2026-03-25 6 min read
A lot of Hurst homeowners first learn about garage door springs the hard way. they walk into the garage one morning and the door won't budge, or they hear what sounds like a gunshot echo through the house overnight. That sound is a torsion spring snapping under load, and it's one of the more jarring things that can happen to a home's mechanical systems.
Spring failures aren't random bad luck. They build up over time, and in a place like Hurst. where summers push near 100°F, spring humidity spikes, and we get the occasional hard freeze. the conditions that wear springs down are very much part of the local climate. If your home is one of the many ranch-style houses built between the 1960s and 1980s that make up most of Hurst's housing stock, there's a real chance the springs on your door have never been replaced.
This post is about recognizing the warning signs before a full failure, understanding what's actually happening when things go wrong, and knowing what's safe to check yourself versus what requires a professional.
Your garage door. even a standard single-car steel door. typically weighs somewhere between 130 and 200 pounds. Torsion springs (mounted horizontally on a shaft above the door) store mechanical energy as the door closes and release it to counterbalance that weight when opening. Without functional springs, the opener is essentially trying to lift a dead load it was never designed to handle alone.
Most standard torsion springs are rated for about 10,000 open-and-close cycles. If your household uses the garage as the main entry point four or five times a day. which is common in Hurst and across the Mid-Cities. that cycle count runs out faster than you'd think. At that rate, you could hit 10,000 cycles in roughly five to seven years.
North Texas weather accelerates that wear. The expansion caused by summer heat followed by the contraction of a cold front creates stress in the steel over time. High humidity promotes surface rust, which weakens the metal coil and makes it more likely to snap.
You don't always get the dramatic loud-bang moment. Often, the signs are subtler and show up weeks before a complete failure. Here's what to pay attention to:
Pull the emergency release cord. the red handle hanging from the opener. to disengage the motor, then try lifting the door manually. A properly balanced door should lift smoothly and stay at about waist height when you let go. If it feels like you're fighting it, or if it falls back down when released, the springs have lost tension or one has already partially failed. This is one of the clearest early indicators.
Garage door openers are designed to guide the door, not lift its full weight. When springs weaken, the opener compensates by working harder. You might notice the motor sounds louder, hesitates at the start of a cycle, or the door moves more slowly than it used to. Continuing to operate the door this way risks burning out the opener motor. turning a spring repair into a more expensive dual repair.
Take a look at the spring mounted above your door (don't touch it. just look). A torsion spring that has snapped will show a visible gap of roughly two inches or more in the coil where the metal has separated. If you see that gap, the spring is broken. Do not use the door with the opener and don't attempt to lift it manually by yourself. Call for service.
A spring that hasn't snapped yet can still be at risk. Rust on the coils makes the metal more brittle and prone to sudden failure. A spring that looks stretched out or uneven has lost the tight tension it needs to function properly. Either of these conditions means the spring is likely close to the end of its service life.
Noise that wasn't there before is worth paying attention to. Squeaking often means the spring coils are dry and creating friction. sometimes addressable with lubrication, sometimes a sign of deeper wear. A door that moves unevenly, tilts to one side, or jerks during travel usually indicates that one spring in a two-spring system has already failed and the other is carrying the full load unevenly.
There are a few things homeowners can do without risk:
- Lubricate the springs using a silicone or lithium-based garage door spray every six months. This slows rust and reduces friction between coils. Skip WD-40. it doesn't hold up under heat and actually attracts dust. - Do the balance test described above. It's safe, takes about 60 seconds, and gives you real information about the system's condition. - Look for visible damage. rust, gaps, or loose cables. from a safe distance. If you see any of those, stop using the door and call for service.
What you should not do: attempt to adjust spring tension, remove a spring, or try to operate a door with a known broken spring. Torsion springs store enormous mechanical force. A spring under load that releases unexpectedly can cause serious injury. This is a job for trained technicians with the right tools. full stop.
For a clear breakdown of what our team handles during a service call, visit our garage door services page.
When one spring in a two-spring system fails, it's almost always worth replacing both at the same time. The surviving spring has experienced the same number of cycles and the same weather exposure as the broken one. Replacing only the failed spring often means a second service call within months. It's more cost-effective to do both at once.
If you're in Hurst or nearby Euless and the door is older. say, 15 to 20 years with original hardware. it's also worth asking whether upgrading to high-cycle springs makes sense for your household. These are rated for significantly more cycles than standard springs and hold up better in climates like ours. Hurst Garage Doors can assess your specific setup and give you a straight answer on what makes the most sense. Get in touch to schedule a visit.
For more context on when repair makes more sense than full replacement, the blog has additional posts covering that decision in depth.
Q: How do I know if my garage door spring is broken or if it's the opener? A: The easiest way to tell is the manual lift test. Disengage the opener with the red release cord and try lifting the door by hand. If it lifts easily and stays at mid-height, the opener is likely the issue. If the door feels extremely heavy or won't stay up, the spring is the problem. A broken torsion spring will also often show a visible gap in the coil above the door.
Q: Is it safe to drive my car out of the garage if I have a broken spring? A: It's risky. The door becomes very heavy without spring support, and using the opener to force it open can burn out the motor or cause the door to drop suddenly. If your car is trapped and you need to get it out, you'll need at least two people to lift the door manually. and you should call for same-day repair immediately after. Never try to lift a dead-weight garage door alone.
Q: How long do garage door springs typically last in the Hurst area? A: Standard springs are rated for around 10,000 cycles, which translates to roughly 7,10 years for an average household. In North Texas, the combination of heat, humidity, and occasional hard freezes can shorten that lifespan. especially if the springs haven't been lubricated regularly. High-cycle spring upgrades can extend that significantly for households that use the garage as a primary entry point multiple times daily.