Garage Door Spring Repair in Lubbock, TX

A broken garage door spring is almost always replaced, usually as a pair, and national guides put it at about $75 to $150 per spring. Because springs hold the door's full weight under high tension, the door industry's trade group, DASMA, says a trained technician should do it.

South Plains Garage Door is a referral website, not a garage door company. We send your request to one independent local garage door company. You never pay us; companies we refer you to may pay us for referrals. If you think a spring has snapped, send a request with the form.

Door stuck open, or a car trapped inside? Leave the door where it is, don't pull the red emergency release, and send a request with the form.

Signs your garage door spring is broken

Springs do the heavy lifting. The opener only guides a door that the springs have already balanced. When a spring breaks, the door's full weight lands on the opener and on you. Common signs:

• A loud bang from the garage, often when no one was using the door. It sounds like a gunshot or something heavy falling.
• A gap in the spring. On a torsion spring above the door, you'll see a gap where the coil separated.
• The door feels very heavy when you lift it by hand, or it won't stay up halfway.
• The opener strains, hums, or lifts the door a few inches and stops. Many openers sense the extra weight and quit.
• The door goes up crooked, or one cable looks slack.
• On extension springs, a spring that hangs loose or looks stretched out next to its partner.

If you see any of these, stop using the door. Leave it closed if you can, and don't pull the red emergency release while the door is open, because a door with a broken spring can drop.

Torsion vs. extension springs

Most homes have one of two spring systems. Knowing which one you have helps the company price the job.

	Torsion springs	Extension springs
Where they are	On a metal bar across the top of the door opening	Along the horizontal tracks, one on each side
How they work	Twist (wind) to store energy and turn cable drums	Stretch as the door closes and pull it up as they contract
Typical life (HomeAdvisor)	About 8 to 15 years	About 7 to 12 years
National price per spring (HomeAdvisor)	About $75 to $150	About $50 to $100
When they break	Usually stay on the bar; door won't lift	Can whip loose if no safety cable runs through them
Common on	Most newer and heavier doors, including double doors	Many older and lighter doors

If you have extension springs, look for a thin safety cable running through the middle of each spring. It keeps a broken spring from flying across the garage. If it's missing, ask the company to add one.

What Lubbock's weather does to springs

Springs fail from fatigue. Every open-and-close cycle uses up part of a spring's rated life, and eventually the steel cracks. Lubbock adds a few stresses on top of normal use.

Cold snaps. Lubbock's record low is -17°F, and the city gets hard freezes in winter. Cold thickens lubricant and stiffens rollers and hinges, so the springs and opener work harder on cold mornings. Cold mornings add strain, so a worn spring may finally give out then.

Dust and grit. Blowing dust works into roller bearings and the bearings at each end of the torsion bar. More friction means more strain on the springs each cycle. Ask the company to clean and lubricate those parts during the spring job.

Heavier doors after upgrades. If you replaced a thin door with an insulated or heavier one but kept the old springs, the springs may be undersized for the weight. That shortens their life and makes the door hard to balance. Springs should be sized to the door's weight, not copied from the old ones.

Why spring replacement isn't a DIY job

Online videos make spring replacement look like a 20-minute task. They skip the risk.

DASMA, the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association, describes the garage door as "typically the largest moving appliance in the home" and says its operation requires a high degree of spring tension. DASMA's homeowner safety tips say spring systems "should be repaired only by trained professionals," and that cables should be replaced only by a trained technician.

The injuries are documented. A 1992 New Jersey workplace-death investigation, archived by the CDC, describes an overhead door mechanic killed when a torsion spring plate "spun explosively under the tension of the torsion springs" and knocked him off a ladder. A medical case series from Massachusetts Eye and Ear reported seven patients, seen between 2008 and 2023, with severe eye injuries from springs that came loose while they were trying to fix a jammed garage door.

Winding a torsion spring takes proper winding bars, the right spring size, and experience with how much tension a given door needs. A wrong spring or wrong number of turns leaves you with a door that slams shut or flies open.

How a spring replacement usually goes

A spring replacement usually has five steps:

1. Inspection. The technician confirms the broken spring and checks cables, drums, bearings, rollers and the opener for damage the break may have caused.
2. Measuring. Springs are sized by wire thickness, inside diameter and length, matched to the door's weight and height.
3. Replacement. The tension is released, the old springs come off, and new ones are installed. On a two-spring door, both are replaced, as DASMA advises.
4. Balancing. The technician sets the tension so the door stays put when lifted halfway by hand. A balanced door is easier on the opener.
5. Testing. The door is run several times, and the opener's force and safety-reverse settings are checked.

Ask to see the old spring and to hear what else, if anything, needs attention.

What spring repair costs in Lubbock

National guides give a useful starting point. HomeAdvisor puts torsion springs at about $75 to $150 per spring and extension springs at about $50 to $100 per spring, and two springs on one door at about $150 to $350. If cables need replacing at the same time, HomeAdvisor puts cable replacement at about $75 to $200.

Your price depends on the spring type, how many springs the door uses, the door's weight, whether you choose higher-cycle springs, and whether other parts are worn. Some companies charge a service-call fee; ask whether it's credited toward the repair. Pricing and scheduling come from the company. The full breakdown is in the garage door repair cost guide.

Questions to ask before you approve the job

• What type and size of spring are you installing, and what is its cycle rating?
• Are you replacing both springs, and if not, why not?
• Is the price all-in, including the trip and labor?
• What's included in the warranty on the springs and the labor, and how long does it last?
• Did you find anything else worn, such as cables, rollers or bearings? What happens if I wait on those?

Related repairs

A broken spring often comes with other damage. If the door came off its track or a cable snapped when the spring broke, read about off-track and cable repair. If the opener was straining against a dead spring, the gears may be stripped, so see garage door opener repair. More common questions are answered in the garage door FAQ.

The form takes spring repair requests from Lubbock and nearby towns, including Wolfforth, Shallowater and Slaton.

Common questions

Can you replace just one spring on a garage door?

You can, but DASMA's homeowner safety tips say that if your door has two springs, you should replace both, even if only one is broken. Springs installed at the same time have the same wear, so the second one is likely to break soon, which means paying for a second trip. Replacing both also keeps the door balanced.

Can I open my garage door with a broken spring?

Don't try. With a broken spring, the door's full weight is in your hands, and it can drop fast. Don't keep pressing the opener either, since that strains the motor and gears. If your car is stuck inside, say so in your request.

How long do garage door springs last?

HomeAdvisor puts typical life at about 8 to 15 years for torsion springs and about 7 to 12 years for extension springs. Real life depends on how many times a day the door cycles. A door that is the family's main entrance wears its springs out faster than one opened twice a day.

Why did my spring break in the middle of winter?

Springs fail from metal fatigue. Cold mornings add strain, because lubricant thickens and rollers and hinges stiffen, so a worn spring may finally give out then. The cold doesn't create the wear; it adds load to a spring that was already near the end of its life.

Are longer-life springs worth it?

It depends on how often you use the door. Springs are rated in cycles (one open plus one close). Ask the company what cycle rating the standard spring has, what a higher-cycle spring costs, and how many times a day you use the door. Then decide whether the extra cost pays off for you.

Sources (7)

1. HomeAdvisor: garage door spring repair cost
2. DASMA: torsion spring safety
3. DASMA: garage door safety tips for homeowners
4. DASMA TDS 167: garage door checklist for home inspectors and consumers
5. NJ FACE report 92NJ008: overhead door mechanic killed by a torsion spring plate (CDC Stacks)
6. Open globe injuries from garage door springs (case series, Massachusetts Eye and Ear)
7. National Weather Service Lubbock: all-time climate records

Last updated 2026-10-24