High Cycle Garage Door Torsion Springs

Garage door springs are rated with an industry standard of 10,000 cycles from the factory.  Every time your garage door opens and closes counts as one cycle.  What if you want your springs to last longer than 10,000 cycles? High cycle garage door torsion springs are the answer you have been looking for. Efficiency, cost effectiveness and peace of mind are all factors that should be considered when asking for springs with a longer life span. The following article will explain why you should almost always install high cycle springs as opposed to the factory and industry standards.

Torsion Spring Cycle Ratings

While standard torsion springs are rated at 10,000 cycles, high cycle springs can go up all the way to 100,000 cycles. Most residential doors are not large enough to accommodate 100k cycle springs so residential high cycle springs usually stop around 50,000 cycles. High cycle springs are achieved with an increase in wire size, length and diameter.  The wire size or gauge of coil becomes thicker; the length or coil increases; and the inside diameter of the spring can increase. The amount of cycles you choose should depend on how frequently you operate your door.

Higher Lifespan Cost Effectiveness

Garage door torsion spring lasts 7-10 years based on average use. If the average person uses their garage door 3 cycles per day for 365 days that accounts for 1,095 cycles per year.  Dividing 10,000 cycles by 1,095 cycles gives you a spring life of just over 9 years. Springs have a diminishing return of life expectancy as cycles increase. You cannot reasonably expect to have a garage door spring last longer than 25 years, but most garage door companies provide lifetime warranties with the purchase of high cycle springs. The chart below is shown to exemplify an effect on cycles and cost based on material only – labor and other fees are not included.

10,000 cycles / (3×365) = 9.13 years  

$84.00 Per Pair .207 x 23 x 1.75 =  ($9.20 per year)

20,000 cycles / (3×365) = 18.26 years 

$96.00 Per Pair .218 x 30 x 1.75 =  ($5.26 per year)

30,000 cycles / (3×365) = 27.40 years

$108.00 Per Pair .225x 34 x 1.75 =  ($3.94 per year)

50,000 cycles / (3×365) = 45.66 years

$120.00 Per Pair .234 x 42 x 1.75 =  ($2.63 per year)

As you can see from the chart above it is far more cost effective to use high cycle springs. This doesn’t even account for the value in knowing your spring will last a lifetime, without breaking at the most inconvenient time. Unless you plan to put your house up for sale, you should always pay more up front with high cycle springs. Most dealers offer a lifetime warranty if you pay them to replace your broken torsion springs.