2026-03-24 6 min read
There's a particular sound Loveland homeowners learn to dread. a loud bang from the garage, like something heavy hit the floor. Nine times out of ten, that's a torsion spring letting go. It happens without warning, usually on the coldest morning of the year, and it leaves you with a door that weighs close to two hundred pounds and an opener that suddenly can't lift it.
Spring failures aren't random. They build up over time, and the freeze-thaw climate of Northern Colorado accelerates that process. Understanding why they fail. and what to watch for beforehand. can save you from being stranded in your driveway before work.
Garage door torsion springs are made from high-tension steel, and steel doesn't behave the same way at 15°F as it does at 65°F. When temperatures drop, metal contracts and becomes more brittle. That contraction increases the tension in the spring during every open-and-close cycle, adding stress to a component that's already working at its mechanical limits.
Loveland averages about 46 inches of snow per year, with snowfall occurring from late October through April. That means your garage door may be opening and closing multiple times a day through six or more months of temperature extremes. Add in the dramatic single-day temperature swings common along the Front Range. where a morning low in the teens can climb to the 50s by afternoon. and you have metal components that are repeatedly expanding and contracting under load.
Cold temperatures also thicken lubricants or cause them to dry out entirely. When rollers, bearings, and hinges aren't moving freely, the entire system works harder than it should. putting even more strain on the springs just to move the door through its cycle.
For homeowners in established Loveland neighborhoods like Kendall Brook or Campion, where homes were built in the 1980s and 90s and garage doors may have original hardware, the risk of spring failure is genuinely elevated. If you've never had the springs replaced and you've lived in your home for more than seven years, pay close attention to this post.
Most modern Loveland homes. particularly those built in Centerra and other newer developments. use torsion springs, which are mounted horizontally above the door opening on a metal shaft. They store energy as the door closes and release it as the door opens.
Older homes, especially those built before the early 1990s, may have extension springs. the long, stretched springs that run parallel to the horizontal tracks on either side of the door. Both types wear out, but extension springs have an additional failure risk: when they snap, the spring and its hardware can become a dangerous projectile if safety cables aren't installed.
If you're not sure which type you have, take a look at the services page for a visual reference, or give us a call and we can walk you through it.
Springs rarely fail with zero warning. they usually give you signals that something's changing. Here's what to look for:
- The door feels heavier than usual when operating in manual mode. Disconnect the opener and try lifting the door by hand from the middle. It should feel almost weightless. If it takes real effort to lift, the spring isn't providing full counterbalance. - The door opens unevenly. one side rising faster than the other. This often means one spring (on a two-spring system) is failing while the other is still functional. - Visible gaps in the spring coil. A torsion spring under tension has coils wound tight together. If you can see a gap in the coil. a section where the wire has separated. that spring has already broken. - Squeaking or grinding noise during operation that wasn't there before, especially in cold weather. This can indicate a spring or bearing that's starting to wear. - The opener strains or reverses when trying to open the door. The motor is sensing that the door is too heavy. which is exactly what happens when a spring fails.
If you're seeing any of these signs, now is the time to act. not after the spring fully breaks. Our post on 5 Warning Signs Your Garage Door Springs Need Replacement goes deeper on each of these indicators.
This is the most important part of this post. When a torsion spring breaks:
Do not attempt to replace it yourself. Torsion springs are under extreme mechanical tension. enough to cause serious injury or death if mishandled. This is not a hyperbolic warning. The spring replacement process requires specific winding bars, knowledge of the correct spring specifications for your door's weight and height, and experience handling loaded hardware safely. It is one of the few garage door tasks where DIY is genuinely dangerous.
Do not try to force the door open with the opener. If a spring has broken, the opener motor will work against the full weight of the door. This can burn out the motor or strip the gears. turning a spring replacement into a spring-plus-opener replacement.
Do not try to manually force the door open by pulling hard on it. With a broken spring, the door can come down quickly and unexpectedly when released.
If the door is stuck closed and you need to get your car out, disengage the opener using the red emergency release cord and lift from the bottom with two hands, moving slowly. If it's too heavy to lift safely, leave it and call for service.
Standard torsion springs are rated for about 10,000 cycles. where one cycle equals one open and one close. If you use your garage door four times a day, that's roughly seven years of life under normal conditions. In Loveland's climate, with cold-weather stress accelerating wear, expect the lower end of that range.
Higher-cycle springs (25,000 or even 50,000 cycles) are available and are worth considering if you're replacing springs on a door you use heavily. The upgrade cost is modest compared to the labor involved in a second replacement a few years later.
When Garage Door Hygiene replaces springs, we always recommend replacing both springs at the same time on a two-spring system. If one has worn out to the point of breaking, the other is typically close behind. and you'll pay another service call fee in six months if you only replace one.
Call immediately if: - You've heard the spring snap (or suspect it has) - The door won't open at all and feels very heavy manually, You can see a visible gap in the torsion spring coil
Schedule a service call soon if: - The door feels harder to lift manually than it used to, You're hearing new grinding or squeaking from the spring area, Your door is over 7 years old and springs have never been replaced
For everything else. general noises, slight slowness, remote issues. check our FAQ or read through what to do when your garage door won't open to troubleshoot before calling.
To book a spring inspection or replacement in Loveland or the surrounding Northern Colorado area, reach out to our team. We'll assess both springs, check the cables and hardware while we're at it, and give you an honest read on what needs attention now versus what can wait.
Q: Can I still use my garage door with a broken spring?
A: Technically the opener may still move the door, but you shouldn't. Operating the door with a broken spring puts extreme stress on the opener motor and drive system, and the door can fall suddenly if the opener fails mid-cycle. It's safer and cheaper to leave the door in place and call for service.
Q: How much does a torsion spring replacement cost in Loveland?
A: Pricing varies based on the number of springs, the spring specifications for your door size and weight, and whether any related hardware needs replacement. Getting a quote specific to your door is the only reliable way to know. Be cautious of very low advertised prices. they sometimes reflect a single spring when your door needs two, or standard springs when high-cycle springs are appropriate.
Q: Do I need to replace both springs if only one broke?
A: On a two-spring system, yes. we strongly recommend it. Both springs were installed at the same time and have the same number of cycles on them. If one has failed, the other is under more strain than ever (compensating for the broken spring) and is likely to fail soon. Replacing both at once saves you a second service call fee and ensures balanced door operation.