2026-04-13 7 min read
If you walked into your garage this morning and the door refused to move. or worse, came crashing down. there's a good chance a broken spring is the culprit. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Desert Hot Springs, and it happens to homeowners in every part of the city, from the newer Lennar builds in Skyborne to the older ranch-style homes near Mission Lakes Country Club.
Understanding what springs do, why they fail, and what your options are will save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
Your garage door can weigh anywhere from 150 to 400 pounds depending on material and insulation level. The springs are what make lifting that weight feel effortless. they counterbalance the door so your opener motor doesn't have to do all the heavy lifting on its own.
There are two types you'll encounter in Desert Hot Springs homes:
- Torsion springs. mounted horizontally above the door opening. These are the standard on most modern homes and are considered the safer, longer-lasting option. - Extension springs. mounted along the sides of the door tracks. Common in older homes, including a lot of the mid-century ranch-style properties that were built during DHS's earlier development booms.
In the Coachella Valley's extreme heat, springs take a beating. Repeated thermal expansion and contraction across summer temperatures that regularly push past 107°F accelerates metal fatigue over time. Don't be surprised if a spring that might last 10,12 years in a milder climate gives out sooner here.
Springs rarely fail without some warning. Here's what to watch for:
- The door feels unusually heavy when you try to lift it manually. Disconnect the opener and try lifting. a well-balanced door should stay up on its own at waist height. - The door opens a few inches, then stops. Most openers have a built-in safety shutoff that triggers when the spring load is wrong. - You hear a loud bang from the garage. often described as a gunshot. That's the sound of a spring snapping under tension. - Visible gaps or separation in the spring coil itself. - The door is uneven or crooked when it moves. a sign one spring on a two-spring system has failed.
If you're noticing any of these issues, check out our post on 7 warning signs your garage door needs professional repair for a more complete checklist before deciding what to do next.
This is the question every homeowner asks. The honest answer: replace both, even if only one has failed.
Here's why. Both springs were installed at the same time and have cycled the same number of times. If one has worn out, the other is right behind it. Replacing just one leaves you with mismatched tension, which stresses your opener motor and puts uneven load on the door. You'll be calling for a second repair much sooner than you'd like.
A good technician will also check the cables, rollers, and hardware while they're in there. spring failure is sometimes a symptom of a larger problem with your door that's worth catching early.
If your home still has extension springs and you're replacing them, it's worth asking about upgrading to torsion springs at the same time. Torsion springs:
- Last longer (typically rated for more cycles) - Are safer when they fail. they stay on the shaft rather than flying off, Provide smoother, more balanced door movement, Perform more reliably under the kind of heavy daily use common in family homes
For newer homes in master-planned communities like Skyborne. where 3- and 4-bedroom homes with 2-car garages are the norm. torsion springs are almost always the right call.
We'll be direct: garage door spring replacement is one of the most dangerous DIY repairs you can attempt at home. Springs are wound under hundreds of pounds of tension. An improperly wound spring can release that energy instantly, causing severe injury.
Beyond safety, proper spring replacement requires knowing your door's exact weight and selecting the correct spring rating. The wrong spring will damage your opener and cause the motor to burn out prematurely. meaning you'll spend more money fixing the consequences of the wrong fix than you would have on a professional repair in the first place.
Learn more about the safety side of this on our garage door spring safety guide, which covers what every homeowner should know before getting anywhere near a broken spring.
When you schedule a service call, a technician will:
1. Confirm which spring type you have and measure the door's weight 2. Remove both springs (not just the broken one) 3. Install correctly rated replacement springs 4. Perform a balance test. the door should hold at waist height without drifting 5. Lubricate and inspect cables, rollers, and hardware
Most spring replacements can be completed in under an hour. If you're also experiencing opener issues, it's smart to have both checked at once. a door running on a broken spring may have already strained the motor.
Standard springs are typically rated for 10,000 cycles. High-cycle springs. which cost a bit more. can be rated for 25,000 to 50,000 cycles or more. If you open and close your garage door four times a day, a 10,000-cycle spring lasts roughly seven years. A high-cycle spring could last 20,30 years under the same usage.
For most Desert Hot Springs homeowners, especially in higher-use households, upgrading to high-cycle springs is worth the added cost.
The clearest sign of a broken spring is a door that won't open at all, even with the opener running, or one that opens only an inch or two before stopping. You may also see a visible gap in the coil of a torsion spring above your door. If the door opens but moves slowly or unevenly, the problem might be the opener or rollers instead.
No. Operating a garage door with a broken spring puts enormous strain on the opener motor and can cause cables to snap or the door to fall unexpectedly. Disconnect the opener and avoid using the door until a technician can inspect it.
Spring replacement typically ranges from $150 to $350 for most residential doors, depending on spring type, size, and whether you're replacing one or both. High-cycle spring upgrades cost more upfront but pay off over time. Call us for a straightforward quote. no surprise fees.