calibrated spring stock and a scale. The job takes them 60 to 90 minutes. That is the trade we are asking you to make.
What we measure before we pick a spring
A correct spring job starts with measurement, not with a part number off the old spring. Old springs are frequently the wrong spring already, installed by whoever came out last.
- Door weight, taken with a scale rather than estimated from the panel count.
- Wire diameter of the existing spring, measured over ten and twenty coils for accuracy.
- Inside diameter of the coil, commonly 1.75 or 2.00 inches on residential doors.
- Overall spring length, which sets total turns.
- Wind direction, left-hand and right-hand, which is not interchangeable.
- Cable drum size and the height of the door, since drums and lift type have to match.
- Available headroom, which determines whether a high-cycle upgrade will physically fit.
What Texas does to spring life
Springs in North Texas do not get the life the cycle rating implies, and the reason is the environment rather than the part.
A garage in DFW swings from air temperatures well past 100F in August to near freezing on a January morning. Spring steel expands and contracts through that range every single day, and thermal cycling on top of mechanical cycling accelerates fatigue. Humidity swings put moisture on bare steel between the coils, and surface corrosion becomes a stress riser where the break eventually starts. Galvanized and coated springs hold up better in this climate, and we will price that option.
The other North Texas factor is the slab. Expansive Blackland Prairie clay moves with the wet and dry cycle, and when a slab and framing shift, the door opening racks out of square. A door that binds on one side is effectively heavier than the spring was sized for, which is a slow way to break a new spring. That is why we check jamb square and track plumb on every spring call rather than just hanging the part.
What a proper spring job includes beyond the spring
Swapping the spring and leaving is half the job. The parts around the spring have been through exactly the same number of cycles, and the ones that matter get inspected while the door is already apart.
- Both lift cables inspected at the drum and at the bottom bracket loop, where fraying starts.
- Center bearing plate and end bearings checked for play and lubricated.
- Cable drums checked for wear on the flange and reset to equal tension.
- Rollers and hinges inspected, with nylon roller upgrade priced if the originals are worn steel.
- Door balanced by hand at the halfway point, which is the actual test that the spring is right.
- Opener travel limits and force settings reset to the new balance.
- Photo-eye reversal and mechanical safety reverse both tested before we leave.
How it works
What a spring replacement visit looks like
- STEP 01
Call and confirm
Describe what you see on the shaft above the door. A visible gap in the coil confirms a broken spring on the phone, which means the right wire sizes come out on the truck the first time. We answer 24 hours a day at (817) 381-6173.
- STEP 02
Measure and quote
The tech weighs the door, measures wire diameter, inside diameter, length and wind, checks drum size and headroom, and then gives you a fixed price. You see the number before any tool touches the door.
- STEP 03
Unwind and remove
The old springs are unwound with winding bars in controlled quarter turns, the shaft is secured, cables are unspooled from the drums and the broken springs come off the shaft.
- STEP 04
Install, wind and balance
New springs are installed, cables respooled to equal tension, and the springs wound to the exact turn count for your door height. The door is then hand-tested at waist height. A correctly sprung door holds where you leave it.
- STEP 05
Reset the opener and test safety
Travel limits and force settings get reset to the new balance, both safety systems are tested, hinges, rollers and bearings are lubricated, and the old springs leave with us. Typical total time is 60 to 90 minutes.
Straight pricing
Garage door spring replacement cost in Dallas-Fort Worth
These are honest DFW installed ranges rather than a quote. Door weight, wire size, headroom and whether cables or bearings also need replacing move the final number, and you get that number in your driveway before we start.
Single torsion spring
$200 to $400per spring installed
Single-car doors and lighter doors running one torsion spring
- Spring sized to measured door weight
- Cables inspected and respooled
- Door balanced by hand
- Opener travel and force reset
- Safety reverse tested
Two-spring torsion system
$350 to $550installed, both springs
Standard 16x7 DFW double doors, which is the majority of what we replace
- Matched pair replaced together
- Bearings and cones inspected
- Drums reset to equal tension
- Door balanced and opener recalibrated
- Old springs hauled off
Extension spring pair
$150 to $350per pair installed
Older single doors and low-headroom openings still running extension springs
- Matched pair replaced together
- Safety containment cables verified or installed
- Pulleys and cables inspected
- Even lift confirmed on both sides
Springs with rollers and cables
$249 to $700installed together
Doors past year eight, where the wear parts are all on the same clock
- Nylon rollers with sealed bearings
- New lift cables
- Hinges replaced as needed
- Full lubrication
- One visit instead of three
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? Call (817) 381-6173 and talk to someone who does this every day.
How long do garage door springs last?
A standard 10,000 cycle torsion spring lasts about seven years in a home that opens the door four times a day, since one cycle is one open plus one close. Families that use the garage as their main entrance can run six to ten cycles daily and see the same spring fail in three or four years. North Texas heat and humidity swings shorten that further, which is why 20,000 and 30,000 cycle springs are a reasonable upgrade here.
What is the difference between torsion springs and extension springs?
Torsion springs mount on a shaft above the door opening and store energy by twisting, lifting the door evenly through cables and drums. Extension springs run along the horizontal tracks beside the door and store energy by stretching. Torsion is standard on modern and double doors, balances better and fails more safely. Extension springs cost less and are still found on older single doors, but they must have safety containment cables running through them.
If only one spring broke, why do you replace both?
Both springs were installed the same day and have run the identical number of cycles, so when one reaches the end of its fatigue life the other is weeks behind, not years. Mixing a new spring with a worn one also leaves the door out of balance, which strains the opener and shortens the life of the new spring. The second spring costs the part price only, because the trip and the labor are already covered. Replacing it separately in eight months costs the entire job again.
Should I replace my garage door springs myself?
No. A wound torsion spring on a double door stores enough energy to lift a 200 pound door, and it is released through winding bars a quarter turn at a time. A bar that slips out of the cone comes around at head height, and loosening set screws in the wrong order drops the door. Sizing is the second problem. Springs must match measured door weight, wire diameter, coil diameter, length, wind direction and drum size, and a near-miss spring quietly destroys the opener.
Can you fix the springs on my garage door, or do they have to be replaced?
Broken springs are always replaced, never repaired. Spring steel that has reached the end of its fatigue life cannot be welded, stretched, or re-tempered back into service. Winding tension can be adjusted on an intact spring that has weakened slightly, which sometimes buys time on a door that is out of balance. Once a coil has separated, replacement is the only option.
How much does garage door spring replacement cost in Dallas-Fort Worth?
Spring replacement in DFW typically runs $200 to $550. Torsion springs are roughly $200 to $400 per spring installed, and a standard two-spring double door usually lands between $350 and $550 for the pair. Extension springs run $150 to $350 per pair installed. Adding rollers and cables during the same visit brings the combined job to roughly $249 to $700. We quote the exact figure on site before any work begins.
How long does a garage door spring replacement take?
A standard torsion spring replacement takes 60 to 90 minutes on site, including measuring the door, unwinding and removing the old springs, installing and winding the new pair, respooling the cables, balancing the door by hand and resetting the opener. Extension spring jobs are usually faster. If cables, drums or bearings also need replacing, add roughly 30 minutes.
Can I still open my garage door with a broken spring?
You should not, and in most cases you physically cannot. With the spring gone, the full 150 to 250 pound weight of the door has nothing counterbalancing it, so lifting by hand is unsafe and running the opener puts that entire load on a motor built to guide a balanced door. If a car is trapped inside, wait for the tech rather than forcing it. Opener burnout from running against a broken spring costs $525 to $3,000 to put right.
What spring cycle rating should I buy?
Buy the 10,000 cycle standard only if the garage is a secondary entrance used a few times a day. If your garage door is how the family comes and goes, choose 20,000 or 30,000 cycle springs, because at eight to ten cycles a day a standard spring is a three to four year part. High-cycle springs use heavier wire and a larger coil, so we verify you have the headroom for them before quoting.
Will running the opener with a broken spring damage it?
Yes, and quickly. The opener is designed to guide a balanced door, not to lift one. With a spring broken, the motor pulls the full weight of the door, which strips the drive gear, shears the trolley, or burns the motor windings. Replacing an opener destroyed this way runs $525 to $3,000 depending on the unit. Unplug the opener as soon as you suspect a spring, and call.
Related services
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Learn moreReady to get spring repair handled?
Call (817) 381-6173 or send the form. We answer quote requests the same business day, and we have been doing this across DFW since 2001.