Garage Door Spring Repair Cost

Most people will experience the unforgettable noise of a garage door torsion spring breaking at some point in their life. Broken garage door spring repair is very common since springs have a lifespan of 10,000 cycles. If you use your garage door as the main method of entering and leaving your house 10,000-cycles may only get you between seven and ten years. Home owners rarely using their garage door may have torsion springs last fifteen years or more. In any case a noise similar to a shotgun going off in your garage is likely a torsion spring breaking. There is no need to panic since the tube on your spring line will keep the spring from going anywhere. Springs running along the track known as extension springs break often as well. A typical spring replacement takes around one hour to complete for an experienced technician.

Spring Break When Garage Door is Closed

Most torsion springs break during the loading phase of use when the garage door is closed since the springs are at maximum tension. Although this is a safe position, it can be inconvenient if you are trying to get your car out of the garage. When this happens your opener probably won’t have enough power to open the door by itself. Don’t try using the opener since the machines are usually 1/2 horsepower and not designed to handle the full weight of your garage door. Trying to open the door with your machine will likely strip gears and damage your motor. If you have to open the door pull the red safety release cord to detach the opener from the door. If you have a garage door with two springs and only one broken spring, you should be able to manually raise the door. If you have a one spring setup you still may be able to raise the door manually if it is light enough. If you cannot open the door due to the heavy weight you will have to replace the broken spring yourself or call your local garage door professional.

Spring Break When Garage Door is Open

While it is uncommon for a torsion spring to break when the door is open, these situations do occur – especially if the door has two springs. It is best to call an experienced garage door technician in the even of the spring breaking. You may pull the (red) safety release cord to lower the door, but you will need several able bodied people to safely lower the door. Residential garage doors can way 200 pounds or more. Never cut the cables on your garage door or attempt to remove anything on the spring line. Attempting these types of actions will likely damage your garage door and put yourself in harms way.

 

What will a service call cost? (Midwest)

Normal Hours (7:00 am – 3:00pm)

  • One Spring (single car door) – $140-$185 +TAX
  • Two Springs (double car door) – $175-$235 + TAX

After Hours Emergency Service (Weekends, After 3:00pm)

  • One Spring – $200-275
  • Two Springs – $250-$325

*Extension springs are generally about $25-$35 cheaper to repair

Broken Garage Door Spring Repair Cost

  • $50 – $75 Labor – Normal rates for experienced and insured garage door repairmen. Anything outside this range should make your cautious.
  • *$10.00 Truck Fee (Fuel Charge, Truck Depreciation) If you live more than 25-miles from the garage door repairman they may add in a fuel surcharge due to high gasoline prices. Add $25-$50 extra for long trips to your location.
  • $50.00 – $100.00 Material (springs, tools, small hardware, parts) Sometimes other smaller parts must be replaced in addition to the springs, so don’t be surprised by small add-on parts fees. These small fees should give you a sense of comfort that the repairman did a detailed repair and inspection. Just make sure he shows you what was replaced so you don’t get ripped off. Rollers, hinges and cables often get replaced during spring repair.

These garage door spring repair quotes are for standard residential garage doors 7′ and 8′ in height with torsion springs. Larger doors like pole barns are generally considered commercial jobs and are more costly. Although you may not think these types of costs are necessarily fair, hidden costs for businesses exists. If you have a business degree or have studied finance you will understand the concept of overhead expenses. Advertising , insurance and equipment/building expenses are the main overhead costs for garage door companies and repairmen. Anyone quoting you outside a reasonably price range like the quotes above should make you cautious.

Garage Door Guide Cal
Hello, I’m Cal – owner of Garage Door Guide LLC    

I write tutorials about garage door repair, installation and maintenance. With over a decade of experience in the overhead door industry I’ve learned a lot and I’d like to share my knowledge with you.

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