Spring Repair FAQ

Garage Door spring repair in the Austin TX area.

By: Cedar Park Overhead Doors

 Your Garage door spring broke, your garage door will not open and you have so many questions.

1.  I need my garage door fixed now, how can I do this?
2. Why did my garage door spring break?
3. How do I know my spring is broken?
4. Can I fix it myself?
5. Why does the garage door not open?
6. What does it cost to get my garage door fixed?
7. How often do garage door springs break?
8. What should I look for in a garage door company?

 Here are the answers to those questions

 I need my garage door fixed now, how can I do this? – In my opinion, the easiest way is to call Cedar Park Overhead Doors and have us come out there the same day to replace the broken springs, give you great service with a great warranty at a great price and get your door back online that day.  Call us at 512-335-7441 to get your spring fixed today!

 Why did my garage door spring break? – All garage door springs break. They are made of spring steel which is wound into a coil shape and every time you wind them up the steel is stressed and eventually it breaks. Typically a garage door spring can last for up to 20,000 open and close cycles. Sometimes they last longer and other times they do not.

 Why did my garage door spring break today? There are many things that can cause a spring to break quicker. The weight of the door can be higher than the spring is designed for and the spring may have been overwound causing extra stress on the spring. This is like bending a piece of steel too much. It damages the steel and it does not return to it’s correct shape. Temperature changes affect a spring. A lot more springs break on colder days than hot days. Especially days where the temperature changes radically. Cold steel is less malleable than hot steel is a simple explanation. Chemicals in the garage can cause the spring steel to weaken. We have seen cases where pool chlorine seems to affect the steel and greatly decrease the lifecycle of springs. Other possibilities include manufacturing defects in the steel or the making of the spring. All garage door springs will eventually break and the more you use the door the more likely the door will break. 

 How do I know my spring is broken? That is easy. The garage door will not go up. Without the spring to lift the door, the door is now very heavy and the opener cannot lift the door. Most likely, you will not be able to lift the door either. A typical 2 car garage door will weigh 160 lbs. It is large and unwieldy and you will find it hard to open the door. Another way is to look at the springs mounted on top of the door. They should be solid coils, not broken.  Another way is when you hear a big bang in your garage. This is the spring releasing all of it’s force and often makes a big noise as the coils expand and violently shrink back to their original unsprung form.

 Can I fix my garage door spring myself? Possibly. It is not impossible to fix your own garage door springs but it is time consuming, requires the exact parts, some special tools, some lifting, some moderate physical strength and some time. If you have all of those, then you can fix your own spring. Go here to see more information on fixing your own spring (Link Here). 

 What does it cost to get my garage door spring Fixed? First, the spring does not get fixed, it gets replaced. A new spring is used to repair your door. It needs to be exactly the correct size which includes the following dimensions: 

1. The inner diameter
2. The gauge of the spring wire 
3. The length of the spring 
4. The wind of the spring (Left or Right). 

 If you get a spring from somewhere else, these parameters must be correct or the results will be poor or dangerous. In our company, we stock standard spring sizes to accommodate most doors found on doors. We also stock the parts to make custom springs for unique doors with excessive heights, weights, or unique materials. We make them in our shop and can have them ready within the day. 

Our spring prices range from $50 to more than $200 per spring depending on the physical parameters of the spring as well as the warranty on the spring. 

Our Warranties, If we install the springs, our springs come with a 3 year parts and labor warranty, and a lifetime warranty on the spring, as long as you own the home. In simple terms. If we install a spring with a lifetime Warranty we will cover the spring replacement as long as you own the home, and you will only pay for labor when the spring breaks in the future. If the spring breaks earlier than three years, we cover the springs and the labor and you pay nothing.  If you want to pay less for the spring and you do not care about a warranty, then we will give you a one year warranty on the spring. Because we are warranting most springs we want to put up the best springs and the correct size to ensure a long life for your springs. If you install the springs there is no warranty. 

Garage door spring pricing guidelines: For a door with a single 8 x 7 door with a single spring our prices are: Spring $99 and $105 for labor. This is for a lifetime warranty spring. If you do not want the lifetime warranty then take $50 off the price of  the spring. Add sales tax to the price of the spring, not the labor. Add a $10 fuel fee and that will be your number. If you have a double door which is heavier than a bigger spring is needed and the price goes to $169 for the larger lifetime spring and $119 for the labor. If you want only a 1 year warranty on your springs then take $50 off the spring price.   Heavier doors may require two springs and two springs on a double steel door can really increase the life expectancy of your spring. This is difficult to explain but the larger and longer a spring is, the less extreme it bends to lift the door, the longer it will last. Two springs act the same as one long spring in this regard and therefore give you more cycles before they break. 

Also note, that a wood covered door might have four springs installed to lift the door. Heavy commercial doors may have a 6” diameter instead of the typical 2” diameter most residential doors use. This type of spring might cost more than $600 to replace all four springs. 

Note: You always want to replace all of the springs on your door when one breaks. This way you will not have to pay for the labor when the second spring breaks a couple of weeks later. And it often does because it was installed at the same time as the broken spring and has done half of the work so it too should be close to breaking also. You do not want to have us back out there handing  you another labor charge for the second spring replacement. When we replace a spring we have to unwind all of the unbroken springs on the door and take down the torsion tube, remove the cables, remove the drums, replace the center bearing, reinstall everything back on the torsion tube, reset the cables, and drums. Level the door, wind the springs correctly, lubricate and test for correct balance and operation. 

 

How often do garage door springs break?  Garage door springs have many factors that affect their life cycle number. Here are some of the considerations. 

Cycle life. There are calculations and formulas that can be used to determine the expected cycle life of a spring.  We use a software program to determine the correct dimensions to satisfy your needs. Some vendors, especially value focused builder doors leave the factory with springs that are designed to last for 10 thousand cycles. In a typical house, if you go to work in the morning and reopen the door in the evening, that is two cycles per day and at 365 days per year, you could get a long time before you have to replace the spring. But if it is a two car garage and it opens 4 times a day the life decreases, or if you use your garage door as your main access point, the garage can be used 6 or more times per day or more. The number of years decreases greatly.  At Cedar Park Overhead doors we use springs to guarantee at least 17 thousand cycles. If we put up a two spring system, we expect to get 23 cycles. 

 Proper Balance – If a door is too heavy for the springs on the door it means that springs have to be overwound to get the door to operate. This greatly decreases the number of life cycles of a door. How does a door get too heavy? 

• The wrong spring might have been installed originally by mistake.
• The door weight may have changed by adding insulation to the door and not changing the springs. Struts or additional hardware may have been added to the door making the original spring calculation incorrect.
• Chemicals or environmental factors:
• Chemicals In the garage can have an effect on the metal of the spring. Chlorine Pool chemicals are notorious for this.
• Excessive moisture can cause spring to rust which damages the metal and will decrease the life of a spring. 
• Extreme Temperature changes in a short period can cause a garage door spring to work. While this is a subjective consideration, we have seen an increase in spring repair jobs when it is 30 degrees in the morning and 80 degrees in the afternoon. 

 

What should I look for in a garage door company?

There are many things that make a great garage door  company. Here are some of the considerations you should have. 

Reliability – Can you trust the company you are working with? There are many factors that affect this but some of these are listed below:

1. Longevity – Has the company been around for very long. A company that has been in business for 20 or 30 years has shown it’s commitment to the business and the community. 
2. Size of the company – The larger the company the more likely you are going to get a consistently good or great service. While you might get a great deal from “Chuck” and his one person operation, Chuck may have a medical condition, may get a better job, may get old, or may have his parole revoked.  And if that happens your great deal and great warranty are worth nothing. There is only oneChuck and if he really is good, then he will probably have more jobs than he can handle and may not get back to you at all. Or chuck may not be able to afford insurance or be able to replace faulty manufacturers equipment. 
3. Company Reputation – Word of mouth is the best. Ask your friends, chances are they all have garage doors and see who they recommend. Yelp, BBB, and Google all have review sites where you can see what work has been done. Read some of the reviews. Remember, someone with 300 perfect reviews and no negative reviews with suggestions for improvement are probably not real and are less likely to be trusted. Some of the companies with 400 five stars and no bad reviews are so evil they really do take advantage of people and make the whole industry look bad. We have some of them advertising in Austin. Shell companies with a part time independent contractor doing the work who has two weeks training focused on selling crazy high prices. And when the customer balks, get the Dallas “Sales Office” online to “make a deal”. Invoices with 29 warranty limitations on the back that include and $89.00 service charge for a warranty call. Being charged a service fee before they even arrive. These are the trademarks of “The Worst Garage Door Company in America”. They advertise and operate in the Austin area. If you call a door company and the first thing they want to know is your zip code, Hang Up. If they want to charge your credit card before they come, Hang Up. Good companies do not charge for work they do not do. At Cedar Park Overhead Doors, we only charge when you agree you have received the service you agreed to. If we do not do any work, we do not get paid. Estimates are free. 
4. Vendors – Go to some garage door vendor sites. See who they recommend in your area. They want their products to be represented well in the market. Check and see who they recommend. Here are some of our vendors and their websites.  
1. LiftMaster
2. Amarr
3. Raynor
4. Haas
5. Martin Garage Doors
6. Wayne Dalton
7. CHI
8. Cookson 
9. Clopay
10. Marantec
11. Genie
5. Pricing – Are prices being given that you understand? Do they advertise and give real prices?  Will they do estimates and include all the charges? Are the prices fair and honest? 
6. Availability – What are the hours and how fast can they get to you is an important consideration. If your car is stuck in the garage can they get a tech out the same day to get you out of the garage. Maybe even faster. A company with 30 technicians is much more likely to be able to get you out and back on the road. A company that answers the phone 24 hours a day is likely to be able to get a technician out pretty quickly assuming that you need them to be there very quickly. At Cedar Park Overhead Doors we have the contract for the City of Austin which includes Fire Departments, EMS stations, and city services. We answer the phone 24 hours a day and have someone on call 24 hours a day.
7. Quality products – Like all products, garage doors have a wide range in price and quality. A good vendor sells the product that fits the needs and desires of the customers. Some vendors excel at insulation while others may have better colors, or window options or panel styles.  Because of this Cedar Park Overhead doors is an independent dealer that sells many different vendors products. We are the Largest LiftMaster installing dealer in the Austin Area. We are the largest Martin Door dealer in Austin, We are Amarr Premier dealers. We are in the top 10 dealers in the country for the Raynor garage door products. We add dealers and remove other dealers based on quality, availability, and customer requirements. A great vendor may fall in purchases if the customer does not like their selection. Our showroom includes almost all of the products we sell so that you can see and touch the products and actually watch it work. If you have a cheap door on your home, you may believe that it is OK, but if you see better doors you may decide that you are interested in an upgrade, something that fits your home better than the same builder door all 50 of your neighbors have. If all you are looking for is a door that looks like all of your neighbors we are happy to sell you that door too. You are the customer and we are interested in providing you with the products that you desire and fit your needs..