2026-04-06 7 min read
If you've ever heard a loud bang from your garage and stepped outside to find the door won't budge, there's a good chance a spring just snapped. It's one of the most common calls we get here in Mead. and it almost always happens at the worst possible time, like a January morning when temperatures have dropped into the teens overnight.
Mead sits in a climate that's genuinely tough on garage hardware. Summers push close to 90°F, and winters regularly dip below 20°F. That kind of temperature swing. sometimes 40 to 50 degrees in a single day. causes metal components like torsion springs, cables, and tracks to repeatedly expand and contract, accelerating wear and tear. If you're in one of Mead's newer neighborhoods like Highlands Preserve, Liberty Ranch, or Red Barn Meadows, your home may have a double-car garage with two torsion springs working hard every single day.
Most modern sectional garage doors. the kind you'll find on the ranch-style and two-story homes throughout Mead. use torsion springs mounted horizontally above the door opening. These springs store mechanical energy when the door closes and release it to help lift the door's weight when it opens. Without them, a typical garage door weighs hundreds of pounds and can't be safely moved.
Extension springs are an older design, mounted along the sides of the door tracks. They're more common on one-car garages and older homes. If you're in one of Mead's more established neighborhoods near the original town center, you might still have extension springs.
Both types have a finite lifespan. According to garage door industry data, springs have a life expectancy of roughly 7,9 years, or about 10,000 open-and-close cycles. If your family uses the garage as the main entry point. which most Mead households do. you're burning through those cycles fast.
Springs don't always fail dramatically. Watch for these warning signs:
- The door feels unusually heavy when you lift it manually. A properly balanced door should stay in place when you raise it halfway. If it falls, the springs aren't doing their job. - The opener strains or makes a grinding sound. Cold weather causes lubricants to thicken, making your opener work much harder than usual. If your opener is struggling, worn springs could be the real culprit. - The door opens unevenly or one side sags. This usually means one spring has already failed or is significantly more worn than the other. - A visible gap or break in the spring coil. You can often see this from inside the garage by looking at the spring above the door opening. - A loud bang that came from the garage. A loud bang from the garage. like something heavy snapped. is a classic sign of a broken spring.
If you notice any of these, check out our post on warning signs your garage door needs professional repair for more context on what to watch.
Here's honest pricing you can plan around. Spring replacement in Colorado typically runs $200 to $330 for a standard residential door, depending on the spring type and door size. Torsion springs generally run $200,$350 while extension springs tend to land in the $150,$200 range. though larger or heavier doors will push that number higher.
One important thing to know: if one spring breaks, replace both at the same time. The other spring has endured the same wear cycles and is likely close to failure too. Replacing just one can leave the door unbalanced and cause additional stress on your opener and cables. You'll save on labor by doing both during a single visit.
This point isn't filler. it's a genuine safety issue. Torsion springs operate under very high tension and can cause serious injuries if handled improperly. A spring under load can snap or uncoil violently. The tools required to wind and set spring tension correctly aren't standard household items, and an improperly wound spring can fail almost immediately. sometimes with the door or a person in the way.
This is one of those repairs where the cost of hiring a pro is genuinely worth it. Professional installation ensures proper balancing, safety testing, and warranty coverage.
If you're not sure what's going on with your door, take a look at our full list of services. Garage Door Mead handles spring replacement, cable work, and full system inspections for homeowners across Mead and the surrounding Longmont area.
1. Stop using the opener immediately. Forcing an opener to work against a broken spring can burn out the motor. 2. Don't try to manually lift the door. Without functioning springs, the door is extremely heavy and can fall suddenly. 3. Call a professional. Springs are under high tension and can cause serious injury if handled incorrectly. 4. Check for visible damage to cables and rollers while you wait. a broken spring sometimes pulls cables off their drums.
Ready to get your door back in safe working order? Schedule a repair appointment and we'll get a technician out to assess the situation.
Q: How long does a garage door spring replacement take? A: For most standard residential doors in Mead, a professional spring replacement takes about one to two hours. If cables or rollers also need attention, factor in a bit more time.
Q: Can I still use my garage door with a broken spring? A: You should not. Once a spring breaks, the door becomes too heavy to lift safely, and forcing the opener to compensate can burn out the motor and cause further damage.
Q: How often should garage door springs be replaced in a Colorado climate? A: The standard lifespan is roughly 7,10 years under normal use, but high-usage doors or harsh weather conditions can shorten that lifespan. Mead's dramatic seasonal temperature swings mean annual inspections are a smart investment.