For garage door repair in Buckingham, Bucks County, PA, call Buckingham Garage Door Repair.
Springs are the parts that really lift a garage door. Every time the door goes up, the springs unwind and do most of the work, and every time it comes down, they wind back up and store that energy again. After enough cycles the steel tires out and breaks. In Buckingham, where so many doors are large and heavy, that usually means two springs to replace instead of one.
Torsion springs on newer homes
Most doors built in the last few decades use torsion springs, mounted on a shaft across the top of the opening. A heavy insulated or carriage-style door often has two of them. When one breaks, there is a visible gap in the coil, and the door suddenly feels like dead weight. The opener may lift it a few inches and stop, or it may strain and hum without moving it at all.
Extension springs on older doors
Older garages, detached garages and barns often have extension springs. They run overhead beside the rails, left and right, and stretch tight whenever the door comes down. A broken one may hang loose, or you may find a piece of it on the floor. Every extension spring needs a containment cable threaded through it. If yours do not, we add one as part of the job.
Why we replace pairs
A matched pair of springs has lived through every single trip together. Leaving an old spring next to a new one makes the door lift unevenly and means the old one will probably fail soon. Changing both at once costs more on the day but saves a second visit.
Spring costs per the price table on this site
One torsion spring: $170 to $340. Both springs on a two-spring door: $285 to $490. A pair of extension springs: $165 to $320. The spread comes from the size and weight of the door and from whether a cable or drum also needs attention after the door dropped.
After the new springs go on
With the opener unhooked, the door should hover wherever you let go of it, and the technician sets the springs until it does. Then the opener's force and travel settings are checked, because a door that now lifts properly may need small adjustments to stop cleanly. If the garage door is your family's main way into the house, ask about higher-cycle springs, which cost a little more and last longer.
Please do not try to wind a torsion spring yourself. The stored force is enough to cause serious injury. Call (267) 839-8884 and let a technician handle it.