The spring did most of the lifting. Now it's in two pieces.
A torsion spring is wound to balance the full weight of the door so the opener only has to nudge it. It is rated for a number of cycles, it is made of steel, and it lives in a Florida garage. When it goes, the door becomes dead weight, and the right fix is the right spring, not any spring.
Most doors in Marion County use one or two torsion springs: the tight coils on the steel shaft above the door, connected by cables to the bottom corners. Older and lighter doors, and some golf-cart garage doors, use extension springs, the long springs that stretch along the horizontal tracks. Either way the spring is doing the work: a two-car insulated steel door weighs 150 to 250 pounds, and a properly sprung door can be lifted with one hand because the spring is carrying all of it. The opener is there to move a balanced door, not to lift a heavy one, which is why a broken spring often takes out the opener's gear or strains its motor if someone keeps pressing the button.
Springs break on cycle count, not calendar. The standard residential torsion spring is rated for about 10,000 cycles, one cycle being one open and one close. A family that leaves and returns three times a day uses six cycles, so about five years. A home where the garage is the front door, which is most of the one-story houses here and nearly all of The Villages, uses more. Heat and humidity speed the fatigue; rust pits the wire and the pit becomes the break. The spring lets go with a bang, usually when the door is closed and the spring is fully wound, which is why so many people hear it from inside the house and find nothing wrong until the next morning.
The right replacement is matched to the door, not pulled off a shelf by guess. The technician measures the broken spring's wire size, inside diameter and length, weighs the door or calculates it from the make and panel count, and fits springs that balance that weight. On a two-spring door we replace both: the other spring has the same cycles on it and will go within months, and a mismatched pair unbalances the door and shortens the opener's life. We offer high-cycle springs, rated for 25,000 cycles or more, for a modest premium, which on a door used many times a day is the better buy. Then the door is balanced by hand, the cables and drums checked, the opener's force settings reset, and the safety reverse tested before we leave.
One safety note that matters more than any price: don't try to replace a torsion spring yourself. A wound spring stores enough energy to break a wrist or worse, and the winding bars are the part that slips. Don't lift a door with a broken spring, and don't pull the red release with the door open. Call; it's a same-day job.
What's included
Measured, not guessed
Wire size, inside diameter and length measured; the door weighed or calculated; springs sized to balance it.
Replaced as a pair
Both springs on a two-spring door, so the second one doesn't fail next month and the door stays balanced.
High-cycle option
25,000-cycle and longer-life springs for doors that open many times a day.
Cables and drums checked
The parts a broken spring strains: rusted or frayed cables replaced at the same visit.
Balanced and reset
Door lifted by hand to check balance, opener force and travel reset, safety reverse tested.
Same day
Springs for the common doors ride on the truck; most spring calls are finished in the same visit.
Broken spring repair cost in Ocala, FL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Torsion spring, single door, one spring | $225 – $375 | 9×7 and 8×7 doors |
| Torsion springs, two-car door, matched pair | $325 – $550 | 16×7 and 18×7 doors |
| High-cycle (25,000+) springs, pair | $425 – $700 | Recommended on doors used 6+ times a day |
| Extension springs, pair, with safety cables | $200 – $350 | Older and golf-cart doors |
| Convert extension to torsion | $450 – $800 | Quieter, safer, longer-lived |
| Lift cables replaced with the springs | + $90 – $180 | When rusted or frayed |
| Service call | $79 – $129 | Waived with the repair |
These are 2026 Marion County ranges to help you budget. Your price is quoted on site before any work starts, parts and labor itemized; new doors and openers get a written estimate good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about broken spring repair
Why replace both springs if only one broke?
Because they were installed together and have the same number of cycles on them. The surviving spring usually goes within a few months, and running one new and one tired spring unbalances the door and loads the opener. Two springs today cost less than two separate visits.
How long do garage door springs last?
A standard 10,000-cycle spring lasts about five to seven years on a door opened four to six times a day, less on a door used more. High-cycle springs at 25,000 cycles or more last two to three times as long for a modest premium.
Can I open the door with a broken spring?
Not safely, and not with the opener. The door is dead weight; the opener will strain or strip its gear, and lifting by hand risks dropping it. If a car is inside, call and say so; we treat it as an emergency.
What size spring does my door need?
It depends on the door's weight and the spring's wire size, inside diameter and length, which is why we measure the old spring and weigh the door rather than matching by color. Color codes vary by maker and are not a reliable guide.
Are torsion springs better than extension springs?
Yes, for most doors: they lift more evenly, wear more predictably, and don't fly across the garage when they break. Converting an older extension-spring door to torsion is a common upgrade when the springs are due anyway.
Why did the spring break with the door closed?
That's when it's fully wound and under the most stress. A spring usually fails at a rust pit or a fatigue crack, and the stored energy releases all at once, which is the bang. The door is then much heavier than the opener expects.