If you heard a bang from the garage that sounded like something heavy hitting the floor, and now the door will not lift, the most likely cause is a broken torsion spring. It is the single most common garage door failure we see in Edmonton, and it tends to happen on the coldest mornings of the year. The good news is that it is a routine fix for a technician. The important news is that it is not something to take on yourself, and this page explains why.
Quick answer
A broken torsion spring is the coiled spring mounted on a bar above your garage door. It stores the energy that lifts the door, so when it snaps the opener can no longer raise the weight and the door stays shut or feels extremely heavy. You often hear a loud bang when it breaks. Do not try to force the door or lift it by hand. Spring replacement is a same-day job for a technician and typically runs $280 to $450 plus GST for a pair.
What the torsion spring does
A garage door is heavy, often more than a hundred kilograms. You do not feel that weight day to day because the springs carry it for you. The torsion spring sits on a metal shaft above the door opening and winds up tight, storing energy. When you open the door, that stored energy does the lifting and the opener just guides the movement. When the spring breaks, all of that weight lands back on the opener and the cables, neither of which is built to carry it alone. That is why a door with a broken spring either will not move or feels like dead weight.
Signs your spring has broken
- A loud bang from the garage, sometimes mistaken for a break-in or a car backfiring.
- The door will not open, or the opener strains, hums and gives up part way.
- A visible gap in the spring coil above the door, where the two broken ends have separated.
- The door feels extremely heavy if you try to lift it by hand, or it drops fast when you let go.
- The door opens a few inches, then stops.
If you see the gap in the coil, there is no doubt about the diagnosis. If you are not sure what you are looking at, the safest move is to leave the door alone and call. Our guide on why a garage door won’t open runs through the other possibilities if the spring turns out to be fine.
Why springs break, and why more often in Edmonton
Springs are rated for a set number of open-and-close cycles, usually around ten thousand. Every trip up and down uses one. On a busy household door that comes to a handful of years, which is why a spring can break with no warning even when nothing looks wrong. Three things push them to fail sooner.
Cold
Steel gets more brittle in the cold, and Edmonton delivers long stretches well below freezing. A spring that was already near the end of its life will very often let go on the first hard cold morning. This is why spring calls spike in December and January.
Age and wear
Metal fatigue is unavoidable. Each cycle flexes the steel a little, and after enough cycles it cracks. There is nothing you did wrong when a spring reaches its number.
Rust and poor lubrication
A dry or rusty spring wears faster and unevenly. Moisture from melting snow and road salt speeds that along. Light maintenance helps, but it does not make a spring last forever.
Why this is never a DIY job
Please read this before you touch the spring
- A torsion spring holds a large amount of stored energy even when the door is closed. Trying to unwind, adjust or replace one without the right tools and training is genuinely dangerous. The winding bars can be thrown with enough force to break bones, and people are seriously injured doing this every year.
- There is no safe way to lift a door with a broken spring by hand. Do not pull the manual release cord and try it. Without the spring holding the weight, the door can slam down.
- Springs are also matched to the exact weight of your door. The wrong spring leaves the door unbalanced, which wears the opener and can fail again quickly.
A trained technician replaces springs safely in well under an hour because they have the winding bars, the right replacement spring for your door, and the routine to do it without getting hurt. It is one of the clearest cases where paying for the job is the right call.
What replacement involves
When we come out, the technician confirms the spring is the fault, checks the cables and rollers at the same time since they wear together, and installs a replacement matched to your door’s weight. We replace springs in pairs. If you have two and only one has broken, the other is the same age and close behind, so replacing both saves you a second call and a second service charge within months. Before leaving, we test the door through a full cycle and check the balance.
What it costs in Edmonton
These are typical Edmonton market ranges. Your price depends on the spring size your door needs and the quality of spring you choose.
| Item | Typical Edmonton range | Notes |
| Spring replacement (pair) | $280 to $450 + GST | Standard torsion springs, both replaced |
| Heavy-duty springs (pair) | $500 to $680 + GST | Longer cycle life, higher up-front cost |
| Single-spring system | $200 to $280 + GST | Some doors use one spring |
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use the door until you arrive?
No. Leave it closed and do not run the opener against it. Forcing a door with a broken spring wears the motor and can snap a cable, turning one repair into three.
Why replace both springs if only one broke?
They are the same age and have done the same number of cycles, so the second is usually not far behind. Replacing the pair now avoids a repeat call and a second charge within a few months, and it keeps the door balanced.
How long do new springs last?
Standard springs are rated for roughly ten thousand cycles, which is several years for most homes. Heavy-duty springs last longer for a higher up-front cost, and are worth considering on a door you use many times a day.
Broken spring? Do not force the door. Call +1 780-908-0907 for same-day Edmonton service.
