A garage door spring carries most of the door weight. When it breaks, the door can suddenly feel impossible to lift, the opener may strain, and the home may be left unsecured.
Stop using the opener
If the opener runs but the door barely moves, stop pressing the button. The opener is not designed to lift the full door weight without working springs.
- Do not force the door repeatedly with the opener
- Do not stand under a door that looks crooked or unstable
- Keep children and pets away from the door until it is checked
Look for the common signs
A broken spring often shows up as a loud pop, a visible gap in the spring, a heavy door, or a door that only lifts a few inches before stopping.
- Visible gap in the torsion spring above the door
- Loose cables near the sides of the door
- Door stuck halfway or closing too quickly
- Opener hums, clicks, or strains without moving the door
Details that speed up a repair request
The most useful details are simple: door position, approximate size, whether the opener runs, whether the home is unsecured, and whether a vehicle is trapped.