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You heard it from inside the house, a loud bang, almost like a gunshot, coming from the garage. Or you walked out in the morning, hit the opener button, and watched the door struggle halfway up before the opener groaned and gave up. Either way, something is clearly wrong.
In most cases, that sound and that symptom point to the same culprit: a broken garage door spring.
It's one of the most common garage door failures in Calgary and one of the most misunderstood. Most homeowners have no idea what their garage door springs actually do, how long they're supposed to last, or why Calgary's climate accelerates the timeline. And a surprising number of people try to fix it themselves, without understanding that a broken garage door spring is one of the genuinely dangerous DIY repairs a homeowner can attempt.
Here's everything you need to know — what broke, what it costs, why it matters, and exactly what to do next.
Your garage door weighs between 130 and 350 pounds depending on the size, material, and insulation. Your garage door opener — that motor on the ceiling — is not what lifts that weight. The springs do.
Springs store mechanical energy when the door closes and release it when the door opens, counterbalancing the door's weight so the opener only needs to manage the motion, not carry the load. Without functioning springs, most openers can't lift the door at all — and if they try, they'll strain, move the door partially, and either stop or burn out the motor trying.
This is why a broken spring typically produces one of two obvious symptoms: either the door won't open at all, or the opener struggles to move it more than a few inches before stopping or reversing. The opener itself is usually fine — it's simply not designed to work without the spring doing its job.
Understanding which type of spring you have helps you communicate clearly with a technician and understand what the repair involves.
Torsion springs are mounted horizontally above the garage door opening, along a metal shaft that runs the width of the door. They work by twisting (torquing) along the shaft as the door moves — storing energy in the coil when the door closes and releasing it on the way up.
Most modern Calgary homes with attached garages have torsion spring systems. A single-car door typically has one torsion spring; a double-wide door usually has two. Torsion springs are considered the more durable and controlled of the two types.
When a torsion spring breaks, you'll often hear the loud bang from inside the house — the stored tension in the coil releases suddenly when the spring snaps, and the sound carries clearly through the wall.
Extension springs run horizontally along the upper tracks on either side of the door, parallel to the ceiling. They work by stretching (extending) as the door closes, storing energy in the tension of the stretched coil, then contracting to help lift the door.
Extension springs are more common in older homes and garages with lower ceiling clearance. They're generally considered less durable than torsion springs and carry a higher injury risk when they break, because a snapped extension spring can whip violently if safety cables aren't in place.
If you're not sure which type you have, look above the door: a single bar with a coiled spring along the top is torsion; springs running along the side tracks are extension.
Springs don't break randomly. They have a finite lifespan measured in cycles — each time the door opens and closes counts as one cycle. Most standard residential springs are rated for 10,000 cycles. Higher-cycle springs (rated for 25,000–100,000 cycles) are available but less common in standard residential installations.
If you open and close your garage door four times per day — a fairly typical pattern for a Calgary household using the garage as the primary entry point — you'll hit 10,000 cycles in roughly seven years. More usage means a shorter lifespan. If your garage door is the main way your family enters and exits the house, 10,000 cycles can come faster than you'd expect.
Calgary's climate accelerates this significantly.
Metal contracts in cold temperatures. In Calgary, where overnight lows regularly drop below -20°C in January and February, garage door springs spend months cycling between extreme cold and the warmer temperatures inside a heated garage. This repeated thermal contraction and expansion stresses the metal over time, causing micro-fractures that accumulate long before the spring reaches its rated cycle count.
The result: Calgary homeowners see garage door spring failures more frequently than homeowners in milder climates, and they often happen earlier than the rated lifespan would suggest. Spring failures in Calgary are heavily concentrated in late fall and winter — when the metal is coldest and most brittle, and often right after the first hard freeze of the season.
It's not unusual for a Calgary homeowner to open their garage for the first time on a -25°C January morning and hear the bang. The spring was already at the end of its life — the cold pushed it over the edge.
If you heard a sharp bang from your garage and the door now won't operate normally, here's what occurred: the spring reached the end of its fatigue life and snapped under tension.
Torsion springs in particular store a significant amount of mechanical energy — they're under high tension at all times, even when the door is closed. When they fail, they don't quietly stop working. The stored energy releases suddenly, producing the bang you heard and leaving the spring visibly broken in two pieces on the shaft.
This stored energy is exactly why garage door spring repair is not a safe DIY project. A spring under tension that's handled incorrectly can release that energy violently — causing serious injury to hands, arms, or face. Garage door spring injuries treated in emergency rooms are documented regularly across North America, and the majority involve homeowners who attempted repair without proper tools and training.
Technically, you may be able to manually open a garage door with a broken spring by disengaging the opener and lifting by hand. Whether this is practical depends on the door's weight and whether one or both springs have broken.
Here's the honest guidance:
Don't use the automatic opener with a broken spring. Forcing the opener to operate without a functioning spring puts severe strain on the motor and drive mechanism, and can damage or burn out the opener — turning a $380–$480 spring repair into a $400–$800 opener replacement on top of it.
Manual operation is possible but risky. A door without spring assistance is very heavy — remember, springs are doing most of the lifting. A double-wide insulated door can weigh 250–300 pounds without counterbalancing. If you need to get a car out urgently, you can disengage the opener and lift manually, but have someone help you and be aware that the door will drop if you lose grip. Don't leave the door propped open unattended.
Get it repaired before relying on the door. This isn't a repair you can defer for weeks. An unrepaired broken spring means no reliable garage access, ongoing risk to your opener if someone accidentally hits the button, and a door that's either stuck closed or stuck open — neither of which is a good long-term situation.
This is a question almost every homeowner asks, and the answer from experienced technicians is nearly always: replace both.
Here's the reasoning. If your garage door has two torsion springs and one has broken, the second spring has been through exactly the same number of cycles under the same conditions. It's at the same point in its fatigue life. If you replace only the broken one, there's a strong probability the second spring fails within weeks or months — putting you right back where you started, paying for another service call and another spring.
Replacing both springs at the same time costs more upfront — the difference between a single spring replacement ($280) and a double ($380–$480) in Calgary — but it's almost always the better value. You also get a balanced system, which is better for the door's longevity and the opener's motor.
The same logic applies to extension springs. They come in pairs, and replacing both at the same time is standard practice.
Ask your technician about this when they arrive. A good technician will bring it up themselves and explain the reasoning. If a company only wants to replace the broken spring without discussing the second, it's worth asking why.
Based on current Calgary market pricing for residential garage door spring replacement:
Single torsion spring replacement: $280–$320. Most single-car garage doors have one torsion spring. This covers the spring itself and labour for a standard installation.
Double torsion spring replacement (recommended for two-spring systems): $380–$480. The standard recommendation for double-wide doors. Pricing varies based on spring size, weight rating, and whether higher-cycle springs are installed.
Extension spring replacement (per pair): $200–$300. Extension springs are generally less expensive than torsion springs, but should always be replaced in pairs with safety cables installed or inspected.
High-cycle spring upgrade: $50–$150 additionalUpgrading from standard 10,000-cycle springs to 25,000 or higher-cycle springs extends the time between replacements significantly. For a Calgary household using the garage as the primary entry point, the upgrade cost typically pays for itself in avoided service calls within the spring's lifespan.
Service / diagnostic call: $29–$80 depending on the company, often credited toward the repair
What affects pricing: Spring size and weight rating (heavier doors require heavier springs), the number of springs being replaced, accessibility of the spring system, and whether any related hardware (cables, drums, bearings) needs attention during the same visit.
Happy Protection members receive priority service and exclusive discounts on garage door repairs — including spring replacement — as part of their membership coverage. The first eligible service call is covered under the membership.
This deserves emphasis, because garage door spring replacement appears on countless DIY lists alongside tasks like changing a light fixture or fixing a leaky faucet. It doesn't belong there.
Torsion springs operate under extreme tension — hundreds of foot-pounds of torque stored in the coiled metal. The tools required to safely wind and unwind a torsion spring (winding bars, the proper technique, knowledge of the exact spring specification for your door's weight) are not things most homeowners have or know. A winding bar that slips, a spring that's wound incorrectly, or a mistake in the process can release that stored energy into your hands, face, or chest in a fraction of a second.
Extension springs are arguably more dangerous in failure because a snapped extension spring without a safety cable can become a projectile across the garage.
Professional garage door technicians work with these systems every day with proper tools, training, and an understanding of what can go wrong. The repair cost of $280–$480 is genuinely worth paying to keep the risk out of your hands. This is not a liability disclaimer — it's the honest assessment of what the task involves.
Step 1: Stop using the automatic opener. Disconnect it if you know how, or simply don't press the button. Forcing the opener against a door without spring assistance risks damaging the motor.
Step 2: If you need car access urgently, disengage the opener by pulling the red emergency release cord hanging from the opener carriage, and lift the door manually with assistance. Be prepared for significant weight. Lower it carefully and don't leave it propped.
Step 3: Call a garage door technician. Most Calgary garage door companies offer same-day service for spring repairs — it's a common, fast repair when the technician arrives with the right springs on their truck. Happy Protection members can call directly for priority dispatch.
Step 4: Ask about both springs. If you have a two-spring system, ask whether both should be replaced. Any technician worth working with will give you an honest answer and explain the reasoning.
Step 5: Ask about a spring upgrade. If your current springs are standard 10,000-cycle, ask what it would cost to upgrade to higher-cycle springs. Given Calgary's climate and typical usage patterns, it's often worth the additional cost.
A broken garage door spring is one of the most disruptive home failures a Calgary homeowner can face — especially in winter, when your garage may be the only practical way in and out of the house. Happy Protection members get priority access to trusted local garage door technicians across Calgary, with transparent pricing and no surprise fees.
Our garage door coverage includes spring repair and replacement, cable repair, opener diagnostics, and preventative maintenance — with the first eligible service call covered under the membership. Instead of scrambling to find a reputable company when your spring breaks at 7am in January, you already have a plan.
How do I know if my garage door spring is broken?
The most common signs are a loud bang from the garage (often described as a gunshot sound), a door that won't open at all, or an opener that strains and moves the door only a few inches before stopping. Visually, a broken torsion spring will appear as two separate pieces on the shaft above the door, often with a visible gap in the coil. A broken extension spring will be visibly slack or detached along the side track.
How long do garage door springs last in Calgary?
Standard residential springs are rated for approximately 10,000 cycles. At four open/close cycles per day, that's roughly seven years of lifespan — though Calgary's extreme temperature swings accelerate metal fatigue, and spring failures before the rated cycle count are common here. Upgrading to higher-cycle springs (25,000–100,000 cycles) extends the time between replacements significantly.
How much does garage door spring replacement cost in Calgary?
Single torsion spring replacement runs $280–$320. Double torsion spring replacement (recommended when a two-spring system has one broken spring) runs $380–$480. Extension spring replacement typically costs $200–$300 per pair. Pricing varies based on spring size, weight rating, and whether a high-cycle upgrade is chosen. Happy Protection members receive priority service and membership discounts on all garage door repairs.
Can I still use my garage door with a broken spring?
You should not use the automatic opener with a broken spring — it puts severe strain on the motor and can damage the opener. Manual operation is possible by disengaging the opener and lifting by hand, but the door will be very heavy without spring counterbalancing. Get the spring repaired before resuming normal use.
Is it safe to replace a garage door spring yourself?
No. Garage door torsion springs operate under extreme mechanical tension — hundreds of foot-pounds of stored energy. Incorrect handling can release that tension suddenly, causing serious injury. This is consistently ranked among the most dangerous home repairs a non-professional can attempt. Professional replacement costs $280–$480 and is worth every dollar to keep the risk out of your hands.
Should I replace one spring or both?
If you have a two-spring system and one has broken, replacing both is almost always the right decision. The second spring has completed the same number of cycles under the same conditions and is likely near the end of its lifespan. Replacing both at once costs marginally more upfront but avoids a second service call — and a second spring failure — in the near future.
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